Germany Archives ⋆ Page 39 of 115 ⋆ The Passenger

October 26, 2019December 3, 2019

BayArena

The BayArena at Leverkusen, Germany is a soccer stadium I saw multiple times – when passing by on motorway A1 directly next to it. As Leverkusen itself feels like a giant chemical plant with a city around it, I never had the desire to go there. Doing it nevertheless was a good decision as the stadium is really great in its design and services. It is home to the ‘Werkself‘, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, a club owned by this giant chemical plant (the Bayer AG). A club that never won the German championship but ended five times on the second place – and is therefore often called ‘Vizekusen‘.

October 26, 2019February 20, 2020

Museum Morsbroich

The Museum Morsbroich is a museum for contemporary art in Leverkusen, Germany. It is located within the baroque castle Schloss Morsbroich from the year 1389 – later belonging to the German Order. The castle is beautiful and around it, you can find an English landscape garden. The museum was founded in 1951 as the first German museum for contemporary art after World War II. I didn’t know what to expect when coming here, but it really was worth a visit. When I came there an exhibition of Belgian photographer Francis Alÿs was presented there.

October 26, 2019February 20, 2020

Japanese oasis

One of the most beautiful places in Leverkusen, Germany, is the Japanese garden. It dates back to the year 1912 and is part of the Chempark – the collection of companies producing chemical products in the city. Since 1950 it is publicly accessible and you can enjoy having the feeling of being in Japan. There are nice lakes, Japanese temples, red maple trees, koi carps, and different statues. It is simply a wonderful place to relax, discover and enjoy life.

October 26, 2019February 19, 2020

Best Western Leoso

Leverkusen, Germany, is somehow a strange city: a giant chemical factory, some pure residential zones, a city centre with shopping opportunities – all lined up along river Rhein, a major street and the railway tracks. If you’re travelling by train you might want to have a hotel close to the station and then the Best Western Leoso is a good choice. It is located just 500 meters north of the station and is easily accessible on foot. Don’t expect a beauty – it is a huge hotel block and getting into it feels like travelling in time.

October 20, 2019October 21, 2019

Main tower

If you want to enjoy good views on the skyline of ‚Mainhattan‘ the Main tower in Frankfurt, Germany is your best choice. A high-speed elevator brings you to the 54th floor and after taking stairs to the 56th floor you‘ll be on a partially roofed viewing platform with unhindered views on the skyline, the river Main and the complete city. On good days you cannot only see the Waldstation but also catch a glimpse on Feldberg mountain in the Taunus mountain range.

September 29, 2019September 30, 2019

Goldgrube

The Goldgrube is an alternative music club at Kassel, Germany. It can be found in the north of the city in a street called Eisenschmiede (iron forge). The club was opened in 2014 as a stage for bands that not yet fill the big music halls. I must admit that I would have never gone inside if I hadn’t bought a ticket in advance. When standing in front you wouldn’t expect what to find underground.

September 29, 2019April 19, 2022

Wartburgstadt

Eisenach, Germany is the sixth largest city in the federal state of Thuringia. It is also called Wartburgstadt which is true in two senses: biggest highlight is the castle Wartburg high above the city; but it has also a long tradition in car manufacturing and the car once produced here was named Wartburg after the castle. It is a very green city with many parks and surrounded by vast forests.

September 29, 2019April 19, 2022

Drachenschlucht

A narrow valley, a beautiful gorge: the Drachenschlucht (dragon canyon) at Eisenach, Germany is a good place for a nice walk; in fact one of the most beautiful I‘ve ever done in a gorge. Through the Mariental you can walk on a well-maintained path consisting of wooden and sometimes metal walkways. It leads along and above the water of the small river and sometimes the gorge is very narrow (at minimum 68 cm) – only one person can pass at a time.

September 28, 2019September 29, 2019

Logotel

The Logotel is a hotel near the city center of Eisenach, Germany. It is not a beautiful boutique hotel but solid standard and absolutely sufficient for a nice weekend. The hotel feels a bit old-fashioned but it has all you need and also offers Sky television. Next to the hotel you can find the Greek restaurant Athen that is highly frequented and seems to be a good choice. Two supermarkets are close-by.

September 28, 2019September 29, 2019

Goldener Löwe

The Goldener Löwe at Eisenach, Germany was once an ordinary restaurant (first mentioned in 1533). But on August 7th, 1869 an important event happened here: August Bebel and Wilhelm Liebknecht founded the Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei (SDAP) during a congress. It was later merged with the Allgemeiner Deutscher Arbeiterverein (ADAV) founded by Ferdinand Lassalle. The organization created is today known as the Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD) – the oldest still existing political party in Germany.