10 little-known facts about Cologne

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Cologne is a great place to take a German course, with plenty to keep you occupied outside of lessons. Below are ten little known-facts about the city, which we hope will inspire you to visit!

1. Located on the Rhine, Cologne is Germany’s fourth-largest city and one of the oldest cities in the country too.

2. Cologne’s impressive Cathedral is Germany’s second largest religious building. Every year thousands of tourists climb the 509 steps to the top and their efforts are suitably rewarded with a magnificent view of the city and its surroundings. For a while, after its construction in 1880, the cathedral was actually the highest structure in the world.

3. Cologne is known as the city of churches, with 12 large Roman churches located within the medieval city walls.

4. It is home to a museum dedicated entirely to chocolate!

5. Cologne has a top-quality array of cultural attractions. It is home to over 40 museums and more than 110 galleries.

6. Every year in July, Cologne hosts Germany’s largest high-altitude musical firework display – the “Cologne Lights” (“Koelner Lichter”). The impressive display and accompanying party atmosphere attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

7. Cologne has its own beer, which is known as Kölsch. The name Kölsch is protected by law so that only beers brewed in and around Köln can bear the name. It’s a pale, straw-coloured beer that is said to be refreshing and sweeter than other German beers.

8. Cologne is home to one of Europe’s largest Pride events. During the first weekend in July every year, more than half a million participants and visitors come together in Cologne’s city centre to party. Besides having fun, the event does focus on current political issues, which are always expressed through the parade’s theme.

9. According to new rankings, Cologne’s Schildergasse is Germany’s most visited shopping boulevard. Bustling with over 13,280 visitors per hour, it just beat Munich’s “Kaufingerstraße” to the top spot. The whole city is known for its abundance of shops, and is simply a haven for anyone who likes to shop…

10. Cologne was the hometown of Italian expatriate Johann Maria Farina, who created a fragrance and named it after the city. Eau de Cologne or “water from Cologne” is still famous the world over, and is still produced in Cologne today.

Find out more about German courses in Cologne, the rest of Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Top 10 FREE things to see and do in Berlin

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Here’s our pick of the top ten free things to do during a visit to the city:

1. Go to see Checkpoint Charlie

When the East and West were divided, Checkpoint Charlie was the name given to the manned crossing point where you could officially pass from one side to the other. Although the wall came down in November 1989, the checkpoint remained an official crossing for foreigners and diplomats until German reunification in October 1990, when the guard house was removed. A copy of the guard house and sign that once marked the border crossing now stands where Checkpoint Charlie once was, and serves as a great indicator of how life was during the Cold War era.

2. Take a stroll around Potsdamer Platz

Lying about one kilometre south of the Brandenburg Gate, Potsdamer Platz is a public square where the old road from Potsdam passed through the city wall of Berlin at the Potsdam Gate. Throughout the cold war it was left as wasteland, but since reunification, has been extensively re-developed. These days it consists of three developments known as Daimler City or the DaimlerChrysler Areal, the Sony Centre and the Beisheim Centre.

3. Take a free walking tour of Berlin

A great way to learn about Berlin and its history is to join this free tour. It begins at Starbucks Cafe on Unter den Linden and takes in all the sights within the area, including the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, and more. Start times are 11am, 1pm and 4pm every day.

4. Make the most of ‘free admission Sundays’

On the first Sunday of every month, tourists can take advantage of free admission to all the state museums, including the Pergamon, Alte Nationalgalerie, Altes Museum, Ägyptisches Museum, Gemäldegalerie, Neue Nationalgalerie, Sammlung Berggruen, and the Museum for Gegenwart. You’ll have to be prepared for crowds, but it’s a fantastic opportunity to see some of Berlin’s best museums.

5. Visit the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate

Germany’s impressive Parliament building, the Reichstag, is well worth a visit. Entry is free, and you can wander round on your own, as there are no guided tours on offer. Climbing to the top of the glass dome will give you some great views of the city, and the exhibition of black-and-white photos portraying the history of the Reichstag since its birth in 1894 is fascinating. Once you’ve taken a look around the Reichstag, you should head to the nearby Brandenburg Gate and take a photograph of Berlin’s most iconic structure.

6. Walk around the Holocaust Memorial

This might not sound like an especially uplifting thing to do during a visit to Berlin, but the Holocaust Memorial is definitely worth visiting during your stay. Although horrific, the holocaust is nevertheless an important part of recent European history to learn about, and the information centre under the memorial will allow you to do just that. The memorial itself though is worth seeing quite in its own right – opened in May 2005, it occupies a huge site just south of the Brandenburg Gate, and is made up of more than 2,700 giant concrete slabs. It’s a very unique sight to behold and has attracted more than a little controversy over the years. Designed by architect Peter Eisenman, it is intended to produce an uneasy, confusing atmosphere and represents a ‘supposedly ordered system that has lost touch with human reason’.

7. Take a look around the Volkswagen showroom

Of course, this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but for any car lovers it’s an absolute must. Located on Friedrichstrasse at the corner of Unter den Linden and spread over three floors, the VW showroom contains every type of car under the Volkswagen brand for you to see. In the basement, you can also find information on the developments in space travel which the company has been involved in.

8. Explore the Eastside Gallery

Showcasing 1.3km of undisturbed Berlin Wall, the Eastside Gallery contains more than a hundred pieces of art – all painted directly onto the Wall. The gallery is open-air, so not one for a rainy day, but it’s definitely worth a look.

9. Walk around the Treptower Park

Located in former East Berlin, this massive park’s central area is dominated by the huge 1949 Soviet Memorial. Treptower Park’s burial ground is said to contain the remains of five thousand soldiers who died in the Battle of Berlin, and is lined by marble sculptures depicting scenes from the war.

Berlin actually has a lot of parks and green areas to enjoy, all of which are free.

10. Head out to the Berlin hinterland

Admittedly, this may cost you a small train or bus fare, but once you arrive at the hinterland you can enjoy all that nature has to offer for free. Consisting of forests, lakes and beaches, the hinterland has long been popular with city dwellers who want to soak up some country air and enjoy the Great Outdoors.

Currently, Cactus works with two German schools in Berlin, each offering a range of courses at a variety of levels. Included in the course offerings are General, Intensive and Individual German, and the more specialist options of Teacher Refresher courses, Juniors course and Christmas/Advent courses. Find out more on the Cactus Language website.

10 interesting facts about Heidelberg

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It’s a great place to take a German language course, not only because of the beautiful surroundings but also because the huge array of entertainment options on offer and the compact nature of the city.

Here are ten facts about Heidelberg that you may not already know:

1. Heidelberg University is the oldest in Germany

Established in 1386, Heidelberg’s Ruprecht-Karls-Universität remains one of Germany’s most prestigious universities and will celebrate its 625th anniversary in 2011. It counts an impressive array of national figures amongst its alumni, including the former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl.

2. Heidelberg is home to a hidden amphitheatre

Hidden from view from the town at the top of the surrounding wooded hills, the ‘Thingstätte’ was built in 1935 by the Nazi party and was designed by Heidelberg native Albert Speer.

It was used by the Nazi party during WWII for rallies and solstice festivals. It is now preserved as a monument, but it is still used for many festivals and cultural events throughout the year.

3. The first bicycle was invented by a graduate of the University of Heidelberg

Invented by Karl Drais, a student at the University of Heidelberg, the ‘Laufmaschine’ represented the beginning of mechanised personal transport. It was also nicknamed the Dandy Horse and was the first means of transport to make use of the two-wheeler principle, even though it didn’t have pedals.

4. The city hosts superb firework displays during the summer

Known as the ‘Schlossbeleuchtung’, Heidelberg hosts a fantastic firework display on the first Saturday of June, second Saturday of July and first Saturday of September every year.

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The show starts with the Heidelberg castle being lit up as though it is on fire. This is to remember the times in 1689, 1693 and 1764, when the castle went up in flames! After a few minutes of the castle ‘burning’, the fireworks begin. The fireworks are launched from the old bridge and last for about 15 minutes. The fireworks exploding over the old bridge with the castle looming in the background is really something to see.

5. Heidelberg is featured prominently in various poems and novels

The city is mentioned in works by the likes of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Heinrich Heine, and Mark Twain, who spent several months in Heidelberg in the late 19th century. The novel ‘The Reader’, made into a film in 2008, was also set in the city.

6. Heidelberg escaped bombing in the Second World War

Unlike many German cities, Heidelberg was not destroyed by air raids in World War II and therefore still has original buildings from the later Middle Ages and early Renaissance. It has been suggested that the city escaped substantial bombing because the US Army wanted to use the city as a garrison after the war (there remains a large US base outside the city today).

In fact though, as Heidelberg was neither an industrial centre nor transport hub, there was nothing of particular strategic interest to the Allies, who focused extensively on nearby industrial cities such as Mannheim.

7. The first evidence of human life in Europe was found in Heidelberg

In 1907 a jaw-bone was discovered in a gravel pit in Heidelberg – it is the earliest evidence found of human life in Europe. The ‘Heidelberg Man’ is the name now given to a member of this extinct human species, considered closely related to “Homo erectus”.

8. It’s home to the world’s biggest wine barrel!

The Heidelberg ‘Tun’ is the biggest wine barrel in the world and holds 220,000 litres. The vat (Fass) was built in 1751 and sits within Heidelberg’s famous castle.

9. One in every five Heidelberg residents is a student

As you might expect from a city with a university as prestigious as that of Heidelberg, a large proportion of the population are students. This gives the city a very lively feel and ensures ample social and cultural offerings for visitors and inhabitants to enjoy.

10. The German Pharmacy Museum is housed in Heidelberg Castle

Also housed in the castle grounds is the ‘Deutsches Apothekenmuseum’ which displays a large collection of old equipment and medicines used in a pharmacy in past centuries.

Cactus offers a range of German courses in Germany. For full details and to book please visit www.cactuslanguage.com.