NORTH RHINE - WESTPHALIA
- Alex P
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
North Rhine-Westphalia: Gothic Cologne, stylish Düsseldorf, mysterious Aachen and industrial Essen, Dortmund – history and modernity intertwine.
NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA: ICONIC LANDMARKS
North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen), or NRW as it's known locally, is Germany's most populous state, located in the western part. About 30% of the country's population lives here.
Best known for its industry and large cities, Bonn, Beethoven's birthplace, harks back to its time as the capital of West Germany. Düsseldorf, a city of art, fashion, and exhibitions, gleams along the Rhine embankment. Cologne is renowned as the birthplace of cologne and Kölsch beer.
Even if you're not a big football fan, you'll be impressed by a Borussia Dortmund match at the local stadium – the fans' support and show are considered the coolest in Europe.
For industrial enthusiasts, there's the "world's largest mine," Zollverein in Essen, now a gigantic museum chronicling the region's coal industry. For the soul, there's the grandiose Cologne Cathedral, a Gothic wonder towering over the Rhine, built over 600 years, and Aachen Cathedral, a medieval gem with the tomb of Charlemagne.
NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA: COAT OF ARMS' HISTORY
Today's state of North Rhine-Westphalia was created in 1946 from the former Prussian provinces of Westphalia and the northern part of the Rhineland. After World War II, this territory was in the British occupation zone. Its enormous economic potential lay in the numerous industrial sectors and mineral extraction of the Ruhr Basin. Other victorious powers also hinted at their share of this "lucrative pie", but were met with cold incomprehension from the British: "The new administrative unit is indivisible."
The coat of arms of North Rhine-Westphalia was approved in 1953 and contains three constituent parts.
The wavy white stripe symbolizes the Rhine River, flowing through fertile lands. It was adopted for the Prussian Rhine Province in 1817. It's simple and visual, but there are nuances.
On the historical coat of arms, the Rhine's course almost exactly matches its mapped course, but the "upper left to lower right" direction subconsciously creates a negative perception. That is, apathy, disbelief in the future, and an unwillingness to pay taxes.
It's likely that when creating the new coat of arms for the federal state, this was taken into account and the river was oriented in a positive direction, "bottom-up," although the designers cited aesthetic considerations only.
Westphalia in the Middle Ages was a duchy under the Archbishop of Cologne. The Saxon or Westphalian horse with its tail raised on the coat of arms represents the region of Westphalia. In legends and folk art, it commemorates Widukind, the ancestor of Saxony and the leader of the Saxon people who inhabited Westphalia from the 4th century.
Since then, the white stallion has remained an element of the Westphalian coat of arms. However, malicious tongues claim that the Saxon stallion reared at the border, steadfastly refusing to gallop further west, into the "foggy lowlands and marshes of the Netherlands."
The lower silver field depicts the "Lippe Rose", the dynastic symbol of the House of Lippe . This wealthy and famous family has been known since ancient times. The rose was first documented on the seal of Hermann II of Lippe in 1218 and has symbolized the von Lippe family's holdings in Germany ever since.
And here the creative designers managed to introduce a mysterious change. Note that the five golden sepals on the von Lippe coat of arms are positioned with the star facing down, while on the federal coat of arms they are turned with the star facing up. Heraldists are puzzled, suspecting a possible mystical origin.
In the 1980s, the NRW government grew tired of answering requests to "can we use the coat of arms?" and decided to accommodate the people. Thus, a special emblem was created that anyone could use. The only problem was that, from a heraldic perspective, it violated almost every possible rule, prompting experts to quickly dub it a "false coat of arms".
In 2009, the authorities decided to stop pretending and introduced a new design — a square emblem that resembled more an advertising logo than a coat of arms. Anyone was allowed to use it, but with an important caveat: use it without undermining democracy, without damaging the reputation of the state, and under no circumstances should it appear as if the state itself were an official institution.
NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA: FUN FACTS
Of a prince who didn't become a king, but became James Bond.
One of the most prominent representatives of the von Lippe family was Bernhard von Lippe-Biesterfeld , who lived from 1911 to 2004. Bernhard was married to Princess Juliana, and when she became Queen of the Netherlands in 1948, he received the title Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. Not a king.
This is likely not least due to the prince's controversial past. Bernhard was born in Germany and, like many of his peers, was a member of various Nazi organizations.
Despite this, after Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands in 1940, the prince personally fired machine guns at German landing planes from the roof of his palace. Later, while in London, he offered his services to British intelligence, and his handler was a certain Ian Fleming, who later imbued his character James Bond with many of the prince's traits.
Bernhard was also a passionate horseman, aviator, race car driver, and the first president of the World Wildlife Fund. A brilliant personality in every respect.
NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA: ALPINE SKIING
Winterberg might be a bit of a surprise, but it bills itself as "The Kingdom of Snow / The Kingdom of Adventures / The Kingdom of All Things." Comfortable, well-groomed slopes on seven mountains offer snow fun and sports on a grand scale.
Toboggan runs aren't the only things that offer great entertainment for little snow bunnies. Colorful figures, gates, and "magic carpets" are featured in the children's areas, where little ones can learn their first turns in a playful way.
The Bottrop Alpine Center is a rare case where the skiing dream doesn't wait for snow and a vacation. 640 meters of piste on a former waste heap transforms the industrial landscape of the Ruhr into a year-round Alpine compromise.
They don't promise mountains here, but they do offer speed, training, and a fair slope — just enough to remember your stance, perfect your turns, and make you yearn for the real Alps again. And an all-inclusive ticket lets you enjoy a full day of skiing, including equipment rental and unlimited food and beverages. It's the perfect place to get going — both mentally and physically.
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