Hotel Haus Friedrichsbad

A friendly driver

by sabsi

I couldn't believe my eyes. We were standing outside a station taking pictures when a train up there leaving the station suddenly stopped. We thought something was wrong with the train or the track but after a short while we realised that the driver stopped so that we could take a better picture. Seems like Wuppertal is a very tourist-friendly place. Thank you Mr. Suspension Train Driver :-)

Wuppertal - Ugly lovely town

by brummielaura

"Wuppertal"

Wuppertal is one of those 'ugly, lovely towns' (that's what Dylan Thomas said of Swansea, of course). Or, as Nobel prize winner Heinrich Boell put it, 'Wuppertal doesn't put make-up on' (Wuppertal schminkt sich nicht).

It's a very industrial place, but you can find a lot of hidden pretty corners, if only you take your time to look!

"Some Facts"

Wuppertal has some 360,000 inhabitants.

The area has been populated since the Middle Ages, but the town of Wuppertal was only created in 1929, when the previously independent towns of Barmen, Elberfeld, Cronenberg, Ronsdorf, Vohwinkel and Beyenburg were joined together to make up the new town. Some cynics talk about a 'forced marriage', and even today a little bit of friction is left, especially between Barmen and Elberfeld.

Life is centered around the river Wupper (Wuppertal literally means 'valley of the Wupper).

The list of famous 'Wuppertaler' includes: Johann Carl Fuhlrott (discovered the Neanderthaler), Friedrich Engels (chum of Karl Marx), Else Lasker-Schueler (expressionist poet), Johannes Rau (8th president of the Federal Republic of Germany), Tom Tykwer (film director, eg. 'Run, Lola, Run' and 'Perfume').

"Elephants and Flying Trains"

Wuppertal is most famous for the Schwebebahn, which is a suspension railway that is over 100 years old. The route stretches over 13 km along (or rather, above) the river Wupper.

In 1950, a circus decided to take one of their baby elephants for a ride on the Schwebebahn - for publicity! However, Tuffi the elephant panicked and jumped out of the carriage into the river Wupper. Luckily, she survived!

Yes, this really is a true story!