Elyse & Patrick
Things To Do
Westfalenpark
The Westfalenpark is one of the largest inner-city parks in Europe. It was built to host the "Bundesgartenschau" (a biennial federal horticulture) in 1959. It is home to the German Rosarium with 3,000 different types of roses, a Japanese garden and other beautiful sights! You can enter the park for a small fee. Within the Westfalenpark stands the Florianturm, a 219.6 m (720 ft) tall telecommunications tower. From Wednesdays to Sundays you can take an elevator up to the 141.88 m (465.5 ft) high observation platform. Tickets can be bought at the tower or at the entrances to the Westfalenpark.
Shopping in Dortmund
If you want to go shopping in Dortmund, the "Westenhellweg" and its neighboring streets are the perfect place to do that. This pedestrian-only area hosts dozens of stores and also a large shopping center, called "Thier-Galerie"
Kreuzviertel & Saarlandstraße
Trendy area in Dortmund with cool cafés and concept stores. Our favorite spots for vegan food, Doppeltsolecker (our wedding caterer!) and Vrüh are in this neighborhood. Westpark is a lovely nearby park with a beer garden, right next to the Möllerbrücke train station.
Dortmunder U (Dortmund U-Tower)
Dortmund’s U-Tower is a vibrant cultural center with art exhibitions, research, cultural education and creativity all under one roof. It features a modern and contemporary art museum (the Museum Ostwall), fancy restaurants, and more. Exhibitions during the week of our wedding include: Pixel Fever - History of pixels and the square world of retro games (https://dortmunder-u.de/event/pixelfieber/) Niklas Goldbach: The Paradise Machine (https://dortmunder-u.de/event/niklas-goldbach-the-paradise-machine/) Museum Ostwoll Showcase: Dani Gal. Sound figures (https://dortmunder-u.de/event/mo_schaufenster-36-dani-gal-lautfiguren/)
Phoenix-See
One of the largest urban development projects in Germany was the creation of the Phoenix See, a man-made lake on a former blast furnace and steel plant site. It's a nice area for walking, jogging, cycling, or visiting nearby restaurants and cafes. We did a great bike ride to here during Elyse's first trip to Germany in 2021.
Skywalk Phoenix West
Walk on an old blast furnace 70m (230 ft) up in the sky and learn about exciting details of the history of "Phoenix West", how blast furnaces work, and the difficult working conditions of steelworkers. The website is a little confusing, but tickets can be bought here: https://www.westticket.de/search/?searchterm=faszination+skywalk+hochofenerlebnis+auf+ph%C3%B6nix+west+inkl+vrr+fahrausweis The tickets include a ticket to the public transit!
Phoenix des Lumières
An immersive art center in the Phoenix Halle, a former gas treating plant, is part of the famous Phoenix West blast furnace. Phoenix des Lumières presents monumental immersive digital exhibitions, dedicated to major artists in the history of art, and contemporary art. Exhibitions during the week of our wedding include: - Dalí: The Endless Enigma - More than 60 years of work by the Spanish artist projected onto floors and walls. A thematic tour through metaphysical landscapes and imaginative worlds. - Gaudí: Architect of the Imaginary - A 10-minute journey between dream and reality. From Park Güell to the Casa Batlló to the pompous Sagrada Família - accompanied by the sounds of the American composer and pianist George Gershwin. - 3 Movements - A 6-minute immersive audiovisual experience created by the interdisciplinary art, design, and technology studio Nohlab.
HÖVELS Brewery Tour
Important: This guided tour requires a minimum of 10 people. Please reach out to us if you are interested in doing the tour! Dortmund's beer history officially begins in 1266 with the documented mention of a beer brewed in the Hanseatic city of the time. The Hövels brewery was founded on the 2nd of July, 1854, and is still brewed according to the original recipe. In this 45-minute-long tour, the master brewer will introduce you to the secrets of beer brewing and the history of the Hövels brewery.
Bergmann Brauerei (Brewery)
A nice place to sit down and have a beer! This location features indoor and outdoor seating, and there are other locations throughout the city.
UNESCO-World Heritage Zollverein
A large former industrial site, containing a Coal Mine and Coking Plant, which were closed in 1993. Because of its architecture and testimony to the development of heavy industry in Europe, the industrial complex was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on December 14, 2001, and is one of the anchor points of the European Route of Industrial Heritage. The experience at Zollverein nowadays covers a museum, exhibitions, guide tours, culinary delights, and much more!
Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum (German Mining Museum)
Museum dedicated to the area's mining history. You can even go underground in their visitor's mine!
Deutsches Fußballmuseum (German Football Museum)
National museum with exhibits & multimedia installations tracing the history of soccer in Germany.