Easy hikes and walks in Naturschutzgebiet Latumer Bruch

A small note on the name of the highlight and its spelling: It is the Greiffenhorstpark, with 2 f, named after Cornelius de Greiff, on whose behalf it was designed and realized around 1840 by the master gardener and Düsseldorf court garden director Maximilian Friedrich Weyhe. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greiffenhorstpark

I love the park around Linn Castle and Greifenhorst Park. Always nice for a short walk (also suitable for wheelchairs) or as a starting point for a hike through the Latumer Bruch nature reserve or through the fields towards Düsseldorf.

According to tradition, Saint Pancras, to whom this chapel in Ossum-Bösinghoven is dedicated, was publicly executed at the end of the 3rd / beginning of the 4th century under Emperor Diocletian because of his Christian faith. The martyr's body was buried on the Roman Via Aurelia - in the catacombs later named after him - under the present church "San Pancrazio". The memorial day of Saint Pancras is May 12th, in popular piety he is one of the three so-called "Ice Saints", together with Servatius and Boniface (in some areas supplemented by "Cold Sophie" one day later).

The Greiffenhorst house, built between 1838 and 1843, is attributed to the architect Otto von Gloeden. In 1929 it was converted into a café by the architect Prof. Caspar Lennartz. Partially damaged in World War II, the building eked out an existence for many years as a ruin with bricked-up doors and windows. After years of demands for demolition, it was decided to save the building, which is one of the most exposed examples of this type in the Rhineland. Between 1972 and 1974 the building received a comprehensive restoration by the building authority. The three-story brick plastered building has the shape of an octagon, which is expanded on four opposite sides by two-story extensions with approximately square floor plans. Both the octagonal three-story building and its two-story extensions have flat, walkable roofs surrounded by cast-iron latticework. The latticework is supported by plastic console cornices, which are decorated with wreath motifs between the consoles. Iron vases stand on the corner posts. Each octagonal section and each porch wall is pierced by a rectangular pilaster-framed central window. The entrances on the north-south axis of the building have paneled double doors. Typologically, the building is a central building, which means that, in contrast to longhouse buildings, all parts of the building are related to the center of the building. Haus Greiffenhorst follows the tradition of classicist hunting and pleasure buildings from the 18th century. Source: Architecture guide Krefeld by Hans-Peter Schwanke, published by the city director of the city of Krefeld 1996, ISBN 3-9804181-4-6; Page 314, "114. Haus Greiffenhorst"

The Greiffenhorstpark is a park in the Linn district of Krefeld, near Linn Castle. It is registered in the city's list of monuments, together with the Greiffenhorst House (also called Greiffenhorst-Schlösschen) and the Hausenhof located there. The park along the former Linner Mühlenbach was designed around 1840 on behalf of Cornelius de Greiff by the renowned garden architect and Düsseldorf court garden director Maximilian Friedrich Weyhe in the style of a classic English landscape garden as a connection between Mühlenhof and Hausenhof. Source and link to the full article: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greiffenhorstpark

From the waterworks to the Roman lake and the pastures south of Greiffenhorst Park to the Linn city moat, the tenth nature reserve in Krefeld's urban area was designated in 2017 with "In der Elt". Drinking water is extracted from around half of the area; this operation is regulated and guaranteed within the statutes of the NSG. Horse pastures, meadows and forest are features of the NSG. Spawning waters for the great crested newt and a smooth oat-burnt-silt meadow as a habitat for the blue butterfly belong to "In der Elt". The foundations of the former Linn church are marked here. Shards that can be attributed to Roman times were also found here.

From 1838 to 1843, the Krefeld silk manufacturer Cornelius der Greiff had a hunting lodge built here. Today the octagonal building is used for events, concerts and exhibitions.

The central wing of the chapel dedicated to Saint Pancratius probably dates from the 11th century