Dortmund

... is the ugliest and most disorganized big town in Germany I have ever been to. Nevertheless, the socialist town government forces you to pay an extra tax of 12 % of your rent just for living there.

The information on the server of Dortmund uses to be misleading and outdated.

Essen is an even bigger city only half an hour by train and somewhat nicer (but Essen has been going down the last ten years and will continue, I guess). The next town that is okay is Düsseldorf. It is one hour by train and has an international airport.

The central train station is one of the best places in Dortmund because you can leave the town most efficiently from there - contrary to the other places where public transport is available only during working hours and the constant traffic jams do not allow you to drive anywhere.

The two positive things I can say about Dortmund are: most of the people are friendly and uncomplicated and in the fish restaurant in the basement of Karstadt you can get really good food (only place in town).

Recommended Local Culture

• Kunstsammlung Düsseldorf
• Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum Duisburg: The museum itself is one of the very rare examples of good architecture in the 2nd half of the 20th century in Germany.
• Folkwang Museum Essen: Closed for reconstruction until February 2010. Great Paintings. To name only a few: Gauguin's "Horsemen at the beach" and "Contes barbares" (both 1902). Also Feininger's Gelmeroda IX. Some Spitzwegs and Monet's Cathedral in shining fog.
• Museum Mülheim: Who would expect masterpieces like Feininger's "Red Tower II (Halle)", Beckmann's "Quappi with parrot", or Nolde's "John the Baptist" in this dull town. Since the paintings are visiting nicer places regularly, phone before your visit. The correct phone number used to be +49 208 455 4170. All paintings have good light and I had no problems with mirroring glass.
• Von der Heydt-Museum, Wuppertal: Wuppertal is one of the most dreadful towns in Germany, and the comedians' standard metaphor for how horrible it can be to live in Germany. Nevertheless, it hosts the most fascinating collection in the Rhein/Ruhr area from Coblenz over Cologne to Dortmund, including my favorite Feininger painting showing the Marktkirche in front of the red tower in Halle. Most incredible painting! The church and the tower act like two sounds not as two objects. Wow! The collection should be moved to a nicer place such as Duisburg, Duesseldorf, or Cologne.

Other Local Culture

• Eisenbahnmuseum Bochum-Dahlhausen: Lots of railroad cars and engines, but nothing really fascinating.
• Museum am Ostwall, Dortmund: Closed for reconstrution and moving to new place until May 2010. Only less than one third (and most of the time nothing) of the collection (German expressionistic painting) used to be exhibited. All the interesting ones behind glass with shining white walls around, so that you do not see nothing. This is really a pity, but typical for Dortmund.
• Museum Hagen: Closed for reconstruction until February 2010. Nice collection (esp. Rohlfs, one Feininger), but very small because the original Folkwang collection was sold to Essen (cf. above) and the Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) interior (van de Velde) was purposely destroyed. Oh what a shame! (But was it not Hagen who also made the treasure of the Nibelungen disappear from mankind?) Nice re-made Jugendstil interior, but paintings are far too dark!
• Museum Münster: Feininger's greatest beach painting "Duene am Abend" (1927) is hanging too low and has a strong black shadow from its frame in the upper part.