Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
A lake with clear blue water within a forest – that is the main spring of river Rhume close to the village Rhumspringe. In many other cases people have framed the source of a river, but here it is untouched: there is just a swimming pontoon for better views and some tables for a picnic. It is said to be the third-largest spring in Germany and one of the most productive Karst springs (with up to 5,000 liter per second).
Continue reading “Rhumequelle”
A massive staircase in the forest close to Scharzfeld easily shows that something big was once standing here. It is leading onto a 20 meters high dolomite rock which was the location of the Burg Scharzfeld from the 10th century CE. There is not much left of the once massive fortification – just some remains of walls, arches and gates; but you can have an amazing view from up there. The staircase is in such good shape is king George V (the last king of Hannover) had it restored in 1856 and today it looks a bit alien in this landscape.
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Are you in the mood to search for unicorns? Then the Einhornhöhle near Scharzfeld might be the perfect destination for you. Researchers have come here for a very long time as the 700 meters long cave is filled to large extent with sediment that contains the bones of extinct animals like mammoths, cave bears and cave lions. In 1672 the physicist Otto von Guericke reported that he had found a unicorn there which motivated the famous mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz to get there and to construct a unicorn from bones. It were in facht mammoth bones, but his reconstruction is now the logo of the cave and the name ‘unicorn cave‘ attracts a lot of visitors.
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There aren’t many spots from which you can enjoy great views on the city center of Göttingen: you can get to the canteen of the Neues Rathaus, access the small terrace of the Kunsthaus or get on top of the Bismarckturm. But none of them normally gives you the chance to have a delicious sundowner while focusing the university town’s skyline. Fortunately, the FREIgeist hotel brings good food and drinks to the Nordstadt of Göttingen – an area in the past not known for fine dining and great cocktails. It has indeed the only real rooftop bar of the city, so get a drink and enjoy sundown!
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German cities need to have a Stadthalle, an event hall for concerts and other cultural events. People in smaller towns often have a special connection to these places as they go there multiple times in live and especially graduation ceremonies take place within. This also true for the Stadthalle of Northeim in southern Lower Saxony – their local pearl was build in the 90s gives space for up to 700 spectators.
Continue reading “Basement”
The city of Duisburg is part of the Ruhrgebiet, a former industrial zone in Germany that had to cope with the shrinking importance of mining in Germany. A structural change happened over time and the service sector gained a lot of economic importance, but nevertheless a lot of cities of the Ruhrpott are not as prosperous as other parts of Germany. Why should one travel to Duisburg? If you’re interested in industrial heritage it is a nice place to be – from the converted river port to the old steelworks that can be explored here.
Continue reading “District 12”
Formerly the Turbinenhalle at Oberhausen was used to produce electricity and comprised air for the ironworks of the Gutehoffnungshütte, an important mining and mechanical engineering company. It was built in 1909 and converted into a discotheque in 1993 when the steel industry was gone. Today it is a concert location with a special atmosphere that has attracted many great bands over the years.
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In the south of Duisburg, close to the industrial zone of Angershausen you can find the magic mountain: it is a good example of conversion at the Ruhrgebiet. The 35 meters high hill was once a waste disposal site of a zinc manufacturing company. When the Ruhrgebiet became European Capital of Culture in 2010 it was decided to create an artwork in this location and the design of Heike Mutter and Ulrich Genth won the contest.
Continue reading “Tiger & turtle”
North of the city center of Duisburg you can discover the Innenhafen, an inland port connected to river Rhein which is today surrounded by modern residential homes and office buildings. Part of the harbor is also the Küppersmühle, a former mill that dates back to the year 1860 and which was active until the year 1972. Since 1999 it houses the MKM Museum Küppersmühle für Moderne Kunst, a beautiful museum of modern art that utilizes the former structures of the mill building very well.
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A massive art museum made of the concrete and glass, located in the Immanuel-Kant-Park close to the main railway station of Duisburg – that could be the shortest description of the Lehmbruck-Museum. It is named after and dedicated to the sculptor Wilhelm Lehmbruck born in 1881 at Meiderich near Duisburg. His works were mostly focused on the human body and that is what you get to see most at the Lehmbruck-Museum: faces and bodies.
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