Film-Shop

Film-Shop, Kassel

It is a relic from the old times, but someone needs to show the kids of today that there was a world before video streaming and without Netflix. That in the past we had to walk to a video store where we could be VHS (Video Home System), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), BluRay media (and buy drinks, chips and fruit gum). That we needed to pay a penalty fee when we returned them too late. Many video rental stores have been killed by the streaming industry (and us as the customers), but one survived: the first, the world’s oldest.

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Im Schacht

Erzgebirgsstadion, Aue-Bad Schlema

The Erzgebirge (ore mountains) or Krušné hory is a mountainous region belonging to Germany and the Czech Republic. People get there to enjoy nature, for skiing, to learn more about mining history or to buy artisan products like Räuchermännchen (incense smokers) or Schwibbögen (candle arches) for their Christmas decorations. For me it was a long trip by car just for watching a soccer match at the Erzgebirgsstadion, home of the FC Erzgebirge Aue.

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Bratwurst Glöckle

Bratwurst Glöckle, Göttingen

Is it a clever idea to put a charcoal-fired grill into the stairway of your home and to sell grilled sausages from there? Well, in 1920 someone in Göttingen thought so and the fire is still burning! The Bratwurst Glöckle is easy to overlook if you don’t know where you have to search for it. Keep your eyes wide open at the intersection of Kornmarkt and Groner Straße/Lange-Geismar-Straße, not far away from the Gänseliesel fountain.

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Katzenstein

Ruine Katzenstein, Bad Wildungen

The Ruine Katzenstein is a historic building close to the city center of Bad Wildungen that has been almost forgotten. It is the ruin of a ruin, partially covered with concrete and hidden in a forest. But this was different in the past; for many years, the Katzenstein tower was shown in most touristic postcards of the region. It was created as a ruin in 1876 when the spa gardens of the city were redesigned, and it was visible from the city.

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Schloß Friedrichstein

Schloß Friedrichstein, Bad Wildungen

Bad Wildungen is a small spa town with mineral springs in northern Hesse. It is beautifully located on and between mountains, different small rivers (like the Wilde, Bornebach, Sonderbach, Uhrenbach, Erdbach) run through the city. At the riversides you can find nice parks and a lot of artworks – a lot to discover. On top of one of the mountains (the Schloßberg), you can find the yellow-painted Baroque-style castle Schloß Friedrichstein.

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Igelsburg

Igelsburg, Habichtswald

It is disputed whether the Igelsburg (formerly Engelsburg) in the Habichtswald forest was a real castle. Ancient sketches show just four houses on top of a basalt rock protected by palisades. At which point in time this fortification was built is unknown, but it is believed that it was used by Charles the Great in his war against the Saxons (772 to 804 CE). It was given up somewhen in the 12th or 13th century CE.

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Lengder Burg

Lengder Burg, Klein Lengden/Gleichen

When in earlier days the people living at Klein Lengden (a village belonging to Gleichen, Germany) needed protection, they went up onto the mountain Lengderburg (383 meters high), one kilometer afar from the settlement. The so called Lengder Burg (Lengden castle), a refuge created between the year 500 and 300 BCE, is unfortunately not preserved – but its former location offers nice views on the area underneath.

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Sleeping beauty

Biergarten Dornröschen, Hannover

You can find different nice places to enjoy life at the riverside of the Leine in Hannover, Germany. The oldest beer garden of the city is the Dornröschen (the ‘Sleeping Beauty‘, founded in 1875), close to the Herrenhäuser Gärten (the Großer Garten and the Georgengarten). In the 19th century different factories were founded in the city quarter Linden on the other side of the river. Workers settled there and came over by ferry boat to have fun in the evenings and to dance.

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Ruf doch mal an!

Museum für Kommunikation, Frankfurt am Main

Communication is an essential part of everyday life. A good place to learn more about it is the Museum für Kommunikation at the Museumsufer of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was created by extending the Bundespostmuseum (postal museum) founded in 1958 and now covers all aspects of communication. A very entertaining museum that gives you the chance to travel back in time and see the means of communication you’ve used in the past.

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Applied arts

Museum Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt am Main

The Museum Angewandte Kunst (MAK) of Frankfurt am Main is located at the riverside in the city center and is part of the Museumsufer. It resides in a modern building from 1985 but also extends to the ancient Villa Metzler from 1803. The MAK displays applied arts, which means applying design to everyday objects (in contrast to the fine arts, producing objects without practical use). Within the museum you can especially find items concerning interior design, industrial design, and crafts.

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