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Many members of the Kaiserslautern Military Community have found temporary or even permanent homes in one of the many villages and towns surrounding Kaiserslautern in the heart of Rheinland-Pfalz. You may already be familiar with your immediate vicinity, but there is much more to explore and experience at your “home away from home”.
State of the Art is a series introducing Germany as a whole, but also highlighting an individual state or “Bundesland” every month.
The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) was established May 23, 1949, with Bonn being the provisional capital. The states of Rheinland-Pfalz, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Hessen, Baden-Württemberg, Bayern, Niedersachsen, Schleswig-Holstein, the City States of Bremen, Hamburg as well as West Berlin, in its geographically isolated location, belonged to the federal republic. The small state of Saarland remained under French government until 1957.
The foundation of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) followed Oct. 7, 1949, including the states of Brandenburg, Thüringen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Sachsen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and East Berlin as its capital.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, both countries were re-united in 1990 to make up the current nation with 16 individual “Bundesländer” and Berlin again became the capital.
Berlin is the seat of the Federal Parliament (Bundestag) and the representative body of the states (Bundesrat). Olaf Scholz of the majority Social Democratic Party (SPD) is the elected Federal Chancellor.
According to a 2022 census, Germany’s population has increased to 84 million inhabitants. This includes about one million Ukrainian refugees, making up the largest group of foreigners in the country, followed by Syrians with 750,000.
This month we will travel to our northern neighbor state Nordrhein-Westfalen to explore facts and figures as well as interesting spots.
The land of density and diversity
Nordrhein-Westfalen is the fourth largest state with 34,100 square kilometers, but has the highest population with 18 million inhabitants. It is therefore the most densely populated state with 525 people per square kilometer. It borders the Province Liege in Belgium with a partial German speaking population and The Netherlands in the West. The metropolitan region “Rhein-Ruhr” in the center of the state, consisting of the cities of Dortmund, Essen, Duisburg, Bochum and others, basically one merging into the other, alone consists of 10 million inhabitants and is also considered to be the most densely populated area in central Europe.
A media port, fashion, Killepitsch and Japanese culture
Düsseldorf, the second largest city with a population of 619,000 inhabitants, is the capital of the state. The Landtag is situated along the banks of the Rhein River and Hendrik Wüst of the Christian Democratic Party is the Minister President, who has been in office since October 2021.
The city is especially famous for being the fashion metropolis and modern art center of Germany. The famous Königsallee, commonly called “Kö” boasts luxurious shops with every designer label you can imagine.
Situated on the Rhein River, it is also one of the largest domestic ports in the country. As the busy cargo port at the “elbow” became too small in the late 1980s, a new port was built in Neuss, west of the city. Over the years the area has been transformed into a bustling business center, some companies situated in old brick warehouses, others in modern state of the art buildings. In combination with rather futuristic edifices, this mixture gives Düsseldorf a special bizarre skyline next to the 43 meter high “Rheinturm,” a television tower with a revolving restaurant and a fantastic view. Many media related companies, IT, insurance business and prestigious hotels have found a home in the Medienhafen. See https://medienhafen.de
A stroll from the Medienhafen past the Landtag will lead you along the “Rheinuferpromende” with a great view of the river boats and directly to the “Altstadt.” The quaint medieval buildings, the town hall and market square, as well as the renowned “längste Theke der Welt” (longest bar in the world), will inspire you to rest for a while. It is not in one pub, but a total microcosm consisting of more than 260 pubs, bars and restaurants, where you can try a glass of the famous “Altbier,” only brewed in Düsseldorf, or a sip of “Killepitsch” a herb liquor. https://www.duesseldorf-tourismus.de/erleben/sehenswertes/altstadt
The Hofgarten is a large park with fountains and ponds, art and a great place to relax, which has also become home to hundreds of Canadian geese, near the Shadow Shopping District. Another exciting activity is a river boat ride to Kaiserswerth, located at the northern end of the city. Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa I, who once resided in Kaiserslautern, built a Kaiserpfalz (emperor’s residence) to charge toll from the ships.
You can also visit Flingern, a swinging city section with restaurants and cozy cafés, unique small shops, or Oberkassel across the river to view prestigious villas aligned along the banks, where you can also swim with sheep who are typically grazing nearby.
Düsseldorf is also home to the largest Japanese community outside of Japan. In the 1990s a number of companies settled there, such as computer and printer producers. Now 20,000 Japanese reside in the city and celebrate an astonishing cherry blossom festival with miraculous fireworks every May. See, www.japantag-duesseldorf-nrw.de/en
The tallest building in the world, Eau de Cologne and chocolate
Köln, or Cologne, is the largest city in Nordrhein-Westfalen just south of the capital. The city has just over one million inhabitants, with the most famous building being the “Kölner Dom” (cathedral). It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and a renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1996.
The impressive structure is 157 meters high (515 feet) and construction started in August 1248. Due to partial destruction stemming from wars and a lack of funds, it wasn’t completed until 1880 and is currently again under repair. The outside walls are rather dark and uninspiring, but the stained-glass windows are world famous and breath-taking when the sun shines through. It was the tallest building in the world, until 1884 when the Empire State building was completed.
As many other cities, Köln also has an interesting historic district or “Altstadt,” where you can enjoy a sip of the famous “Kölsch” beer, “Ähzezupp” (pea soup) or “Rievkoche” (potato cakes). Köln also hosts the oldest city hall in Germany, construction started in 1407 on the hall, which lies in the heart of old town. Another famous place to visit is the “4711 Cologne House,” which is the most fragrant house in Köln and located in Glockengasse No. 4. It is the birthplace of the most famous brand of Eau de Cologne and the house number refers to its designation during the French occupation in the 18th century. The same formula has been used since 1792.
Schildergasse is said to be the busiest shopping street in Europe with its origins dating back to Roman times. It is a shoppers delight and draws up to 15,000 visitors per hour. The city also boasts a Botanical Garden, which invites you to a stroll with more than 10,000 species of plants. A walk along the banks of the Rhein can be inspiring, enjoy a Rhein River Cruise or a cable car ride with a spectacular view of the cathedral and Gross St. Martin (church) as well as the Hohenzollern Bridge. It was constructed in 1911 and rebuilt after its destruction during World War II. Sweet tooths should definitely not miss out on the Chocolate Museum. Köln, as well as Düsseldorf, are also well known for their Karneval culture (Fasching) and have parades on Rose Monday. www.koeln.de
Ruhrpott and the working class
Moving north-east and into the center of the state, we’ll hit upon the metropolitan area “Rhein-Ruhr,” commonly referred to as the “Ruhrpott,” based on its overall mining and iron and steel working character. While coal was mined as early as the 13th century, industrialization in the 1800s brought about an economic upswing and hundreds of thousands of workers from around Germany came to the area to seek their fortunes. The population of some towns literally exploded in the following years. The town of Bochum had 2,200 inhabitants in 1800, 65,000 in 1900 and 117,000 in 1905, with a population of 365,000 today.
Many of the cities grew so rapidly in population and size that they merged into one “mega city” such as Bochum, Bottrop, Dortmund, Duisburg, Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Hagen, Hamm, Herne, Mühlheim an der Ruhr and Oberhausen. Due to a structural change, many of the mines were closed in the 1930s with high unemployment rates for decades. In December 2018 the very last mine in Bottrop had to cease operations. This region has been known as the hub of the working-class society for over a century, but in the meantime, the heavy vehicle industry, businesses relating to electronics, pharmaceutical plants, international commerce and technological centers have brought employment and hopes of a brighter future. The Ruhrtal (valley) has been renaturalized into a natural recreation area today.
Each of the above-mentioned cities has special places to visit, but the main subway station under the train station in Essen displays a creepy impression of life underground in a coal mine with spooky blue illumination and heavy mining equipment, a surreal experience. Wuppertal has a monorail, which was opened in 1901, and has only experienced two minor accidents, one with an elephant falling into the Wupper River underneath.
Quaint places versus steel works
In contrast to the great urban areas, there are also some very picturesque towns in the region with quaint or even medieval character that are worth a visit.
Monschau, which is located toward the south in the Eifel region is a real treasure chest. More than 330 historically protected buildings can be found in the small town with 12,000 inhabitants, which also boasts a castle towering high above. Winterberg in the Sauerland region offers typical semi-timbered houses and facades made of slate. During the winter a ski lift will take you to the slopes and to St. Georg Schanze (ski jump) or you can go on long hikes.
Another gem is the city of Münster with the Prinzipialmarkt having been a market square since the 15th century. Its gabled houses, the historic town hall, the romantic cathedral and the Erbdrostenhof are always worth a visit. The city is also very flat, making it an eldorado for bikers and it is said that because of the many university students there are more bikes than cars on the road.
Once a mighty Hanseatic city, Soest has a lot of historical flair and the oldest church, the St. Patrokli Cathedral is an ideal Romanic edifice next to St. Maria with its Gothic twin towers.
Let’s go west
Traveling to the west, the landscape has a more rural atmosphere and farmland, dairy cows and horse pastures become a frequent sight. Red or yellow brick houses are a reminiscent of changing Dutch and German relationships over the centuries. Many people in the area speak Dutch, which is the second language there.
As the most western large city (100,000+) in Germany, Aachen is famous for its Carolingian architecture, in particular the cathedral. It was classified as the first German UNESCO Cultural Heritage Site in 1978. The original name of the city is unknown, but during the reign of Charlemagne, who made the city into his official cultural and political seat, it was known as Aix-la-Chapelle. Close to the border to The Netherlands the city has a strong Dutch influence and claims to be the second oldest city in Germany after Trier, based on Celtic and Roman findings. Visit: www.aachen.de
Four hundred thousand years of humanity
To end our roundtrip of the state, our last stop is just east of Düsseldorf, between Mettmann and Erkrath in Neandertal. In 1856 remains of a human were found that gave the valley its name and made it famous. The oldest known Neanderthals lived about 400,000 years ago, settled in Europe, the Near East, Central Asia and Western Siberia as well as in this tranquil valley.
As an extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans, it is unclear what exactly led to their distinction about 40,000 years ago. New studies have shown that the people were highly sophisticated, built stone tools, cave hearths and could weave simple clothing. Neanderthalers were rather small, males up to five feet and females normally around four. Recent studies also suggest that every human carries one to two percent Neanderthal genes in them. The Neanderthal Museum in Mettmann offers a virtual tour of four million years of history and various interesting artifacts. https://www.neanderthal.de/en
Land of new opportunity and cultural diversity
Nordrhein-Westfalen calls itself the land of new opportunity and cultural diversity. It offers large urban industrial areas as well as grassy plains, opportunities to hike and bike in the Teutoberger Mountain range, the Sauerland or northern Eifel region. There are rivers and lakes to explore and hard-working people of at least 150 different nations to meet. An estimated 5,000-7,000 of them are U.S. citizens working for German or international businesses or research centers. To learn more about this exciting state visit: https://www.land.nrw/english or https://www.nrw-tourism.com/
