Dortmund Local Customs

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The casual visitor to Dortmund will not perceive this city as a place of grinding poverty. Nonetheless, unemployment and poverty rates have been high ever since the decline of mining and heavy industry in this area in the second half of the twentieth century.

A recent study puts the poverty quota in Dortmund (those who are already living below the poverty line or are in acute danger of falling there) at 23.0 %, which is the second highest poverty quota in the country – higher even than in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, which is generally thought to be the poorhouse of Germany.

For comparison:
• The poverty quota in Frankfurt am Main is 13.8 %.
• The lowest in the country is in Munich with 10.7 %.
• The highest poverty quota is in the city of Leipzig with 26.4%.

While riding around Dortmund on my Metropolradruhr bicycle I unexpectedly came across one of the eight distribution points of the Dortmunder Tafel (Dortmund Table), a charitable organization that collects donations of usable food and other items that would otherwise be thrown away, and distributes them to the poor.

Second photo: A mural on the wall next to the distribution point of the Dortmunder Tafel. The text reads: “Alleviate poverty! Now. Not some other time.”

Next: French library bus

The unusual thing about this library bus is that all its books, CDs, CD-Roms and DVDs are in French, not German.

The bus belongs to the French cultural institute Institut Français in Düsseldorf, but it makes regular visits to eleven cities in Nordrhein-Westfalen, including Dortmund, so interested people can borrow and return books and other media in French.

I don’t know of any other region in Germany where the Institut Français provides this sort of service.

(I took this photo in Dortmund near the City and State Library and the RWE Tower.)

Next: Mine head tower

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I don't know if it is common elsewhere, but not in Portugal. Th local municipality owes some terrains outside town, that rents in very small fractions to agricultural... amusement. My sister-in-law had one, and her husband's pleasure showing each growing been or carrot was remarkable.

The small properties are prepared ( by the renters) for a day out, with a barbecue with friends or an afternoon laying in the lawn.

A clever way to fill the free time!

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Every year from the end of November until 23rd December you will find a popular Christmas market in the center of Dortmund. It features more than 300 stalls and of course there are Christmas lights everywhere.

One big attraction is the giant Christmas tree which is made of many normal sized trees. It's the biggest Christmas tree in Germany at least with 45 meters height.

Since smoking has been banned in restaurants in Germany it has become difficult for smokers. Being a non-smoker I don't actually care.

But the thing is that some small restaurants have declared themselves smoking clubs for members only. This one is located near the postoffice behind Dortmund railway station.

Borussia Dortmund is one of Germany's BIG football clubs and they have one of the best stadiums in Germany. I will try to get tickets for one of their matches next season and tell you more about it then...