Neue Kaskade

Neue Kaskade, Filmpalast, Kassel

One of the two multiplex cinemas in the center of Kassel, Germany, is the Filmpalast. It was formerly known as CineStar but received a complete redesign and rebranding in 2019/2020 – shortly before the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic in Germany. They were able to re-open for one week and than had to close-down again for months. But they opened a virus testing lab inside and lead all clients through the cinema to show off the new beauty. Fair enough, the Filmpalast is by far the best multiplex of the region and my most favorite cinema.

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Tränke

Tränke, Geismar, Göttingen

You can be born in a city and live there for thirty years and you still can’t have seen everything: I was quite surprised when I learned about a fountain called ‘Tränke‘ (watering place) at my hometown Göttingen, Germany. It is a fountain that dates back to the year 1776 (!) and is today a protected memorial. The water comes from the Ratsbrunnen well and runs via a large stone into a trough.

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Museum für Komische Kunst

Caricatura, Frankfurt am Main

Need something to laugh? The Caricatura – Museum für Komische Kunst at Frankfurt am Main is a museum for comical art and exhibiting mainly cartoons with the intention to make the viewers laughing out loud. This special museum exists since 2008 and it is well-located in this city which has a long satiric history. The ground floor is used for changing exhibitions and while I was there cartoons by Klaus Stuttmann where shown, leading continuously back through time and German history and politics.

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Filmladen

Filmladen, Kassel

The Filmladen (lit. ‘movie shop‘) is an arthouse cinema at the city quarter Vorderer Westen of Kassel, Germany. It was opened in 1981 and created by a student movie initiative. The resulting non-profit organization Verein Filmladen Kassel e. V. is still today operating this rather non-commercial cinema; and that’s amazing as the cinema shows all the films that you would never see in a multiplex cinema but are really worth being screened.

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Bahnhofslichtspiele

Titanic-Boygroup, Bali, Kassel

The railway station of Kassel is a place that many people pass by, but it is also the Kulturbahnhof; a location to spend time at with bars, the Caricatura and also a cinema. When you pass through the main hall of the railway station you’ll see the entrance to the BALi, which is the abbreviation for Bahnhofslichtspiele. I came here for a show of three editors-in-chief of the famous German satirical newspaper Titanic: Oliver Maria Schmitt, Thomas Gsella and Martin Sonneborn.

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Café Regatta

Café Regatta, Helsinki

A simple coffee bar at the sea, close to the Sibeliuksen puisto of Helsinki. Located in a small shed which is 120 years old, with many seats outside. Offering coffee and other drinks, small dishes, vegan and gluten-free options. A quite place with a fireplace and no alcohol. Get here to relax at the shore, to fry sausages on open fire or to rent a canoe, a rowing boat or a SUP.

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Oodi

Oodi, Helsinki

Is the central library Oodi at Helsinki a place you should really visit? Of course! Because it is like a blueprint how libraries should be everywhere in the world. The new building was opened in 2018 and the fantastic architecture acts as a bridge between the analog and the digital world. Oodi combines the classic library offering printed books with a digital library, with 3D printers, a cinema, with a recording studio, with video games… It creates so many good reasons to visit the library.

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Kansallismuseo

Kansallismuseo, Helsinki

Time to learn more about Finnish history? The Finnish national museum (or Suomen kansallismuseo) of Helsinki is a great place to do so. It is not a boring history museum; it is immersive, playful, simply great. The exhibition shows all about Finnish history, from stone age to the 21st century and is presented in an amazing historical building from 1910.

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Kiasma

Kiasma, Helsinki

The Kiasma at Helsinki is a museum for contemporary art. The name refers to the optic chiasma, the point where optic nerves cross in the brain. The architecture is fantastic and the museum conception is a bit crazy and therefore the museum is absolutely fun to visit. It was built in the 1990s after a lot of controversies and after the plans of U.S. architect Steven Holl. He was the first foreigner to design a building in Helsinki after the time of German architect Carl Ludwig Engels.

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Suomenlinna

King's gate, Suomenlinna, Helsinki

One of the most important places to visit is the former fortress island Suomenlinna located in front of Helsinki. What was once the Fortress of the Finns is now a city quarter of the capital city with 800 permanent residents and one million visitors every year. Here you can explore very well-preserved ancient fortifications spread over five islands. You can easily access Suomenlinna by ferry boat from the Helsinki harbor.

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