Football World Cup
Dortmund:
 Dortmund is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. The city is known as Westphalia's "green metropolis". Nearly half the municipal territory consists of waterways, woodland, agriculture and green spaces with spacious parks such as Westfalenpark and the Rombergpark.
 Historically seen, after nearly a hundred years of extensive coal mining, coking, and steel milling within the city limits, this is quite a contrast.
Trivia: The Christmas market (Weihnachtsmarkt) is one of the largest in Germany, and is host to the largest "christmas tree" in the world, formed by stacking hundreds of trees into the shape of a pyramid.
Transport I Hotels I Car Hire I Entertainment I Food I Sport I Stadium I Tourist Tips I History
Transport:
 The central train station (Hauptbahnhof) is the third largest long distance traffic junction in Germany. Dortmund also serves as a major European and German crossroads for the Autobahnsystem. The Ruhrschnellweg follows old Hanseatic trade routes to connect the city with the other metropolises of the Ruhr Area.
Connections to the more distant parts of Germany are maintained by the A1 and the A2 which pass closely to the north and east of the city and cross each other at the Kamener Kreuz interchange northeast of Dortmund.
For public transportation, the city has an extensive Stadtbahn, streetcar and bus system. An additional light rail line is currently under construction in the city centre.
Getting There:
Dortmund airport (DTM) is home of several low-cost airlines and serves mainly national and european travellers.
By Car:
No matter whether you’re coming from Hamburg or Cologne, in both cases the A 1 provides the ideal connection to Dortmund. Arriving from the west (the Netherlands) or the east (Berlin, Poland, Baltic States) the A 2 will lead you directly to Dortmund.
The A 44 is used by visitors coming from Thuringia and Hessen, among other places, but also for reaching Dortmund from the Netherlands and Belgium. The A 45 (Sauerland line), as the important north-south axis, connects the Rhine-Main Area and the south of Germany and Europe to Dortmund.
Hotels:
4 Star Options:
- Hilton Dortmund
- Steigenberger Hotel Dortmund
- NH Dortmund Hotel
- Park Inn Dortmund
- Best Western Parkhotel & Kongresszentrum Westfalenhallen
- Mercure Grand Hotel An Den Westfalenhallen
- Holiday Inn Dortmund City Centre
3 Star Options:
- TRYP Hotel Dortmund
- Holiday Inn Kamen
- Mercure Hotel Dortmund
- Hotel Ibis Dortmund City
- Express by Holiday Inn Dortmund
- Consul Hotel Dortmund
Car Hire:
Please call Kirsty or Stuart for advice and rates on 01903 832888. Alternatively you can email us, or click here to see rates online and request a vehicle.
Entertainment:
Culture:
 Dortmund is a city of cultural energy and variety. Embedded in one of Europe's largest arts & cultural landscape - the Ruhr, that is - Dortmund's arts & culture scene and a centre for dynamism and innovation. Dortmund sees such energy as an opportunity and is already shaping up as a place of music and art for the 21st century.
One of the symbols of new Dortmund is the new concert house, the Philarmonie fur Westfalen. The excellent quality of its acoustics and architecture provide the basis for a range of concerts of international standing.
 Other important input to cultural life in Dortmund comes from the independent community of theatre people, artists, musicians and authors. Indeed, one of the town's trademarks in this respect is the committed way the independent scene and the more established cultural bodies work together on joint projects.
Finally, if you want to look up the written or spoken word, Dortmund's newly built City and State Library has a collection of 1.2 million items from different media.
Museums:
- Museum of Art & Cultural History
- Museum am Ostwall (comprehensive collection of 20th century art)
- Museum of natural History
- Harbour Museum
- Automobile Museum
- Memorial Steinwache (former Gestapo prison)
- Westphalian Industrial Museum
- Hoesch Museum
Konzerthaus Dortmund:
 The Westphalian Philharmonic Concert Hall is not only attractive to the eye, it has also been designed for the most magnificent sound experience. That is the reason why - since the opening in 2002 - world-famous artist have been queuing up to impress their audiences, and being impressed themselves, and immediately promise "We´ll be back".
The same sentiment goes for all the visitors to the Philharmonic Concert Hall in the Bruckstrasse whether they prefer the symphonies and chamber music of the great masters, lively jazz sessions or song recitals. Some people are fascinated by glamorous shows and modern revues, or enjoy opera in concert form and top quality folk and pop concerts.
Shopping:
Westenhellweg is the best area for shoppers in the Ruhr area. Like Ostenhellweg, it is an old trade route that runs through the heart of the city. Head for Hansastrasse for luxury clothes and leather goods, and to find the latest creations from catwalks around the world. The Bruckstrasse area has good shops for the younger crowd.
Propstei Arcades:
Head south, towards the opera house, from Westenhellweg and you soon come to the Propstei shopping mall. This new arcade is home to a number of shops, mostly up-market designer clothing stores.
Food:
Dortmund has two main specialties to offer would be visitors: beer, or pepper beef stew with onions, known locally as Pfefferpotthast. You can sample these local delights which are served in restaurants and bars on the Alter Markt and along Wallring, the road around the city centre. Hohensyburg Casino's restaurant also offers tempting treats for the taste buds.
Some Suggested restaurants:
Carlton
Ruhrallee 9
Tel: 0231-5 52 24 20
The Carlton in the Ellipson building is furnished in the style of the 1920s. Crystal chandeliers hang from the 7 metre high ceiling and the almost round bar has 14 seats. The menu features dishes from Spanish Tapas and from scrambled eggs with bacon to CousCous and grouper in mustard sauce.
Restaurant La Table
Casino Hohensyburg
Hohensyburgstrasse 200
Tel: 231 774 00
French Cuisine
Cuisine du Monde
Westenhellweg 132
Tel: 0231-1 89 90 85
As the name suggests this is a gourmet trip around the world. The menu is extensive and it's fun to mix up your cuisine and experiment. There is a cocktail bar and they host live music most nights.
La Cuisine d´art manger
Lubkestr. 21
Tel: 0231-5 31 61 98
Michelin rated French resaurant located in a 100 year old mansion. This is dining in style and the restaurant deserves it's fine reputation for good food in a refined atmosphere. They have a Beer garden and Terrace and do a popular Sunday brunch.
Eiscafe Da Capo
Saarlandstr. 124
This relaxed cafe/ice cream parlour gives a choice of over 20 ice cream flavours and is only open in the summer. Relax on their sheltered terrace and watch the world pass. They also serve snacks and beers.
Pfefferkorn
Hoher Wall 38
Telephone: 0231-14 36 44
The Pfefferkorn has been a classical restaurant in Dortmund for more than 20 years. They serve dishes such as Argentine fillet of beef and roast-beef, Black Tiger shrimps and crisp salad plates, homely fried potatoes, cutlet with seasonal food such as asparagus, white herring, boletus, chanterelles, game and fish dishes.
Mylos Cafe Bar Restaurant
Alter Muhlenweg 14
Tel: 0231-9 56 52 15
Greek restaurant that serves all the Greek favourites and a few originals from the chef. The decor is modern and Mylos is always busy. In summer the Beer garden and Terrace are popular.
Zweierlei im Ratskeller (Aplerbecker Ratskeller)
Aplerbecker Marktplatz 21
Tel: 0231-45 82 49
The menu offers light mediterranean kitchen, such as Barbarie duck's breast on Balsamicojus with ratatouille and roasted rosemary Gnocchi or pikeperch fillet on Pernodsauce with spinach and Tagliatelle. Try relaxing in the Cuba Room afterwards
Sport:
 Local people are happy to share their city with visitors, including their favourite leisure activity: a Borussia Dortmund match at the Westphalia Stadium.
The Westphalia Stadium is one of the most exciting "temples to football" in the world with up to 83,000 fans packing the ground for Bundesliga matches. Borussia also has Europe's biggest football terrace, with space for 25,000 fans. BorussiaPark, the new world of discovery in the north stand, is home to the BVB Museum.
Borussia Dortmund has the highest average attendance of any football club in Europe with a record average of 78,808 spectators in the season 2003/2004.
Stadium:
Signal Iduna Park:
 Signal Iduna Park, formerly known as Westfalenstadion, is the football stadium in Dortmund. It is the home ground of the Borussia Dortmund (BVB) football team and will host several matches of the 2006 World Cup, including a semi-final. It has a league capacity of 82,932 (standing and seated), and an international capacity of 67,000 (seated only). The stadium was named after the former Prussian province of Westphalia, which is now part of the German state North Rhine-Westphalia.
Situated directly opposite the Stadion Rote Erde, the Westfalenstadion is composed of 4 roofed grandstands, each facing the playing field on the East, South, West and North sides. The Eastern and Western stands (Ost- und Westtribune) run the entire length of the field, while the breadth is covered by the North and South stands (Nord- und Sudtribune). Although the corners between the four grandstands remained empty, the spectators appreciated the extensive roof, which covered over 80% of the stands. The Eastern and Western stands housed the stadium's 17,000 seats, while the 37,000 standing places were housed in the Northern and Southern stands.
 After Borussia Dortmund won the national championship in 1995, the Westfalenstadion was expanded yet again . In the first private venture stadium expansion in German history, the two main grandstands, the Eastern and the Western blocks, received a second tier. Covered by a new roof-construction, each section housed an additional 6,000 seats. Thus, the stadium's capacity was restored to the original 54,000, of which the majority (38,500) were now covered seats.
Following Dortmund's 1997 Champions League victory, success and an ever growing number of enthusiastic fans made it necessary to enlarge the Westfalenstadion yet again. The Southern and Northern grandstands were enlarged this time, boosting the total capacity to 68,800 spectators. The Southern standing ranks (die "Sudtribune") became the largest free-standing grandstand of its kind in the whole of Europe, with a staggering capacity of 25,000.
 When Germany won the World Cup bid in 2002, it became clear that Dortmund's Westfalenstadion, the "Opera House of German Football", would play a leading role in hosting the tournament. However, as the Westfalenstadion failed to fulfill FIFA requirements for hosting semi-finals, it had to be enlarged a third and last time. Four new stands were built to fill the corners between the existing grandstands, raising the seating capacity for international games from 52,000 to 67,000.
Additionally, the new corner elements provide seating and catering to VIP guests, increasing the total number of VIP seats to 5,000. In order to provide the new sections with an unblocked view of the field, the existing interior roof supports were removed and replaced by exterior pylons, which were painted yellow to suit the BVB colours.
Signal Iduna Park is the largest football stadium in Germany. The unique Southern Stand with more than 25,000 enthusiastic standing fans, makes this stadium one of the most fascinating football-stadiums in the world. It can be converted from standing places (for league games) and seats (for international matches) within two days.
Directions:
From the main station (Hauptbahnhof) at Dortmund, take the train to Iserlohn/Soest or as an alternative you can take the U-Bahn (underground) U45 to the ‘Westfalenstadion’. The journey time is only 4-10mins and services run every 10-15mins.
World Cup Stadium Schedule:
- 10th June 2006 Group B : Trinidad & Tobago - Sweden 5pm
- 14th June 2006 Group A : Germany - Poland 8pm
- 19th June 2006 Group G : Togo - Switzerland 2pm
- 22nd June 2006 Group F : Japan v Brazil 8pm
- 27th June 2006 Last 16 : Winner of Group F - Runner up of Group E 4pm
- 04th July 2006 Semi Final: Winner QF1 - Winner QF2 8pm
Tourist Tips:
 Dortmund has a perfect blend of thrills and relaxation: the pretty woods and parkland around Hohensyburg castle with panoramic views across the Ruhr and Lennetal valleys from the Kaiser Wilhelm monument, and the Hohensyburg casino.
The casino is open for table games from 3pm to 5am, and features 270 slot machines and thirty four table games. The property has three restaurants and a hotel.
The four churches in the city centre are reminders that Dortmund has a history stretching back more than 1,000 years.
Florianturm:
The Florianturm (Florian Tower, Florian for short) is a landmark of Dortmund (Germany). It is named after Florian, the patron saint of gardeners. The Florianturm is the TV tower of Dortmund and was built in 1959 as an attraction for a federal horticultural show with a height of 219.6 metres. At the time it was briefly the highest freestanding structure in Germany.
 The tower was constructed similarly to a high concrete chimney. It consists of a reinforced concrete tube, which tapers off as it rises, reaching a height of 129.75 metres. At 130.6 metres there is a building part with two floors. On the lower floor there are operation rooms and on the upper floor at 137.54 metres there is a revolving restaurant.
At 141.88 metres and 144.7 metres there are two observation decks. On the upper observation deck there are installations and aerials of the Deutsche Telekom . Since 1959 it has been used for transmitting television signals.
On September 7th, 2004 the aerial was replaced by a Russian helicopter to transmit digital terrestrial television. Since then a 50-kilowatt transmitter has transmitted a digital TV program for the Dortmund area.
Haus Bodelschwingh:
 Haus Bodelschwingh is a moated castle dating from the 13th century, the largest and most significant of its kind on Dortmund terrain.
The entire structure rests on oak pillars which, with air excluded, have to be kept moist to retain their strength. All the main historical epochs have stamped their mark on this complex.
Other suggestions for sightseeing:
- Haus Dellwig
- Romberg Park Gatehouse (now functions as an art gallery)
- Dortmund Zoo
- Romberg Park Botanical Gardens
- Hohensyburg Casino
- Alter Markt (Old market)
- Four City Churches
- Dortmund Westphalia Park
- Wischlingen Park
- Sauerland (day trip)
- Route of Industrial Heritage
History:
The history of Dortmund goes back as far as 880 AD, when the city was first mentioned in official documents as Throtmanni. It was a small village at that time. In 1152 the emperor Barbarossa came to the region and rebuilt the town, which had been destroyed in a fire shortly before. For two years Dortmund was the residence of Barbarossa - a short time, but afterwards it grew to become one of the most powerful towns of the empire. In the 13th century Dortmund joined the Hanseatic League. In 1220, it attained the status of an Imperial Free City, i.e. it was directly subordinated to the emperor.
 After 1320, the wealthy trading city started to appear in writing as Dorpmunde. The etymology of the name is uncertain. Dortmund lost its status as an Imperial Free City in 1803. It was incorporated into Prussia after the Napoleonic Wars and became a major centre for coal, steel, and beer.
During the rule of the Third Reich, Dortmund was home to the Aplerbeck Hospital that "took care" of mentally and/or physically disabled persons. Located in the heart of the Ruhr region Dortmund, along with neighbouring cities, was a target of allied bombing raids. During World War II about two-thirds of homes in Dortmund were destroyed.
Today the city is a centre for hi-tech industry. It is also one of the greenest cities in Westphalia, with extensive parks and gardens laid out in the reconstruction period after the Second World War.
Additionally, the Dortmund chess tournament, one of the strongest in the world, is held there annually.
Top of page I Home Page I Destination Menu |
