Welcome to Gronau!

In Gronau, THE GOOD LIFE awaits you between urban cultural and leisure activities and excursions into the green surroundings. The population of around 50,000 is divided between the two districts of Gronau and Epe, both of which have their own town centres.

At the border triangle between NRW, Lower Saxony and the Netherlands

Gronau (Westphalia) is located in the western Münsterland region between Ahaus and Ochtrup, directly on the Dutch border. The centre of the neighbouring Dutch city of Enschede is only about 25 minutes away by car. Münster and Münster/Osnabrück Airport (FMO) are just under an hour's drive away, the district town of Borken about 40 minutes. Osnabrück is just over an hour away. Thanks to the good transport connections via the A31, you can also reach the North Sea coast in about two hours.

You can also take the train to Münster, Enschede and Dortmund from the two stations in the districts of Gronau and Epe.

Tip: Münsterland is a cycling region! 4,500 kilometres of cycle paths offer you almost unlimited possibilities in the city and in the countryside: you can commute to work comfortably by bike and go on great tours with friends and family.

Living in Gronau

Gronau consists of the main town, which is home to around 35,000 of the total population of 50,000, and the smaller district of Epe, which is around ten minutes' drive south of the town centre. Around 15,000 people live here. In the centre of Gronau there is a pedestrian zone with many shops, the former state garden show site and the rock'n'pop museum. By the way: the panic rocker Udo Lindenberg grew up in Gronau and is now an honorary citizen of the town.

And you also have short distances in Epe: There are various shops, ice cream parlours and restaurants in the town centre, as well as a park on the banks of the little river Dinkel.

Even though rental and purchase prices are following the general property trend overall, there are still numerous niches to be discovered in Münsterland when it comes to building, buying or renting. Here you can find the average purchase and rental prices for a house or flat in the rural area of Münsterland.

On its website, the town of Gronau provides information on whether there are plans for new housing developments. You can also view information on sales and price trends on the property market in the Borken district in the property market report.

Did you know...?!

A prehistoric reptile is named after the town of Gronau: The Gronausaurus was discovered here at the beginning of the 20th century. It belonged to the plesiosaurs that lived in the sea - the place where Gronau is today was covered by an ocean many millions of years ago.

Shopping in Gronau

You can do your shopping in both parts of Gronau: In addition to supermarkets and drugstores, there are furniture and interior design shops, DIY shops and electronics shops in the town. In the pedestrian zone you can also shop in shoe and clothes shops. As in many places in Münsterland, not only the big brands are represented, but you can also browse in small boutiques and concept stores with individual ranges.

The neighbouring Dutch town of Enschede and the Designer Outlet Ochtrup are two popular shopping towns nearby.

Childcare and schools in Gronau

Around 36 kindergartens and daycare centres are available in the border town to look after the youngest residents. You can also find information and contacts for daycare centres here.

The education on offer in Gronau enables children, teenagers and young adults to complete all school qualifications and vocational training or further education:

Ten primary schools
One special school (specialising in mental development)
One secondary school
Two comprehensive schools
One grammar school
Three vocational colleges
One further education college (with evening secondary school and evening grammar school)

Working in Gronau

A number of well-known companies have their headquarters in the commercial and industrial areas of the border town. The largest employers in Gronau include the packaging manufacturer mondi, the fashion companies monari and engbers, the administration and central warehouse of the supermarket chain K+K - Klaas und Kock, the organic dairy Söbbeke, the frozen bakery products manufacturer Bakerman, Job find 4 you Personalmanagement and the company Hans Schmid, which specialises in special impregnations.

There are two hospitals in Gronau: the St. Antonius Hospital, an academic teaching hospital of the University of Münster, and the Protestant Lukas Hospital, which specialises in geriatrics and psychotherapy/psychiatry.