An Insider’s Guide to Dortmund

Dortmund will be hosting some of the best games at the World Cup. In addition to the much anticipated clash between the host country and Poland, the city will always be the home of one of the tournament semifinals. Today we offer you some information and useful tips about what to see and do in Dortmund. Our mate Bense lives there and contributed this guide, which even includes advice on where to find beer for 1€.

City facts: Almost 600,000 people call Dortmund home. The largest canal harbor in Europe, it is known for its coal, steel and beer industries. Dortmund was a host city during the World Cup in 1974 and the UEFA Cup Final 2001.

Nowadays home to many small high-tech and semi-conductor companies (Compared to Munich’s Silicon Valley - we call it Carbon Valley). One of the largest cities in biotechnology, Dortmund has the most people working in the insurance business in Germany, too. Some big companies have their base here, including Continentale, Signal Iduna and ADAC.

Worldwide renown for the “Export” beer, outside of Germany often referred to as “Dortmunder” (Spain, Netherlands, Belgium).

Seating capacity for Westfalenstadion is 82480 in regular games, with the biggest standing-only grandstand in Europe. On regular game days, more people fit on Südtribüne than in the whole Leverkusen BayArena.

Safety tips: Generally quite safe, but as a foreigner stay away from the harbor and try to limit yourself residing south of the main train station.

The best pubs for footy fans:

Schänke am Rathaus: Directly next to Friedensplatz, where Borussia fans used to celebrate by the hundred thousands. Prices okay.

Schnäppchen-Eck: Nomen est omen. Gedeck (1 beer, 1 Schnaps) for 1 €. Beer is so cheap because they don’t have contracts with a certain brewery and buy where it’s cheap. Also Schnitzel and Frikadellen for more than reasonable prices.

BarRock: Mostly frequented by young adults and students, this bar offers huge meals for regular prices, on weekdays too. Not exactly on the way to stadium, located at Lindemannstraße. Burstingly full of black and yellow footie fans on game days.

Allegro: Situated in the Kreuzviertel, not far away from the main footway to the stadium, at Harnackstraße. Stylish interior, beer prices mildly high. Still pretty cool.

All bars feature TVs with games. In the evening, some of the Dortmund bars make a little room to dance - but I guess this will be completely cancelled due to being filled up to the last spot.

Things one should do:

- Go see DASA, Deutsche Arbeitsschutzausstellung. Sounds boring, work safety. But it ain’t. Not far away from the University, you can see and interact in one of Germanys most modern museums.

- Florianturm in Westfalenpark. Standing over 200 meters tall, you can have a beer at the restaurant (which is actually slowly moving you around the axis of the tower) or go take a spit down the viewing platform. On a cloudless day, you might see the stadiums of Gelsenkirchen, Dortmund and Bochum. This is something you should quote: “Dortmund is the city with the second greenest spaces (on the whole area) in Germany after Stuttgart.”

- Around the stadium: If you feel like it, go visit Volksbad right south of the stadium, a huge public bath with some big co-ed nude areola. South of the Volksbad, there is a typical German forest, huge oaks and lime-trees, squirrels, owls, deer and foxes can be seen at times. No, no bears and wolves, you’re not going to get eaten.

- A must-see is Zeche Zollern II and the museum of mine workers history. I suppose all of the Dortmund museums will offer special prices and installations for WC. So for anybody who comes from the flat land or hasn’t ever seen relics of industrial culture, have a look. Those coal mines up to 800 meters beneath grew on the ruins of the Reich and got Germany back up again after the war, when they were still planting turnips and milking cows in Bavaria.

- When coming in from the West by train, you can see the once biggest and tallest brewery of the world. Dortmunder Union was produced there, the Dortmunder Union “U” can still be seen on top of the Westfalenhalle which right next to the stadium.