Touring 2013

This blog is to share some pictures of the nice spots I discover while touring North Rhine-Westfalia (NRW) and other places. I will post single pictures as well as collections of pictures with a small story where the photos were taken. The posts will include pictures of landmarks and landscapes, historic town centers, ancient castles, chateaus, parks, arts and nature. Posts by now: Horizont Observatorium, Windmühlen, Himmelstreppe, Zollfeste Zons, Zoo Gelsenkirchen, Duisburger Hafen, Halde Rungenberg, Schloss Borbeck, Promenade Cologne, Bridgepark Müngsten, Promenade Dusseldorf, Westpark & Jahrhunderthalle, Spiral Bridge, Kloster Kamp, Villa Hügel.

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wechselnde beleuchtung bei nacht

changing lighting at night

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Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord

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 Located on top of Halde Hoheward, this is the horizont observatory, one of the distinctive landmarks in the Ruhr Metropolis. The area can be entered from the east, by crossing the Dragon-bridge. The obelisk is an ancient sundial and with assistance of the two arches planetary positions can be determined. Besides these two astronomic objects, the spot provides a wide view on the Metropolis area.

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Three windwills of NRW:

Turmwindmühle in Kempen is part of the city wall like

Mühlenturm in Zons, whereas the

Geismühle in Krefeld is build on an sandy ridge.

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Reached by the stairway to heaven, the landmark on top of Halde Norddeutschland consists of the metal frame of two houses. Besides being popular for kite sports, it is a scenic outpost for looking at the surrounding area.

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A beatiful historic town center with a city wall all around it is Zollfeste Zons. Located at the north-eastern corner of Zons is the town gate with the sculpture, whereas the characteristic towers are located in the west and south. At the west end of Zons, situated in the middle of the ecclesial square is the cities church.

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One of the many beautiful Zoos in NRW, being living environment for species from around the world, is Zoom Gelsenkirchen. It's possible to see lions, apes and bears among many others separated in departments of Asia, Afrika and Alaska.

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Delivering a beautiful setup for taking pictures of modern architecture blended with industrial culture is Duisburg docklands. Cafes' terasses, former tools rediscovered as industrial art, gardens and historic objects - amongst others - located around the harbor basin, provide a versatile walk.

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Located in Gelsenkirchen, the Rungenberghalde is part of Zeche Hugo. Like many other former industrial complexes in the Ruhr Metropolis, it was restructured into a recreational area, providing opportunities for walking in the vicinity of a distinctive landmark.

The installation on top of Rungenberghalde enlightens the area at night. The place of the spotlights is an elevated position, presenting panoramic views to the surrounding area like Veltins Arena.

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This is Schloss Borbeck in Essen. The first pictures show the chateaus front side and the entrance. Entering the parkland through the metal gate, a little lake - the black swans' territory - becomes visible as well as the chateaus side view.

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Starting at the Cologne skyline as seen from Zoobridge, walking down Rheinpark to Tanzbrunnen and passing Hohenzollernbridge to Cologne Cathedral, after a short tram ride ending at Aachener Weiher/Pond situated about 2 kilometers west of Cologne Cathedral.

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This post shows impressions from the Bridgepark in Müngsten. Situated in a little valley, run through by the river Wupper, the park extends along the riverbank. The park is characterised by a 107 meters high steel-made train bridge, connecting the two riversides.

Starting from the bridge, there are numerous opportunities for walking, seeing trees, houses and a small pavillon on the way. Standing at the little pavillon in the hill, the yellow house becomes visible from an elevated perspective.

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Standing on the Rheinknie-bridge the first pictures show the skyline of Dusseldorf Altstadt and Harbor. Passing the rivers westbank to Oberkasseler bridge, the two skylines can be seen together. Walking the cities eastbank to Apollo theater, the last pictures show the eastbank and Rheinturm in twilight.