10 Things to do in Dortmund That You Shouldn't Miss

At first sight palatial redbrick facades and artistically adorned gables on buildings dotted around a grassy square are more reminiscent of an aristocratic residence than a coal mine. This was exactly one of the ideas behind the architecture. Today the “mansion of labour” in the west of Dortmund is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and impressive testimonies to Germany’s industrial history. The engine house with its famous Jugendstil doorway is already an icon. But the museum’s outstanding industrial architecture is only one of many different attractive facets. The various sections of the exhibition will take you into a world of harsh working conditions, and the stories of the men and women who worked in coalmining during the 20th century will bring this vividly to life.

Although the Botanical Garden Rombergpark in Dortmund was not officially opened until 1929, the actual one goes back to the beginning of the 19th century. The history of the place itself is full of intresting stories: from the high Middle Ages, through Napoleon's maneuver to modern times. From pig races and secret love affairs to crazy plant collectors. It was always exciting about the small piece of land on the Schondelle. Small? With over 680,000 square meters, the Botanical Garden, which mainly only called Rombergpark, is the largest of its kind in Germany and one of the largest in the world. Even today you can see the efforts and the lucky hand of its previous directors in the collections. Each director and each era has left a special signature. Huge trees - more than 200 years old - and rare, sometimes subtropical plant species make the visitor forget to linger on the eastern edge of the area called Ruhrpott. A firework of colors awaits the visitors from February to October.

Local private brewery in Dortmund with connected beer bar to taste our hand made brews. Bergmann Bier was a traditional brewery in Dortmund from 1796 until 1972. It was closed down after a take-over by the Dortmunder Union-Ritter brewery. In 2006 Thomas Raphael acquired the trademark right of Bergmann Bier and started to revive the brewery. By now we built a new brewery on the earlier industrial site Phoenix-West where we brew and serve our handmade beer.

Der Zoo Dortmund zählt zu den beliebtesten Ausflugzielen in Dortmund und der Region. Seit 1953 bietet er eine harmonische Präsenz von Tieren und Pflanzen in der schönen Anlage. Der Zoo Dortmund beschränkt sich dabei nicht darauf, Tiere zur Schau zu stellen, sondern liefert auch die nötige tierkundliche Information und leistet mit seiner Arbeit einen wichtigen Beitrag zum Artenschutz. Zurzeit leben etwa 1.500 Tiere in 220 Arten hier. Die Parklandschaft mit ihrem alten Baumbestand und die verschiedenen Tierhäuser machen den Zoobesuch bei jedem Wetter zu einem Erlebnis für die ganze Familie. Wir freuen uns auf Ihren Besuch!

At Dortmunder Weihnachtsmarkt, the largest Christmas tree in the world towers over a collection of 300 traditional wooden stands selling toys, decorations, and holiday-season delicacies. At a height of 45 meters (147 feet), the tree illuminates the night sky with 48,000 lights, providing a festive contrast against the modest surrounding church steeples. Glühwein, or mulled wine, serves as the adult beverage of choice, with the market's collectible glühwein cup featuring a new design each year. While adults warm themselves with wine, children in the Christmas Village sing, bake, and build crafts. Market-goers of all ages gather to dance and sing along with performers at the annual WDR 4 Christmas concert.