Von Emma Gaier, Klasse 8b (Produkt aus dem Englisch-Unterricht bei Frau Winter)
My hometown Radevormwald is a small town in the west of Germany. It’s located in the Bergisch Land, a region named after “Graf von Berg“, a count who founded this region. But what makes this town so special? Let me tell you some things I like about my city.
Firstly, I like the fact that our city has originally been a forest. Therefore, Rade (that´s the most common nickname for Radevormwald) is surrounded by trees. Basically everywhere you go, you‘ll encounter a forest. It’s great to have so much nature in front of your doorstep. People use that privilege to take walks or walk their dogs. Speaking of nature, you can visit many dams (Ger. Talsperre). These impressive water barriers are a common landmark in this region. The water, which flows from one of the many rivers like the ”Wupper“, is sometimes used for drinking water. In others, like the ”Bevertalsperre“, you can go swimming. It’s the best alternative for pools in summertime. The reason these dams were built to create more building areas in the valleys.
Another thing I like about Rade, is the marketplace. There is a weekly market every Wednesday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. You can buy fresh fruits and vegetables, but also flowers and decorations which are often self-made. If you visit the marketplace at any other time, it won’t be crowded. It is never loud but rather pretty calm there. It’s the perfect place to meet up with friends.
Let’s talk about “sights“. As I mentioned, Rade is a small town, not a metropolis with countless impressive and tall buildings. But there are a few buildings worth seeing, for example our four churches. They are clearly visible in Radevormwald’s skyline. They were all built ages ago, which makes them even more special. As I already mentioned, Rade is quite an old town, which makes most of the buildings old, too. In fact, it’s one of the oldest cities in Bergisch Land. In the city center, you can see that almost every house is built out of slate. This was the most common building style in the 19th century which is called “half-timbered house “.
Next are the activities here. For teenagers, there isn’t much to do here. We used to have a bowling alley, but it’s closed now. We do have a swimming pool, but it is more a sports swimming pool. We also have a local cinema, but as you can probably tell, all movies are synchronized in German. If you want to go to a cafe, the bakery is your best option. Usually teenagers in Rade don’t go there, because there are always old people wondering why teenagers visit their bakery. Luckily, in other cities nearby, there are fun activities like laser tag or zoos worth a visit. An alternative for the activities I just mentioned, is a walk or a bike tour over the Bahntrasse. If the German weather allows it, of course ;). The Bahntrasse used to be a railroad which looks like a regular road now. But cars aren’t allowed there. It’s only for walking and cycling. Of course, you can go inline skating there, too. It’s about 4 kilometers long and surrounded by trees. If you make it all the way from the city to a dam called ”Krähwinkel“ you can go swimming there in the summer months.
Even though Radevormwald is a small town it’s worth a visit. Of course, you will learn much about German culture in general. For any exchange student reading this: Willkommen in Radevormwald 🙂
