Discovering Mannheim and the Region

The numerous wine festivals and fairs in Germany are a big part of German culture and present a great opportunity to enjoy a variety of local gastronomic specialties, experience German traditions and get to know people from all over the world. A visit is definitely a lot of fun. In and around Mannheim, there are a number of festivals which you can easily reach with your semester ticket.
Below we have complied some information and dates about the nicest events in Mannheim and the surrounding area:

• Maimarkt Mannheim
  When? End of April to beginning of May
  The Maimarkt is one of the oldest institutions in Mannheim and already exists since 1613. Currently it is the largest regional trade fair in Germany with more than 350,000 visitors and about 1,400 exhibitors on more than 75,000 m².
• Mannheimer Stadtfest
  When? Last weekend in May
  The Mannheimer Stadtfest is the largest open air event with free admission in the region. There are several stages with live music by regional bands and DJs. Moreover, there is an artisans market and numerous stalls where you can try local specialties.
• Canstatter Wasen, Stuttgart
  When? End of September to beginning of October
  Every fall one of the biggest funfairs in the world, the Cannstatter Wasen, takes place in Bad Cannstatt, Stuttgart, for two weeks. There are many stalls with food and drinks and a number of rides on the fairground. You can either take the long-distance bus to Stuttgart or you can use your semester ticket to take the train for free to the station “Bad Schönborn-Kronau”. From there, you have to pay for your ticket to Stuttgart.
• Oktoberfest Mannheim
  When? Mid-October to early November (at the weekends)
  The big tent at the Oktoberfest in Mannheim opens at 5 pm and there is music from 6–11 pm. Apart from music, there is also a variety of German beers as well as traditional German food. You can reserve your seats in the tent online and also have a look at the menu.

There is a great tradition of Christmas markets in Germany and a visit to the Christmas market is an important part of Christmas time in Germany. The largest and most famous markets can be found for example in Munich, Nuremberg, Cologne and Dresden, but almost every town has its own Christmas market.

Most markets start at the end of November and are open every day until Christmas Eve (24 December). Numerous little stalls offer traditional food and drinks as well as Christmas decorations and gifts.

Some beautiful Christmas markets in Mannheim and the surrounding area are e.g. Mannheim Christmas Market at the Kapuzinerplanken as well as Mannheim Christmas Market at the Wasserturm.

But of course, other cities in the area of Mannheim offer beautiful Christmast Markets such as Heidelberg, Schwetzingen, Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Mainz but also Nurember, where you can find Germany's best known and biggest Christmas Market:

Christmas Market in Heidelberg | Royal Christmas Market in Schwetzingen | Christmas Market in Karlsruhe | Christmas Market in Stuttgart | Nuremberger Christkindlesmarkt | Christmas Market in Mainz

Don’t be surprised when you suddenly meet people in fancy dress costumes with masks on the street shouting “Helau”! If so, then it is without a doubt the “Karneval” season in Germany!

This custom originates from Christian traditions of exuberant partying one last time before the start of Lent, during which neither meat nor alcohol was allowed to be consumed. Lent begins on “Aschermittwoch” (Ash Wednesday) and serves as preparation for the Easter celebrations.

The Rhineland counts as one of the strongholds of the “Karneval” season in Germany, and Mannheim as well as Ludwigshafen offer very colorful festivities. The most updated program can be found before the “Karneval” season on the city of Mannheim’s webpage. Most activities take place on “Rosenmontag” (Shrove Monday) and “Faschingsdienstag” (Fat Tuesday) , the Monday and Tuesday before “Aschermittwoch” (Ash Wednesday). Hundreds of people take part in the huge parades which take place during these days. The so-called ‘Narrenruf’ varies from city to city and from region to region. The most well-known ‘Narrenrufe’ are ‘Helau’ and ‘Alaaf’. People can become a bit strange during the “Karneval” season, so don’t be alarmed when you suddenly meet boisterous people dressed in fancy costumes on the street. A visit to Cologne or Mainz, the bastions of the “Karneval” celebrations, is definitely worth your time and will leave you with fond memories.

This International Filmfestival Mannheim – Heidelberg takes place every year in mid-November. For 65 years, the festival has been providing the opportunity for young directors from all over the world to become internationally recognized. The films are presented in the original language with German or English subtitles at various locations in Mannheim and Heidelberg. Most of the films are premieres and the director is usually available for questions after the showing – an interesting opportunity for everyone!

Baden Württemberg is the third biggest of the German States. An area of 35,751 square kilometres supports a population of around 10.8 million people. Located in Germany’s Southwest corner and neighbour to three other German States, Baden-Württemberg lies at the very heart of Europe and shares borders with three European countries. Stuttgart is the State Capital and is home to a population of around 613,000 making it also the biggest city in the State. The next in size are Mannheim, Karlsruhe and Freiburg. Alongside its urban conurbations, Baden-Württemberg is a predominantly rural state. This rural landscape, with its agricultural and forestry industry and the tourism it attracts, is an equally vital facet of Baden-Württemberg’s unique character.

Furthermore, Baden-Württemberg has a lot of student cities. Besides Heidelberg, which has the oldest University in Germany, Freiburg and Tübingen are considered to be classic student cities because of their old Universities. The University of Hohenheim as well as the Universities Konstanz, Mannheim, Stuttgart, and Ulm are the modern Universities of the state.

With regards to nature, Baden-Württemberg is characterized by the diversity of its landscapes. In the West, the scenery is characterized by the Black Forest and the Rhine Plain, in the South by Lake Constance and the ridge of the Alps, in the East by the Swabian Alb hills, and in the North by the Hohenloh plain and the uplands of the Kraichgau region. Forest makes up around 40 per cent of Baden-Württemberg’s total area. The highest mountain is the Feldberg in the Southern Black Forest at 1,493 metres. If you are interested in discovering more about Baden-Württembergs nature, tourism-bw, provides you with a lot of inspirational videos and virtual tours which might help you to chose your weekend trips.

Baden-Württemberg is also rich in waterways. Water has a key role to play in this state: As drinking water, service water, as mineral and healing water, and importantly also in providing leisure and recreation. The biggest rivers flowing through the State are the Rhine, the Neckar, and the Danube. Also, vital to the regional economy is Lake Constance, also known as the “Swabian Sea”. With an area of 572 square kilometres, this is one of the world’s biggest freshwater lakes.

If you want to learn more about Baden-Württemberg, we recommend you to visit its official website which contains, among other things, interesting information about its political system, its traditions, and its history.

The Palatinate region is also called “German Tuscany” by its inhabitants. This region stands out because of its weather, landscape, food, drinks, and its hospitality. It is not only a popular destination for hikers, cyclists, and horse fans but also for history enthusiasts and gourmets.

The Pfälzer Bergland, which has the highest mountain of the Palatinate called Donnersberg, invites the visitor to long hiking tours. You can also follow the track of the Celts who lived on the high plateau of the Donnersberg.

With its 180,000 hectare forest, the Naturpark Pfälzer Wald is the largest coherent forest in Germany. Naturally, such an area is the perfect setting for hiking, rock climbing, and cycling. Those who want to experience the Middle Ages will find a lot of castles and castle ruins here. In the summertime, medieval festivals take place at these authentic locations.

The Deutsche Weinstraße has a Mediterranean flair. Especially the Hambacher Schloss is a popular destination. The scenery is characterized by picturesque wine villages and vineyards. Wine connoisseurs can go to a wine tasting in the numerous wine-growing estates, and during the grape harvest over 200 wine festivals take place in the area. Here you can taste the traditional new wine (“Federweißer”) with onion quiche (“Zwiebelkuchen”).

Among cycling enthusiast, the Pfälzer Rheinebene is well-known for its great cycle paths. Tours along the old parts of the Rhine are highly recommended and a visit to the city of Speyer is also worthwhile. This city is over 2000 years old and is a UNESCO world heritage site. Especially the cathedral from the 11^th century is very beautiful.

• General information: http://www.pfalz.de/en 
• Dates of the wine festivals: http://www.pfalz-weinfeste.de/ewiger-weinfestkalender-pfalz.html 
• Hiking routes: http://www.wanderportal-pfalz.de/Start-Wandern.html

The Black Forest is one of Germany’s highest and biggest low mountain ranges located in the Southwest of Baden-Wuerttemberg. With an incredible size of 7860 square kilometers, it reaches from the High Rhine in the South to the Kraichgau in the North. Thanks to its winding routes, it is a very popular region for motorcyclists.

The Black Forest is divided into three areas: the southern part (“Südschwarzwald”), which is the warmest region between the North Sea and the Alps, the middle part and the northern part. Besides various peaks like the “Herzogenhorn” (1415m) and the “Belchen” (1414m), the “Feldberg” is the highest peak of the Black Forest with 1493 m and therefore it is a popular destination for skiers. The “Titisee” or the “Schluchsee” offer perfect conditions to do windsurfing or diving.

The number of free time activities varies depending on the season: during the summer months, there is a high interest in swimming, motorcycling, diving, paragliding, water skiing, Nordic walking, mountain biking, playing golf or going on a trip with the Schwarzwald train (“Schwarzwaldbahn”) from Offenburg to Villingen. In the winter, it is very popular to go skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, ice skating or cross-country skiing. Everything is possible in the Black Forest!

Furthermore, the various nature parks offer astonishing insights in the beautiful landscape. If you wish to escape from the everyday stress, you can relax in one of the numerous thermal bathes and afterwards go on a little shopping trip in Gengenbach, Wolfach, Schilttach, Baden-Baden or Freudenstadt.

Here we have prepared a little list of further highlights and useful information about the Black Forest:

http://www.vogtsbauernhof.de/

http://www.schluchtensteig.de/

http://www.dasferienland.de/