Bielefeld is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany with around 300,000 citizens.
According to a German internet meme (which originated as tongue in cheek take on various conspiracy theories), this city does not exist. Incidentally this is the one thing almost all Germans know about the town.
Understand
While the bizarre conspiracy theory of it not existing is the first thing most Germans will tell you about the city, it actually has a rather long history, dating back to a first mention in the 9th century and it was first called a city in a 1214 document, the 800-year anniversary of which was celebrated - naturally - under the headline "Das gibt's doch gar nicht" which can mean "That's unbelievable" or more literally "That doesn't exist". While a lot of the old town was destroyed in World War II, there are still some nice buildings left.
Get in
By train
- 1 Bielefeld Hauptbahnhof. sees regular Deutsche Bahn service. There's even the occasional ICE
By bus
- See also: Intercity buses in Germany
By plane
The nearest major airport is in Hanover (HAJ IATA); other than that the greater Ruhr area, as well as Cologne which are served by various airports are easily reachable by train.
Get around
Bielefeld is served by a Stadtbahn which can be classified as a mixture of light rail, tram and metro. (see the network plan on the right). Where the Stadtbahn doesn't go, there is an extensive bus network. With headways as low as ten minutes. As is usual in Germany, tickets for bus and Stadtbahn are integrated with each other and operate on the proof of payment system.
See
- 1 Sparrenberg Castle. restored fortress
- 2 Altes Rathaus (Old City Hall). built in 1904
- 3 Stadttheater (City Theatre). it has a notable Jugendstil façade.
Do
- 1 Kletterpark Bielefeld, Am Johannisberg 3.
- Watch association football at Arminia Bielefeld. They were promoted in 2020 and now play soccer in Bundesliga, the top tier of the game in Germany. Their home ground is Bielefelder Alm (capacity 27,300), 1 km northwest of town centre.
- 2 Bielefelder Alm.
Buy
- 1 LOOM Bielefeld, Bahnhofstraße 28. Shopping mall
Eat
- 1 Alt Bielefeld, Obernstr. 12, ☏ 49 521 66940. Daily 11:00-23:00.
- 2 Klötzer's Restaurant, Niedernstraße 41, ☏ 49 521 9677520.
Drink
Sleep
- 1 Hotel Büscher, Carl-Severing-Straße 136, ☏ 49 521 94614, ✉[email protected].
- 2 Mercure Hotel Bielefeld Johannisberg, Am Johannisberg 5, ☏ 49 521 92380.
