NRW Chronicles: Unveiling the Charms of Wuppertal
Have you ever ridden a train that floats above a river?
Well, that’s exactly what I experienced when I arrived in Wuppertal. I chose this city as the first stop in my NRW expedition because it is very close to Hagen (where I live) and because of its unique suspended monorail system called Schwebebahn. Though other cities like Dortmund and Düsseldorf also have schwebebahn, they are not the main mode of transportation unlike in Wuppertal (also heard that Dresden too has schwebebahn but not sure). The moment I stepped into the city I saw a train floating that brought back the kid in me and I was very excited to ride on it. Hence, me and my friend set off to explore the city. Spending a span of 10 hours in Wuppertal and completing a stride of 17800 steps, here is what we discovered about this city.
Schwebebahn
Wuppertal was founded in 1929 by merging cities across the Wupper river that is a tributary of the Rhine river and was initally named as Barmen-Elberfeld till it was renamed in 1930 as Wuppertal that literally means Wupper Valley. It is popularly known as the cradle of industrilization in Germany. It was and still is home to industries such as textiles, steel, chemicals etc and is known as a place where aspirin was invented. Its unique schwebebahn (referred as floating train) is around 122 year old that was built to avoid the traffic congestion on the slopy roads of the city. There are interesting anecdotes associated with it that makes your journey more exciting.
Here are two notable stories:
- Kaiser Wilhelm II’s Journey: According to the story, in 1900, Wilhelm II wanted to ride the suspension railway in a special carriage, which was installed for his visit. As the Emperor boarded the carriage, it got stuck due to a technical glitch. Reportedly, it took several hours to rescue him, and the incident caused great embarrassment. It might be a myth or exaggeration but even today the royal train that is named as Kaiserwagen still runs carrying people who can afford the ticket.
2. Tuffi the Elephant’s Leap: The circus director, Franz Althoff, decided to promote his circus by having Tuffi ride the Schwebebahn. However, during the promotional event, Tuffi became frightened and jumped out of the moving carriage into the Wupper River. Fortunately, the elephant survived with minor injuries and lived a long life. The Tuffi got a very cute monument of its own after this.
After a joyful ride on the floating train, we arrived at our destination Engels house.
Engels house
Who doesn’t know Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels? Their collaborative work “The Communist Manifesto” which outlined the principles of communism played a significant role in shaping modern political and economic thought. Before we proceed, I would like to give a small disclaimer here.
Disclaimer: I appreciate the works of genius minds here but that does not portray my personal political or economic views.
Engels was born to one of the richest families in Barmen which is a district in present Wuppertal. His family was one of the pioneers in early industrialization and was a successful textile entrepreneur. Engels spent his childhood in his grandparent's house along with his parents and today the same house is turned into a museum. As we stepped inside, we could say that it is indeed a rich people’s house. It looked very different from the regular houses, the entrance hall is laid out with marble slabs.
Many times, I don’t engage in the museums I visit but this house was showcased to visitors as if Engels himself telling his life story. The museum started with his childhood and a brief summary of how he spent his youthful days in different cities like Bremen, Cologne, Manchester, London and finally meeting Karl Marx in Paris. Engels's letters to his family members were displayed, and the furniture, the music room, the pictures of the cities in those times, and the painting room will encourage the visitors to know more about this place and Engels's life. After Engels spent time in Manchester witnessing the brutal conditions of workers in factories, he moved to Brussels and then to Paris where he met his future collaborator and lifelong friend Karl Marx in the Cafe de la Regence. One of Engels’s notable works includes the living and working conditions of the working class during the early Industrial Revolution, providing valuable insights into the social impact of capitalism. It was very surprising for me that despite Engels was born into a rich business family, he went on to write against capitalism. We spent around 1 hour reading everything (luckily it was both in German and English). If you want to know the brief biography of Engels that was presented in the museum, here it is Engels-biographie.
The entry ticket for the museum is 4 euros and we got the student discount that cost us 2 euros which was pretty much cheaper in Germany.
Cafe Elise
“Kaffee und Kuchen” is a popular German tradition of taking a break in the afternoon to enjoy a cup of coffee along with a piece of cake or pastry. We didn’t do it to follow this tradition but we did it because we wanted to relax and eat before moving ahead. So we took a floating train to go to the Stadthalle in the burning sunny day after Engels house, but the gate was closed and we had to head to the cafe to chill. As we noticed in Wuppertal, the places are quite far from the bus station or train station. Unless you have a car you have to walk a lot on the hilly roads to reach your destination. This is why at the end of the day, we ended up walking 17800 steps (yes yes I indeed measured it with my smart-watch).
The cafe is very close to the botanical garden and we saw many people sunbathing in the hot weather. There was a wedding ceremony as well in the huge area. Finally, after climbing a mountain-like road, we reached the cafe. We sat outside under a shade, it felt like a hill station for a while as we were surrounded by trees and cool air.
Von der Heydt Museum
After a relaxed time at Cafe Elise, we headed to the Von der Heydt Museum which is located in the center of Wuppertal-Elberfeld. As students, we got a discount on the entry ticket that cost us 5 euros. But honestly, we did not feel it was worth 5 euros. First of all, it was undergoing renovation and many paintings were not displayed. The paintings which were displayed were just like geometrical figures and as we did not know anything about the art didn’t find it interesting as there were no explanations as well for every painting.
It is supposed to be a very famous work of Dutch painting, paintings by Pablo Picasso, Francis Bacon, and other great artists whom I don’t recognize. I guess they will be displayed later when the renovation is complete. As of now, it was not worth it for 5 euros. Anyway, while our way back we had boba tea (bubble tea) while enjoying the vibrant city center. We wanted to go to Tony Cragg’s Sculpture Park. But it closes at 18:00 and we couldn’t cover it. While sipping tea, we planned our next plan to Wuppertal to visit the Sculpture Park and Visiodrom.
Nordbahntrasse
A beautiful hiking area in Wuppertal is Nordbahntrasse. We just wanted to have a peaceful walk after our long day. The area has something called Holsteiner Treppe (Rainbow Steps). The German artist Horst Gläsker painted each individual step with acrylic paints of each color. One color per level, each with a word. We took some nice pictures and headed back to the Primark hoping to shop something. Since nothing caught our interest in the shopping store, we just had a heavy dinner and ended our Wuppertal journey here.
Visiodrom
On 3rd September, officially we ended the Wuppertal trip by visiting the visiodrom close to Wuppertal Oberbarmen station. On our first visit, this place was getting renovated and we didn’t have time. Visiodrom has detailed information about the ticket price, opening, etc. This gasometer exhibition hall is Europe’s largest 360° canvas. It hosts different exhibitions at different times of the year. When we were there, the theme was about Leonardo Da Vinci's paintings from Mona Lisa to The Last Supper. Before its transformation into a cultural and exhibition space, the Gasometer served as a gas storage facility. It was originally constructed as a gas storage tank for storing and regulating the supply of gas to the surrounding area. The Gasometer was an essential part of the local gas infrastructure, providing gas for industrial and domestic use in the region. Over time, as the need for gas storage facilities changed and modernized, the Gasometer’s original function became less relevant. Consequently, it was repurposed into a cultural and exhibition center, known for hosting a wide range of art exhibitions, installations, and events. For 11 euros for a student ticket, it was pretty good as we relaxed while the gasometer rotated showing us various paintings. It also has a Skywalk on the 65-metre-high roof of the steel giant offers unique views over Wuppertal.
Please answer this if you know!
Why do they have two traffic lights on the same line 🤔?
Conclusion
Personal Opinion: If you are living near Wuppertal, then it is definitely worth a visit. The city center is really big and has many cafes, pubs, and eateries attracting a good crowd. Additionally, its proximity to the train station makes it incredibly convenient, and popular shopping destinations like Primark and coffee shops like Starbucks are just a stone’s throw away, adding to the allure of the area. Therefore, even if museums aren’t your primary interest, you can still enjoy a delightful evening indulging in shopping, sipping drinks, and experiencing the unique thrill of riding on the floating train.
Wuppertal day trip summary
Hours spent: 12
Money spent: 37Euros
Steps: 20800
Rating: 6/10
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