Karlsruhe (Germany) is a city in the south-west of the country, on the territory of the federal state of Baden-Wurtenburg. It is located next to the French-German border, in the vicinity of the river Rhine. The Rhine Valley is the sunniest region in Germany, it has comfortable warm summers and mild, foggy winters.
Karlsruhe is a fairly young city; in the first half of the eighteenth century it was founded by Margrave Karl Wilhelm. Karlsruhe now occupies an area of 173.42 km² and has almost 312,000 inhabitants, making it one of the largest cities in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Karlsruhe has a reputation of a city of officials, since many administrative facilities are located in its territory, including the German Supreme Court and the German Federal Constitutional Court.
Unlike other old cities in Germany, Karlsruhe does not have a historic center with narrow winding streets. Here everything was built around the palace of Karlsruhe, which served as the residence of the Dukes of Baden. Moreover, it was built very unusual: 32 wide streets scattered between each other by two ring roads scatter from the castle in all directions with direct rays. If you look at the bird’s-eye photo of Karlsruhe in Germany, you can see how much its layout resembles a fan. Not surprisingly, Karlsruhe is often called the “fan city”. And although for all the years of existence the old buildings here coexisted perfectly with modern concrete structures, the feature of the architectural solution of 1715 is clearly visible even now.
sights
In addition to the urban layout, which is remarkable in itself, Karlsruhe has many interesting sights.
The best place to start exploring the city is considered the Karlsruhe Palace, the adjoining square, and the park surrounding it – this whole ensemble is not just a tourist attraction, but the hallmark of Karlsruhe. A bronze monument to the Duke Karl Friedrich, beautiful fountains, many statues in the Roman style, powerful immense trees along the alleys – there are a lot of interesting things.
Important! A narrow gauge railway is laid in the park, and two small passenger trains run along it. These trains are dragged by real small steam locomotives, from the pipes of which smoke rises. The platform, from which trains depart, is located in the park on the left side of the palace. And the route was laid so that you can see the whole park. Very comfortably!
The palace, built in a classic style, has 3 floors. Two wings extend from two sides of the central part of the building; a tower with a height of 51 m is connected to the castle by an open gallery.
Since 1921, the castle has housed the State Museum of Baden. There you can see local archaeological and historical finds, get acquainted with the culture of Europe from 1789 to the present day, visit the chamber with an exhibition of weapons and a gallery with paintings. The bulk of the installations amazes with the art of its execution – it seems enough to take a step and lend a hand, and you can be in the past.
Advice! Everyone is given the opportunity to climb to the very top of the tower! The staircase has only 158 steps, and the view from there is stunning: the slender rows of the city streets, the greenery of a well-groomed park.
The most important sights of Karlsruhe – the palace and the museum – are located at Schloss Karlsruhe Schlossbezirk 10 76131 Karlsruhe – Innenstadt-West, Germany.
They work every day, except Monday, at such times:
- Tuesday-Thursday – from 10:00 to 17:00;
- Friday-Sunday – from 10:00 to 18:00.
Entrance to all halls with permanent exhibits costs 4 €, a visit to the tower is the same. On Fridays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., collection exhibitions can be viewed for free.
Another famous attraction is the Karlsruhe Pyramid, located in the center of the Market Square (Marktplatz).
Under this pyramid is the grave-crypt of Margrave Karl-Wilhelm, who founded the city of Karlsruhe. Earlier in this place stood the old church of Concordia, in which the crypt was located. In 1807, the church was demolished, and the burial remains, and a pyramid was built over it.
In 1908, the authorities wanted to replace the pyramid with another monument, but the inhabitants of the city did not allow this.
The Center for the Arts and Media Technologies in Karlsruhe demonstrated achievements in the field of modern media technologies and art.
This is a completely unique object, in Germany there are no more similar cultural centers. In addition, this is one of the few museums in the world where visitors are allowed to touch and turn on exhibits, to independently perform various experiments. Some interactive installations make such a strong impression that a sense of reality is lost. The impact on visitors is produced by color, sound, images.
A unique attraction is located at: Lorenzstraße 19, D – 76135 Karlsruhe, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany.
The museum operates on such a schedule:
- Monday and Tuesday – day off;
- Wednesday-Friday – from 10:00 to 18:00;
- Saturday and Sunday – from 11:00 to 18:00.
Entrance ticket price starts from 6 € – the amount of dependence on the exposure chosen for inspection. You can find out what installations are currently located in the center and how much the entrance costs at https://zkm.de/de.
Interesting fact! In such areas as computer science and electronics, the University of Karlsruhe was recognized as the best university in Germany. This university is the country’s oldest technical higher educational institution, it was founded in 1825.
The building of the State Art Gallery itself can be considered a landmark: built in 1846, it is one of the oldest museum buildings in Germany.
The State Art Gallery presents works by German, French and Dutch authors who have worked for the past 700 years. The permanent exhibition, housed in the main building, contains about 800 paintings and sculptures: works of Dutch and French artists of the 17th-18th centuries, as well as paintings by German painters of late Gothic and Renaissance, sculptures of 19th-century authors. The greenhouse houses works by artists of the XX-XXI centuries.
Tourists note that the art museum’s expositions are very well made in terms of lighting. In the picture gallery Karlsruhe (Germany) you can take photos without a flash, but thanks to the competent lighting, it is not needed.
Important! The museum has many caretakers who speak Russian. If necessary, they can be asked questions – the answers will be as complete as possible!
- Art Gallery Address: Hans-Thoma-Str. 2-6, 76133, Karlsruhe, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany.
- This attraction works from 10:00 to 18:00 all days of the week, except Mondays.
- Adult ticket costs 6 €, preferential – 4 €.
- Information on temporary exhibitions can be found at https://www.kunsthalle-karlsruhe.de/.
The local zoo is not only a landmark in Karlsruhe and Germany: it is one of the oldest in Europe.
It is characterized by an amazing combination of a city park and a zoo. The entire territory is conditionally divided into a park zone and an area where animals live. Animals are kept in spacious enclosures, furnished in the style of their natural habitat. The park has three lakes (Stuttgart, Schwanen, Tiergarten) connected by a channel. You can swim in the lakes by boat, while watching fish and birds.
The Karlsruhe Zoological Park is very convenient: the entrance is right on the station square. Attraction Address: Ettlinger Str. 6, 76137, Karlsruhe, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany.
The zoo is open to visitors at such times:
- from November to the end of February – from 9:00 to 16:00;
- March and October – from 9:00 to 17:00;
- from April to the end of September – from 8:30 to 18:00.
Entrance Cost:
- children under 6 years old – free of charge;
- children 6-15 years old – 5 €;
- schoolchildren over 15 years old and students, seniors – 9 €;
- Adults – 11 €.
Advice! To better plan your visit to the zoo, on the official website https://www.karlsruhe.de/b3/freizeit/zoo.de you can see in advance when the feeding of different animals begins.
Mount Thurberg (256 m) is located in the very north of the Black Forest, in the former city of Durlach. Now Durlache is one of the districts of Karlsruhe.
At the top of the mountain, the Durlakh castle Hohenberg once stood, of which only a tower with a height of 28 m has been preserved. Now this tower is used as an observation platform: from it you can see the Rhine Valley, the Palatinate forests, the Black Forest, the Durlach city block.
Advice! Climbing the tower is best in summer and early fall, when the weather is clear and visibility is good. And in the beginning of spring all landscapes look rather gloomy.
Next to the tower is the Anders auf dem Turmberg restaurant, whose interior is decorated in a medieval style and serves delicious dishes.
You can get to the top of the mountain by car (there is no problem with parking), you can walk up the stairs of 528 steps – it starts right in Durlakh. But the most convenient option is to climb the cableway.
The Thunderberg funicular is a unique attraction, because it began its work in 1888 and is now the oldest operating funicular in Germany. But keep in mind that the cable car only works in the summer (April-October) from 10:00 to 19:50. The lower station is located on the outskirts of Karlsruhe, in the Durlach district.
The tower is open for visits at such times:
- from April 16 to October 14 – from 7:00 to 20:00;
- from October 15 to April 15 – from 9:00 to 16:00.
Where to stay in Karlsruhe
The choice of housing in the city of Karlsruhe is quite large and varied. The most common types of hotels are 3 * and 4 *. There are also many starless hotels – these are guest houses, guesthouses or small family-type hotels. Apartments are also quite popular.
In most hotels a 3 * double room per day costs 80-85 €. But you can find a room for both 65 € and 110 € – it all depends on the location of the hotel, the quantity and quality of additional services.
Apartments (bedroom for two) also vary by location in the city, level of comfort, value. Prices start from 35 €, the maximum price is kept at 130 €.
Advice! It is better to book accommodation in advance. The most convenient service for this purpose is booking.com.
What about nutrition?
All over the world, and not just in Germany, the city of Karlsruhe is known for upscale restaurants with Michelin stars and other prestigious awards. It is not only a city of modest officials, but also the capital of haute cuisine in Baden. Various Baden masterpieces usually go to Michelin-starred restaurants here: pigeons, back of roe deer, rare species of beef. But, of course, in this city there are also establishments of not such high levels with lower prices.
Approximate prices in euros:
- lunch for one person in an inexpensive restaurant – 9-10;
- a three-course dinner for two in a mid-level restaurant – 40;
- McMeal at McDonalds (or an analogue of Combo Meal) – 8.
How to get to Karlsruhe
The local airport is located 40 km from the city, a commuter train and a bus run to the center from it (only in the daytime). The main problem is that this airport accepts very few flights and the number of destinations is minimal.
A faster way to get to Karlsruhe from the CIS countries is to fly to one of the big cities nearby. There can be two options: Stuttgart and Frankfurt, which have international airports. Frankfurt is closer: only 140 km share it with Karlsruhe.
Interesting! If you ride a bike from Frankfurt am Main to Karlsruhe, it will take 7 hours and 37,709 calories. If you walk from one city to another, it will take about 23 hours.
Karlsruhe can be reached directly by train from Frankfurt Airport: the Fernbahnhof train station is located directly in the airport building. Ice trains run from 8:00 a.m. until midnight almost every 2 hours. In time, the road takes about 1 hour.
You can also go to Karlsruhe from Frankfurt’s main railway station, Frankfurt (Main) Hbf. From here, Ice trains leave more often – every 30 minutes. And they drive almost continuously, with the exception of a short break between 3:00 and 6:00. Travel time is 1 hour 8 minutes, tickets cost from 21 to 43 €.
The exact train schedules are on the Railways website www.bahn.de/. Tickets can be bought online or at the box office at train stations.
By bus from Frankfurt to Karlsruhe can be reached in 2 hours 15 minutes, paying from 7 to 20 €. Buses No. 017 depart from Frankfurt central Frankfurt central bus station every half hour in the afternoon, and every hour in the morning and evening. The exact schedule can be found at www.flixbus.ru.
Karlsruhe (Germany) is one of those cities that give their guests a rest full of pleasant events and leave a lot of vivid memories in their memory.
Video: a walk in Karlsruhe.
