Charm, culture and an abbey: Mönchengladbach

Mönchengladbach is a lovely and lively city on the Lower Rhine and presents a delightful combination of urban flair and rural charm. Extensive parks and woodlands have earned it the reputation of a 'green city'. But it is also known for its art and culture, with significant architectural monuments, a world-class museum and a vibrant theatre, variety and performing arts scene.

Market by day, party by night in the city centre

Alter Markt square, along with Kapuzinerplatz square and the minster, are the key historical features of Mönchengladbach. Today, the modern and sweeping square is adorned with details such as the temperature tower, the 'Man and Time' art installation, the 'square-round' fountain and, on Kapuzinerplatz, an unmissable sculpture by Heinz Mack. A market takes place here three times a week. In the evenings, crowds throng the cafés, bars and pubs, particularly those on Waldhausener Strasse – the city's party zone. The people of Mönchengladbach know how to have a good time and throw a party. A good example is the carnival season. The Shrove Tuesday procession is one of the carnival highlights and unlike anything on show elsewhere.

A modern monument and centuries-old religious treasures

Mönchengladbach's cultural gem is the Abteiberg Museum, one of the most important German museums for fine art of the 20th and 21st centuries. Planned and developed in 1982 by Hans Hollein, a star of postmodernism, it is filled with works by Joseph Beuys, Richard Serra, Andy Warhol, Sigmar Polke, Gerhard Richter, Martin Kippenberger, Markus Oehlen, Heinz Mack, Ulrich Rückriem and Gregor Schneider. Other fantastic but much older artistic treasures can be found in the Minster of St. Vitus, which was awarded the status of basilica minor by Pope Paul VI in 1974. They include significant examples of goldsmiths' work, wonderful manuscripts, a tablet inscribed with Germanic runes, a seal of Albertus Magnus and, stored in a gold-plated shrine, the cloth that is said to have been on the table at the Last Supper.

A trip to Mönchengladbach would not be complete without a visit to its two stately homes: Rheydt House, the best-preserved Renaissance palace on the Lower Rhine, and Wickrath Palace, which is surrounded by a lake and romantic parklands close to the river Niers. The palatial home of the former stud manager now houses a pleasant café and restaurant. After all, even the culturally minded need refreshment.