Witten
Witten is in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Understand edit
Witten is a city of 96 000 situated between Dortmund and Hagen and part of Ruhr region, on whose namesake river it lies. It consists of the districts of Mitte, Düren, Stockum, Annen and Rüdinghausen, as well as Bommern, Heven and Herbede, which lie on the Ruhr, with Herbede being near the Kemnade Lake, an artificial reservoir. The city, like the rest of the region, has to deal with issues of deindustrialisation and population loss, instead trying to draw visitors with its cultural and industrial heritage.
Get in edit
By plane edit
The closest airport is Dortmund DTM IATA, about 21 km (13 mi) away. The more useful airport to get to Witten is Düsseldorf Airport DUS IATA in Düsseldorf, about 43 km (27 mi) away, and served by flights across the continent and overseas.
By train edit
Trains stop at 1 Witten Hauptbahnhof 
, the only long-distance service stopping here is the InterCity line IC34 Dortmund - Hagen - Siegen - Frankfurt.
Regional services are RE4 Dortmund - Hagen - Wuppertal - Düsseldorf - Cologne - Aachen, RE16 Essen - Bochum - Hagen - Iserlohn and RB40 Hagen - Bochum - Essen, in addition to local S-Bahn S5 Dortmund - Hagen.
Long-distance trains to domestic and international destinations stop in nearby Dortmund (including daily Eurostar service to Brussels and Paris), Bochum and Hagen.
By car edit
Witten lies within the rectangle formed by Autobahns A 1, A 43, A 45, A 448 (until 2021: A 44, still referred to as such by locals). Coming from Frankfurt take A 45. A 448 crosses Witten north of the city centre going east-west, and acts as connection between A43 and A45.
By bike edit
The Ruhrtalradweg, Ruhr Valley bike path, runs past Witten along the Ruhr River from its spring all the way to Duisburg, where it joins the Rhine.
Get around edit
By public transport edit
Public transport consists of two tram lines, 309 and 310, in addition to bus routes that cover most of the city. Services are operated by BOGESTRA or VER and run roughly 05:00-23:00, starting later on weekends, very limited nightbus service is provided on weekend nights. The 2 BOGESTRA information Office at Bahnhofstrasse 1, M-F 08:00-18:00 Sa 08:00-15:00, will help with fares and route information, or use the various apps like Muttis etarif, VRR or the DB Navigator.
- 3 Ruhr Valley Ferry (Ruhrtalfähre), ☏ +49 02302 395380. March, April and October daily 09:00-18:00 May, June, July, August, September daily 09:00-21:00. Small ferry for pedestrians and bikes. Free, but depending on small donations.
By car edit
Witten is not subject to one of the many environmental protection zones (DE: Umweltzone), meaning your car does not need any specific green, yellow or red pollution sticker. All modern cars of the last two decades will confirm, and old vintage vehicles are exempt so this would't be a concern most likely anyways.
The city centre is restricted to through-traffic and parts are entirely closed off for motor vehicles, including the main shopping high street, Bahnhofstrasse. Parking spots are available on lots, in garages or on the side of the road.
On many residential streets, only local residents with permits or guests of them are allowed to park, and in many cases even enter the road in the first place, see Driving in Germany.
By bike edit
Besides the afforementioned Ruhr Valley bike path, Bike path "Rheinischer Esel" runs on an old railway from Bochum to the south of Dortmund. Bike lanes are common but in bad quality or placed in the worst spots, so exercise caution.
By foot edit
The city centre is small enough to explore on foot.
See edit
- 1 Johannis Church (Johanniskirche) (near Rathausplatz). Oldest building in Witten.
- 2 Saint Mary's Church (St. Marienkirche) (next to Marienhospital). Church dating back to the 1840s.
- 3 Haus Witten, Ruhrstrasse 86. Old knight's mansion, today it houses art exhibitions and events.
- 4 Hardenstein Castle Ruins (Burgruine Hardenstein) (Museum train stop "Ruine Hardenstein", or use the small ferry nearby, limited parking along Herbeder Str.). Old ruins of a former manor house in the style of a small castle.
- 5 Berger Memorial (Bergerdenkmal) (access via Ruhrdeich and Hohenstein streets, low bridge 3.7 m (12 ft)). Build in 1904, this 20 m (66 ft) Memorial tower overlooks the Ruhr Valley below.
- 6 Nachtigall Mining Museum (Zeche Nachtigall), Nachtigallstr 35 (from bus stop Bommern Bf its a 2km walk, or use the footbridge at the west end of Ruhrdeich). T-Su 10:00-18:00. Museum showcasing the beginning of coal mining in the Ruhr area which started nearby, exhibitions of mining and early shipping on the Ruhr and guided tours. Adult €4.00 Child €2.00.
- 7 KZ-Aussenlager Annen Gußstahlwerk (Annen steelworks concentration camp) (from Witten-Annen Nord station, cross railway and turn left after the church). Memorial to the subcamp of the nearby cast steel works, a subcamp of Buchenwald. A section of fence and memorial plaques in a small green area commemorate the 750 forced labourers who were exploited here shortly before the end of the war. Most of the area was used as a rubbish dump and car park until the 1980s as part of the suppression of these crimes and was then built over.
Do edit
- 1 Lake Kemnade (Kemnader See) (from Witten take tram 309,310 to Heven Dorf, or take Bus 320 direction Ruhr-Universität or Niedersprockhövel to stop "Freizeitbad Heveney"). Artificial reservoir, boats to ride, paddle boats to rent, long bike, jogging and inline skate paths around the lake, lawns to relax on. Busy on nice days.
- 2 Freizeitbad Heveney (Heveney leisure pool), Querenburger Strasse 35 (Bus 320,374,375,SB67 Stop "Freizeitbad Heveney"), ☏ +49 02302 13471. M-Th 09:00-22:00 Sa 09:00-23:00 S 09:00-21:00. Public indoor and outdoor pool with wellness area. Adult €12.75 Child €6.75 Family €24.50 09:00-11:00 early bird special €7.75.
- Ruhr Valley Railway (Stops within Witten at Bommern, Nachtigall Museum, Hardenstein Ruins and Herbede stops), ☏ +49 (0)2324 492516, sonderfahrten@eisenbahnmuseum-bochum.de. The railway museum in Bochum-Dahlhausen offers regular trips with its historic trains from April to October, including a steam locomotive every first Sunday from 7 April. The journeys run from the museum in Bochum via Hattingen along the Ruhr to Wetter-Wengern Ost and back. One trip per direction takes around 1.5 hours. Adults €24.00 Cash only!.
Buy edit
The main shopping street is Bahnhofstrasse, stretching from the City Hall (Rathaus) to the Central train station.
1 StadtGalerie Witten (M-Sa 10:00-19:00, parking garage 10:00-20:00) is small modern shopping centre a short walk from the station, with the usual chains of clothing, electronics and the like. Here you'll find public toilets
Eat edit
- 1 Akropolis, Ruhrstraße 36, ☏ +49 0230223054. Tu-Sa 11:30-22:00 Sun- and Holidays 16:00-22:00. Long established Greek restaurant.
Drink edit
Sleep edit
- 1 Ardey Hotel, Ardeystraße 11 (Tram&Bus stop Marienhospital), ☏ +49 02302 984880, info@ardey-hotel.de. Modern hotel in a central location, 56 rooms of which 3 are disabled-designated. Certified by ADFC german bike assoc. as bike friendly. Run as non-profit organisation and employs people with disabilities.
- 2 Ringhotel Parkhotel Witten, Bergerstrasse 23 (from station walk right and straight past the roundabout), ☏ +49 02302 588-0. Slightly dated but clean hotel tower in walking distance to the train station,.
- 3 Hotel Haus Hohenstein, Hohenstein 32, ☏ +49 02302 580000. More upclass hotel in a park-like area to the south of the city centre,.
Connect edit
- 2 Public Library Witten (Stadtbibliothek Witten), Husemannstr. 12 (Bus stops "Saalbau" and "Husemannstr."), ☏ +49 (0)2302 5812543, bibliothek@stadt-witten.de. Tu-Sa 10:00-18:00 S 12:00-18:00. Public library, no library staff on Saturdays 13:00-18:00 and on sundays entirely.
Go next edit
- Dortmund, home of Borussia Dortmund football club, the german football museum and a busy city centre. 12 km (7.5 mi)
- Hattingen, medieval town centre and castle ruins. 11 km (6.8 mi)
- Bochum, large university and nightlife. 9 km (5.6 mi)
- Wuppertal, home of the famous Schwebebahn monorail. 24 km (15 mi)
- Düsseldorf, state capital on the mighty Rhine river, rich fashion capital and home of a large japanese community. 45 km (28 mi)
- Cologne, Germany's fourth largest city, cathedral, arts, music and media, huge LGBTQ community. 61 km (38 mi)