Press release: Doors open, drawbridges down - Münsterland becomes barrier-free(er)

Practitioner's guide for castles and palaces published

MUNSTERLAND. "Authentic, imposing and, at best, accessible to all: the latter is one of the goals for the castles and palaces in Münsterland. Inclusion and thus accessibility is not a niche topic and many measures are often already easy to implement." - was the conclusion drawn by Michael Kösters, General Representative of Münsterland e.V., at the network meeting of the castles and palaces region in Münsterland. On Thursday (14 October), the regional management organisation presented a new guide to accessibility to stakeholders from all over the region at an online event and encouraged them to get started with this topic.

The region boasts a large number of castles, manor houses, stately homes and monasteries. As the third core tourist theme alongside cycling and horse riding, the historical treasures attract many visitors every year. "One more reason to be comfortably accessible for all," said Kösters. "Because the topic of accessibility is not only about people with disabilities, but about all guests who bring a special demand for quality, safety and comfort. These include, for example, families with prams or small children, older people or people with an injury. The new guide is a good way to address the issue and plan the first steps. Museums or other leisure facilities can also make good use of it."

Based on numerous best-practice examples from the region, the guide shows how even small measures can have a big impact. It provides suggestions, tips and assistance. "It starts with low coat hooks, good signage or handrails on both sides and goes all the way to slip-proof paths and an easy-to-understand website," explained Prof. Dr. Peter Neumann at the network meeting. The guide was developed in cooperation with his office NeumannConsult.

Some of the tips of the guide were already illustrated for the participants of the network meeting: they were able to take a look at the Erbdrostenhof in Münster on the screen, where Münsterland e.V. had set up a mobile studio and guided them through the event. The invited experts were brought in by live link: In addition to Swenja Janning from Burg Vischering in Lüdinghausen, Wilma Otte from the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg also had her say. Her topic was barrier-free content marketing. For the participants, it was a varied morning with numerous best practice examples from all over Germany.

The guide is now available for download at www.touristiker-muensterland.de/inhalte/service/downloads or can be ordered as a brochure by sending an e-mail to tim@muensterland.com.

It was produced as part of the ERDF funding project "Palaces and Castles Region Münsterland", which was initiated by Münsterland e.V. and the four districts and the City of Münster as part of Regionale 2016.