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Cologne

Ring  The Ring begins at Chlodwigplatz and ends at Ebertplatz, following the contours of the old city wall. It forms a giant semi-circle around the center of town and supplies one with ample sources of amusement – you could spend months just going from place to place along this road and still not get bored. This guide follows the Ring from South to North through the various quarters, then further out to Nippes and Ehrenfeld.

Südstadt  The center of the Südstadt is Chlodwigplatz, a network of streets and lanes extends from it, hiding a multitude of bars and theaters. Good cocktails can be found at Chin’s American Bar and the Fiffi Bar. The Südstadt is also a good part of town if you like rock music. This quarter also has plenty of bars for gays and lesbians, for example, the Mephisto or Indigo. During Karneval, the Südstadt goes wild, but otherwise it’s usually pretty mellow. The Odeon is the only cinema in the Südstadt, but in exchange there is plenty of theater on offer, notably the Theater am Sachsenring and the Theater der Keller.

Uni-Viertel  Cologne’s main student hang-out is found around Barbarossaplatz and Zülpicher Platz. Masses of bars and pubs are located here, and it’s hard to decide where to leave your money. There are also plenty of good clubs in the area; Liquid Sky features underground electro and techno, there is also the more mainstream Prime Club and MTC for rock fans. Bars like the Blueshell, Aceton and Stereo Wonderland get together for a package deal on New Year’s Eve – they are all close together and ideal for a bar crawl. Rathenauplatz is surrounded by many good cafés and bars, like Jonny Turista, and the Vampire, as well as Hotelux.

Hohenzollernring  The Hohenzollernring is another busy area for bars. It is also home to many bistros and restaurants, and excels in inexpensive Italian cusine. Quite a few Mexican-style restaurants can be found near here, such as Pocoloco. Joe Champs is also worth a mention, for all sports bar and American bar fans. There are three cinemas on the Hohenzollernring – UFA Palast Kino Center, UFA Scala and the Rex Cine Center.

Friesenviertel  One (cocktail) bar after another – you won’t stay thirsty for long in the Friesenviertel. With an empahsis on elegance, there is a tendency towards slightly more expensive restaurant-bars such as Heising und Adelmann, as well as stylishly decorated scene bars like the XX-Dos Equis. Media-types and artists seem to congregate around Friesenstrasse.

Belgische Viertel  The best way to find the ‘Belgian Quarter’ is from Rudolfplatz. The names of the streets will let you know if you’re in the right place. Antwerpener Strasse and Brüsseler Platz sound pretty Belgian. This is pretty much the coolest part of Cologne, with attractive old buildings and expensive apartments. Many bars and restaurants have made this their home, hoping to bring in the media crowd. This has not proved difficult for Alcazar, its façade is well-known from the opening credits of the Saturday night comedy show Samstag Nacht. Easy listening sounds and the feel of the Sixties are to be found at Hallmackenreuther. The Six Pack still draws in the crowds from among Cologne’s music scene. The M20 and the Tronic normally offer excellent DJs.

Nordstadt  The closer you get to Ebertplatz, the more sparse the bars, but there are still a few gems to be found, like the classic Elektra, Café Spitz and Café Schmitz. Some of the best cinemas in town are located here. The Metropolis, offering English language films, the arty Filmhaus, the massive Cinedom and the tiny Filmpalette.

Nippes  Nippes isn’t quite so central, but still has a lot to offer. The Kantine is found here, as well as various bars; Rosenrot and the Froschkönig, or Mach’et and Gernot’s, to name but a few. Those who make the short journey from Ebertplatz will be pleasantly surprised.

Ehrenfeld  Lots of students and down-to-earth people live here. What was once a bit run down has since been revived as an area of cultural activity. Lots of bars and cafés can be found in the side streets off the long Venloer Strasse, which runs right through Ehrenfeld. Café Sehnsucht is a well loved place for Sunday Frühstück-breakfast. The area around Herbrands with the Cinenova cinema and café offers a full program of events. Ehrenfeld’s live music venues, Underground and the Live Music Hall can be found further down towards Gürtel. The Königsblut is a new, friendly cocktail bar.

History of Cologne

Saxony’s capital Dresden is located in what once was called valley of the clueless – as the city is encircled by mountains and hills, the signals of the West German TV stations never seemed to reach people’s antennas, forcing them to watch the propaganda programmes the Socialist party had hatched up for them. Once an important cultural and commercial metropolis featuring Germany’s then most impressive architecture, Dresden was practically wiped out within two nights of air raids in February, 1945. The city never really got over that shock, but was eventually able to be resurrected. Nowadays, it is marked by hard contrasts: most of the famous buildings have been restored or rebuilt from scratch; the Neustadt, formerly a beggars’ quarter, is flourishing to a surprising extent; various parks and recreational areas contribute to its beauty. Then again, it is notoriously full of monotonous districts and appalling areas. While these contrasts have clearly been typical of German cities since World War II, and are probably concomitant symptoms of large cities themselves, one is inclined to claim that majesty and deformity are scarcely as close to each other as in Dresden. It almost seems as if each side was the prerequisite to its counterpart.

Hellerau

Located in the city’s very north, Hellerau is a quarter you might be predisposed to miss, but it’s definitely worth a visit, being the first German “Garden Town”. Its founding originates in Karl Schmitz’s commitment to the city’s plans, begun in 1907. Luckily enough, the remote district had not been a target for allied bombers in 1945; although, regrettably, it has been subject to progressive decline for some time now.

Loschwitz

Dresden’s most impressive bridge, the “Blue Wonder” (Blaues Wunder), connects Blasewitz and Loschwitz. The latter is an excellent place to live in – provided that you can afford to rent or buy a residence here. Among the sights one should not possibly miss are the castles Schloß Albrechtsberg and Schloß Eckberg. Especially when seen from the other side of river Elbe, Loschwitz’s villas and châteaus constitute an adorable view. Fairly close to the north of Loschwitz, the quarter named Weißer Hirsch is situated along the edge of Dresden’s very own forest, the Dresdner Heide.

Weißer Hirsch

Driving from Bühlau towards Dresden’s inner districts, one should look out for the automatic speed cameras. On a lighter note, the tiny yet appealing district Weißer Hirsch (White Stag), namesake of a traditional restaurant, is located here. This area is home to Dresden’s upper class; they reside in charming dwellings, play tennis on tepid afternoons, enjoy the silent riverside atmosphere at the Elbhänge (Elbe slopes) or uses the cable railway towards Loschwitz. We, on the contrary, head for the city’s inner parts and pass the Radeberger Vorstadt – host to the combined brewery and beer garden and the Waldschlösschen (Forest Castle) – to reach the Outer Neustadt.

Äußere Neustadt
By far Dresden’s most lively district, the Outer Neustadt (Äußere Neustadt) is the area to the north-east of Albertplatz. Originally an economically and culturally unimportant poor man’s quarter, it was neglected by British and American bombers in World War II. The city’s catastrophe became the Neustadt’s opportunity to gain attention: although the quarter continued to deteriorate after the War, first streams of young, alternative people began to inspire it. Some of the pubs and clubs that had emerged during the communist regime, like for instance the Planwirtschaft, do still exist, even though their appearance and character have altered since then. The German Reunification of 1990 brought West German real estate enterprises keen to renovate the rotten turn-of-the-century houses, and it attracted more students and businessmen willing to rent or buy apartments. Progressively, the Neustadt’s temper and charm have changed, its alternative culture partially moved to the quarter’s outer parts. The Outer Neustadt is marked by its population’s heterogenity: punk teens with giant dogs sleeping rough, hip-hop kids wearing only the latest American brand outfits, white-faced people with black clothing locally referred to as Grufties (Goths), young, well-off entrepreneurs running internet companies, lots of students from all over the country, and – of course – those who have been living here since they were born, which was long ago. It is a peculiar mishmash, but also an intriguing one. The list of places to visit encompasses bars like Déjà vu or Scheune, innovative upscale boutiques such as Koma or Palazzo, the gorgeous Martin Luther Church and Pfunds Molkerei, billing itself the world’s most beautiful milk shop.

Innere Neustadt

Heading west from Albertplatz, the splendid Königstraße (King’s Street) leads us directly into the Inner Neustadt. This district burnt down in the fire of 1685, and World War II also left its mark. In the last years however, the quarter has been elegantly redeveloped, and currently it might be considered Dresden’s most beautiful area. Indeed, the Inner Neustadt bears a resemblance to Munich and its well-looked-after baroque houses, its designer boutiques and extravagant restaurants, but somehow it lacks spirit and vivacity. The quarter evokes the impression of not being fully integrated into the city as there is but a small target group for haute couture and haute cuisine in Dresden. Of course, the occasional tourist group takes a stroll here, but altogether the Inner Neustadt is still an abstemious place.

Altstadt

Crossing Augustusbrücke (Augustus’s Bridge) from here, the wonderful sight of Dresden’s lovely silhouette – the famous Canaletto View – meets the eye. Particularly at night, when most buildings are beautifully illuminated until 1am, the Brühlsche Terrassen (Brühl’s Terraces), the Semper Opera and their surroundings constitute a majestic view. The bridge leads us into the Altstadt, originally the town’s older part. It had been almost entirely annihilated in February 1945, and for years thereafter, only the pitiable remains of the Frauenkirche (Women’s Church) had been left as a depressing legacy of the Second World War. Eventually, however, Dresden’s public overcame their apathy and began to reconstruct, redevelop and renovate the quarter that had once legitimated the city’s international glory. Nowadays, the Theaterplatz is again one of Germany’s most admirable places, even though it is permanently flooded with tourists from all over the world. Around this square, you’ll find more architectural attractions than most other German cities have on the whole: irrespective of the aforementioned sights, there is the great Zwinger, the Castle (Schloß), the Cathedral (Kathedrale), the Fürstenzug and the Taschenberg Palais, to name but a few. The sophisticated reconstruction of the Frauenkirche is being performed using practically all of the original parts that could be preserved; its completion will take at least until the year 2005. Art lovers and history connoisseurs have to visit the Albertinum and the Green Vault (Grünes Gewölbe) that can be reached through Brühl’s Terraces.

Innenstadt

At the Terraces’ other end, one should walk a few steps up Carola Bridge and turn around. Here, Dresden’s divergence is most impressive: To the right, there is the city’s picturesque silhouette that could not possibly have been painted more romantically; to the left, however, nothing but greyish high-rises up until the very horizon. Following the St. Petersburger Straße, the road that Carola Bridge runs into, one is led into the city centre. That said, Dresden has no real centre, not in the sense of a huge shopping district, but at least there is the Prager Straße, a drab pedestrian zone featuring severe architectural violations such as the three almost identical Ibis Hotel campaniles, the grotesque Hertie building, or the two postmodern wells. Its nearly comical ugliness notwithstanding, the Prager Straße is a passable shopping street with all popular Western department stores like Karstadt or aforementioned Hertie, international chains such as H&M or Foot Locker, fast food restaurants, and a futuristic cinema called UFA Palace, incidentally Dresden’s only film theatre showing the latest movies (in English too, if only from Sunday to Tuesday). To the street’s southern end, you’ll find the central station at the Wiener Platz, one of Dresden’s many permanent construction sites, seemingly unlikely to be ever completed.

Südvorstadt

A stones’ throw south of the main station, the university quarter commences. As Dresden University of Technology has no single campus, its faculties and institutes are widely spread over several districts, but the administrative centre and the majority of academic buildings are situated around the Nürnberger Platz. Opposite the newly constructed Auditorium Centre (Hörsaalzentrum) where most Business, Economics and Law students attend their classes, you’ll find the university cafetería in an obscure shack. Meals for students are affordable at DM 2,80 (EUR 1,43), but the taste unfortunately resembles English cooking mastery. There are some student bars in the vicinity, but they are to be avoided if possible, but although they are cheap, most students prefer the remote Neustadt for nightlife activities. The occasional fraternity party has to be mentioned though.

Prohlis

Located in Dresden’s very south, Prohlis is just one – and coincidentally the largest – of Dresden’s many dun quarters marked by the Socialist art of city planning. It’s not overly far from the university, so it might be worth an excursion if you’re already there. What makes Prohlis so impressive (sometimes also depressing) is the ubiquity of grey in every imaginable shade and scale: get off streetcar 13 at Jacob-Winter-Platz, perform a full circumrotation, and you will have seen nothing but monotonous high-rises. By the way, avoid spending the evening hours here, as some youth gangs might not be all that friendly. Foreigners aren’t the most popular group in Prohlis either, to be perfectly frank.