The Beethoven Festival in Bonn, Carnival in Cologne, shopping in Düsseldorf: the Rheinland attracts city-loving tourists. The Zollverein mine in Essen, the gasometer in Oberhausen, the mining museum in Bochum: the Ruhr District offers industrial culture. Westphalia has set its hopes on wellness, the Sauerland on winter sports, the Münsterland on cyclists. North Rhine-Westphalia is the easiest federal state to reconnoitre on a bicycle. A favourite point of departure is Münster, the German cycling capital. The thematic routes for cyclists and for families take you past castles and forts, half-timbered houses and mills, parks, meadows and woods – and back again of course. Münster was recently voted the “city with the best quality of life” in Germany. The Ruhr District will be the European Cultural Capital in 2010.
Please find more information on www.nrw-tourism.com
The state capital: the state government resides on the banks of the Rhine – as do numerous national and international companies, making Düsseldorf the “writing-desk of the Ruhr District”. The city’s attractions include the Königsallee, a fashionable boulevard and Germany’s “most stylish shopping mile”, and the historical old city centre, known as the “longest bar in the world”. Moreover, Düsseldorf is home to the largest Japanese community in Germany: “Little Tokyo” has a number of speciality restaurants, a fine department store and a hotel.
The cathedral city: Cologne cathedral is part of the world cultural heritage. It is the symbol of the oldest large city in Germany and one of the most famous buildings in the country. Construction work on it extended over several centuries. This monumental Gothic building was only completed in the 19th century. But tourists also appreciate Cologne as a fair, media and art city and enjoy the mentality of its inhabitants. In no other city in Germany will you meet such open-mindedness, joie de vivre and sociability. According to the city’s website, “Kölsch” is more than a language, a beer or a designation of origins – it’s a way of life.
The federal city: Bonn was the seat of government of the Federal Republic of Germany for five decades. Since 1996, it has been a UN city, home to numerous organisations and institutions. The Beethoven Festival and the Bundeskunsthalle are highlights on Bonn’s cultural agenda.
The imperial city: more than 1200 years ago Charlemagne reigned over Europe, and Aachen was the emperor’s main seat of residence. Today, Aachen is the centre of Europe for at least one day of the year, in early summer, for the annual presentation of the most renowned European prize, the Charlemagne Prize.
The Ruhr District city: for decades Essen was the heart of the Ruhr District and the city with the largest mining works in Europe. Between Dortmund and Duisburg, Bochum and Oberhausen, today the structural change from an industrial to a technological centre is nowhere as visible as in Essen. “Essen has rubbed the coal dust off its face” is how the city puts it. Three-quarters of all the employees in the sixth largest German city work in the service sector, and tourists are discovering the region’s striking industrial monuments and luxuriant forests. What is more, the region has a unique university landscape. This is the only place in Germany where you will find so many educational institutions so close together. The Folkwang Music, Theatre and Dance Academy is a particular highlight.
The university city: it is the university that makes this former Prussian provincial capital a lively place. Every fifth inhabitant is a student. The Prinzipalmarkt, with its splendid merchants’ houses and arcades and the historical Town Hall, constitutes the centre of Münster. Until 1648, many of the peace treaties that ended the Thirty Years War were negotiated in the Town Hall’s Peace Room.
The city of textiles: linen brought wealth to Bielefeld. Anyone who was particular about themselves wore “Bielefeld underwear”. The Ravensberg spinning mill, formerly one of the largest in Europe, still bears witness to this. The Sparrenburg is the city’s landmark, providing a view of the Teutoburg Forest, where Arminius defeated the Romans in the year 9 AD.
