Hotel Wegener

Ice Hockey Die Adler Mannheims home team!

by rowo

If you are interested in Ice Hockey you should visiti Die Adler Mannheim Games at the SAP-Arena! Ice hockey has a long tradition in Mannheim and also the Mannheim Home Club Die Adler (the eagels) are very popular and won a lot of time s the German Ice Hockey Leauge DEL.

Planetarium

by Nemorino

If you have some time before the opera begins, you might want to go to the Mannheim Planetarium. If you know in advance when you are coming, you can reserve a ticket or tickets for a show of your choice at the Planetarium's website.

They have one to three shows per day (except Mondays), about 45 minutes each, using their new Zeiss sky projector that was just inaugurated in 2003. (The old one is on display in the lobby.)

Of course the narration is in German. The show I saw there the other day was called In the Depths of the Milky Way and was quite competently done. I don't think I learned anything terribly new, but after all I'm a paid-up member of The Planetary Society so I tend to be fairly well informed about such things.

The Planetarium is at Wilhelm-Varnholt-Allee 1 in Mannheim. Streetcar line number 6.

Be surrounded by exotic butterflies

by Trekki

A place too special to be overlooked within Luisenpark is the Butterfly House within the Greenhouse, that’s why I write about it here separately.
Around 700 different species live here on 250 m2. Usually I do prefer to see them living wild, and still I am hestitating if I should like the concept or not. But on the other hand, they are being taken care of very good with providing them a lush tropic environment, little ponds and waterfalls and feeding stations.
A special prepared double door entrance with special chain curtains in front of the doors prevents the butterflies from getting out into unknown terrain.

Picture taking is allowed, however, without using flash.

And I highly recommend and ask fto stay silent inside and move only slowly not to disturb the butterflies’ habitat too much. If you come with children, please make sure that they won’t run or scream.

Paradeplatz

by Nemorino

This is the traditional center and meeting point of Mannheim. Most of the major tram lines cross here, and the big department stores are nearby.

There are some pleasant outdoor cafés around the edges.

Mannheim - so much more than industrial city :-))

by Trekki

"Parks - Museums - Recreation - and History"

Updates, February 3, 2007:
Things-to-do tips added and photo resizing.



Mannheim is a very beautiful hidden gem in the open land of Rhine river lowlands, and very easily looked over with such famous locations like Worms, Speyer and Heidelberg around.

It is still referred to as an industrial city, which is the truth (a lot of famous companies are located here such as Daimler and John Deere), but it has so many lovely attractions and a huge amount of recreation possibilities of all kind.

I lived here for a while (until commuting was too time-consuming for me), and I also grew up on the other side of the Rhine – I still miss it for it’s lively atmosphere, it’s beautiful nature around and it’s attractions.

Sitting in a café somewhere close to the market place on Saturday, with bags full of wonderful and delicious fresh food from the market – ahh, this was one of my favourite things to do in the city.

Or getting home after a long working day (and a lobg drive…), hopping on the bike and bike along Rhine river, cross the river or bike along the Neckar, stop here and there for a beer, ice cream or Flammkuchen… this was always fun and always new things to discover.

Or going “culture” and see operas in Rosengarten, learn about the industrialization in the (State) Museum for Technics and Work (Landesmuseum für Technik und Arbeit), or see the stars and planets in the Planetarium – exciting at anytime.

In the beginning, I will write about two of my most preferred spots, Luisenpark, especially the Butterfly House and the Technics Museum, and more to follow, as I will visit Mannheim more frequently now.
Maybe I can convince you to just come and visit this lively town, and not just pass it on the Autobahn or in the train.


This page will remain an “eternal” construction site :-)

And in the meantime, if you think, I am too slow in adding but want to know more about Mannheim, please look at my favourites here on VT:

Teresa for so many information and very nice tips about Mannheim and Don for his opera visits and other tips on Mannheim.
Oh, and not to forget Christine's writings, ahh, among other important and lesser known things, she writes about one of my favourites, the wonderful market :-)

All pictures have been taken by myself, if not marked otherwise.
Please do not use any of them without my permission.
The same applies for my writings here.
Thanks.