A PRESENTATION OF OUR CITY - A PLACE WORTH LIVING IN

We would like to give our partners an idea of what it means for us to live in Duisburg.

Don´t be worried - we´re not going to bore you with a half-official Duisburg guide.

Quite on the contrary what you will find on the following pages is a collection of very

personal views of Duisburg, intoducing you to places we like, where we spend our free time

or where we hang out with our friends.                   As usual: comments are welcome !!

Here is no 1:

Forum

The Forum is a shopping mall which you can find in the city centre of Duisburg. It is opposite the City Palais ,another shopping centre which was opened recently. We are interested in this place because in the Forum you can buy all the things you need or want, from food to clothes. It´s simply a nice place and you can have fun there even if you do not go shopping.

General

In the Forum there are 64 different shops, some of them are selling clothes (New Yorker)-, sports articles (Karstadt)-, food (Chinese food)- and shoes (Deichmann). A special highlight is the 65 m high Goldene Leiter (golden ladder) made of steel and covered with fire-resistant gold foil which makes the Forum a special landmark in the city centre because you can see it from quite a distance..

Architecture

The Forum Duisburg consists of several buildings under a large glass roof. Each of these parts has its own architecture and facade design, both within the mall and outside. This new shopping centre gives the city centre new life and vitality. Even the basement and the underground parking area receive daylight. Additionally there will be two roof terraces. One of them will be used by Karstadt catering café and restaurant, the other one for the grounds of the child daily mechanism. The entire roof area is a garden with lots of flowers, bushes and trees. The total area of the Forum is 70.000 square meters.

‘’Goldene Leiter’’

The artists Brunner and Ritz created the ladder in Duisburg, which goes 65 meters up into the sky. The sculpture, which was designed by the Munich artist duo Johannes Brunner and Raimund Ritz, weighs 32 tons. It was manufactured from steel and covered by hand with gold foil.

For over 16 years Johannes Brunner and Raimund Ritz have been working together. They are well-known for their work which includes screen end art, music, film and theatre, as well as sculptures for public areas.

(By Franzi and Didem )

The Duisburg Forum is a new landmark in the city of Duisburg. As a shopping paradise it attracts a lot of young people. This is why we add two more photos, contributed by Nihal and Vivian.

2.) This is where you can have a really exciting time (if you´re old enough)

Delta is a music park, which is for kids and for adults. Two times a year 12 to 16-year old kids are allowed to have some fun there. On these days there you don’t get any alcohol drinks. It’s open at weekends and on Wednesdays. If you go there during the week you must be 18 years old. You can lease the place for your birthday or something like that. People like us go there, because there is cool music, you can meet friends and you can dance. Sometimes there are some half-naked go-go-dancers. Delta is not just a large room, it consists of two big tents. In one of the tents there is Hip-Hop music and in the other there is slow music. In the Hip-Hop tent there are many bars. The music park is in Duisburg Hamborn. But there´s another club like that in Essen.

Here are some

pictures:

(Marina Mais + Sarah Kubica)

3.) This is about a place where you also go for dancing - not only at night!

Our view of Duisburg

Our favourite sight in Duisburg/ Germany is the ice rink. The ice rink is in Wedau in the South of Duisburg. It was built in 1971. The sheet of ice is 30x60 meters large. We love ice skating and so the ice rink is a good place for us. We always go there on Saturday evenings, because that´s the time for the “Ice disco”. It is a disco on ice. Many people go there, also our friends. There you have fun and you can buy drinks, chips or sweets. In the ice rink you can borrow ice skates if you haven´t got your own ones. The entrance fee for grown-up people is 4 €, for kids 3,50€ and for children under 6 years 1,50€. Sometimes there are motto parties like the Christmas party, the braces party or the 1€ party. They play music and beautiful songs there. In the summer the ice rink is closed, it´s open only from September to March. You can also go there in the morning with your family from 10-12 o´clock, but in the evening with your friends it is more fun. The ,,Duisburger Füchse” (Duisburg Foxes) ,our local ice hockey team also have their training there.

Photos of the ice rink:

IT´S DISCO TIME !!

(by Clara, Laura, Svea)

4.) You prefer a rather quiet place? Then what about this  one  here ..

Our favourite place in Duisburg is “Biegerpark“. It is a very big park, where you can play football with your friends. Sometimes we meet there after school and have some fun. For example we have a football match.

With our class we often go to Angerbach. It is a little brook with lots of plants in it.

We take samples of water in our biology lessons. So we can check it in our biology laboratory and see if it´s ok.

In our free time we make lots of experiments, for example: coke and mentos.

Spring and summer: In the spring and summer there are lots of festivals. Children can jump at a

Bouncing castle.

All people can eat and drink something at a little stall.

Autumn: In the autumn, Biegerpark looks wonderful, because the leaves are falling down and they

All have different colours.

You can also make little animals from leaves leaves and chestnuts.

Winter: Winter is the best time ever; because we can have a snowball fight, make snow angels and we can slide down little hills with our sledges.

(By: Tamara, Lydia, Bianca)

5.)  Or something quiet but full to the brim with life?  Then this is the place ....

Duisburg Zoo

Duisburg Zoo is one of the largest zoological gardens in Germany.
It was opened in May 1934. It's known for the great dolphin house where six wonderful dolphins show their tricks. Their names are Daisy, Donna, Ivo, Dolly, Pepina and Delphi. Since 1994 it has been known for its tradition of koala breeding. Duisburg Zoo is the only zoo in Germany which has koalas.

There are 280 species and all in all 2130 animals. The animals are very wonderful and some of them are amazing. Of course it has a very big aquarium where fascinating fish swim. The monkey-house is also very cool. There are a lot of different types of monkeys and some of them climb outside their cages, so you can touch them.

The zoo has a surface of approx. 15.5 hectares. There are many places where you can eat things that you bring from home or you can buy something to eat. For children there's a big playground with large slides, swings, a very big hamster-wheel and other great things. Admission for adults is11 € and for children 5.50 €, but if you want to see the dolphin-show too you must pay 14.50 € for adults and 7 € for children who are 3 - 13 years old.

So if you come to Duisburg, Germany, don´t forget to visit »Duisburg Zoo« ! It's a must ..

                                                          Betül & Tugce Alan

6.) Duisburg is a big city for sports - and these are the places where you can find quite a lot of us - if you like water (or athletics)

The Regattabahn-Our favourite place in Duisburg!

Our favourite place in Duisburg is the Regattabahn (boat racing course). It is 2180m long and about 120m wide. The new parallel-canal (built in 2007) of the Regattabahn was a prerequisite for Duisburg to be able to host national and international regattas. The canal is 1260m long and 30m wide. When there are international races the athletes can warm up there. At the Regattabahn you can go jogging, in the summer you can go swimming or rest in the area of the water-playground. You also can do canoeing or rowing if you are a member of a club.

The water-playground was built last year (2008). In the summer we often go there, because it's really fun to lie there in the grass or go swimming. Below you can see a picture of it. For the smaller children who cannot swim in the canal there are small pools and a climbing scaffold (Klettergerüst).

The canal and the lake directly behind it (Bertasee) are interesting for free time sportsmen and sports clubs. Introductory courses and a special training for beginners are offered for beginning canoeists and rowers. Owing to the activities of the “Union for the advancement of sports for handicapped persons” those persons and especially blind people have the opportunity to get familiarized with boats and water.

If you want to go jogging there, you can run along a path around the Regattabahn. If you haven’t got time during the day you can go there in the evening. When the sun goes down and it’s dark (especially in the winter) there are lamps all over this round. It’s over 5 km long, if it’s too short for you, you also can make a round with an extra loop.

(Rebecca & Katharina)

7.) If you are into water sports the boat racing course is the place to go..

The Wedau Boat Racing Course:

The Boat Racing Course Duisburg is used for canoeing and rowing regattas. It’s over 2300m long and over 150m wide. It’s located in Wedau sports park in the South of Duisburg. The Boat Racing Course was built in 1930 and was adapted in 1935. It’s a venue for national and international canoeing and rowing competitions. From August 8^th to 12^th 2008 the international championship was held there. At the Boat Racing Course are many clubs, for example ´Bertasee Duisburg´ or other water sports clubs.

(bird´s eye views of the boat race course and other facilities

within Duisburg sports park)

Canoeing (kayak):

A kayak is a small boat that originally comes from Greenland. It’s a boat which is moved by muscle power. The Inuit use it for hunting. In the 19^th century some persons from Greenland came to Germany and brought the canoe to us. The first canoe came in the form of a collapsible boat. This form quickly became popular in North and Central Europe.

Modern kayaks are mostly made of plastic or wood. There are kayaks for one to four persons. Today we know many different kinds of kayaks, for example the white-water kayak or the racing kayak, which are all used for different sports.

(By Valentin and Jonas )

8.)You prefer a dry place where you also can have something to eat and drink to add to the fun? Then what about ....

XXL Bowling Duisburg

XXL is a place where you can do almost every sport. It’s famous for bowling. You can eat and drink there, go in the fitness centre, play “Moonlight minigolf”, play tennis, go to the hairdresser, play squash, play ninepins or fight in a martial arts club. You can also play badminton or go to the bar, which is called “Angerstübchen”, where you can watch other people playing tennis. In the summer you can visit the beer garden which is in front of the main building. When you are there and don’t know what to do with your children you can leave them at Kidsworld, then you can relax in the sauna.

This is how to go there:

Just enjoy it on your own! Have a nice day there.

(Nils B. and Sam)

9.) Hockey s a big thing in Duisburg. You either play in a club ....

CR (Club Raffelberg)

First of all, CR is the short form for Club Raffelberg. This is the name for a sports club with its own stadium. You can play either field hockey or tennis. There are about 8 tennis courts outside and 4 inside. The hockey field is large, but we´ve got only one for the field-season. For the winter and autumn we also have got a hockey hall. These are the only two sports the programme has got for you. But the club can give you so much more than only sport. There is a clubhouse where you can eat or only drink something in the restaurant. There the programme is more comprehensive… But the kitchen is not only for the chef-cook. You can sign in there, for example for your birthday or something like that, and then you can cook there. But if cooking isn´t what you really want to do, you also can do something different. One other option would be the small bowling alley. You can sign in for it, too. So, this was a first short look at the club. But about 2 minutes from CR you can find the “Regattabahn”(boat racing course) and the smaller parallel-canal. Well, swimming is not such a good idea, but you can go rowing or canoeing. There is also a good jogging-route. A small forest is growing next to the water ways. Hidden in it there´s a long climbing-route through the tree tops.

Well, maybe this wasn´t something that makes you say: I must do it! And I understand it. It´s just my personal view because for me it´s one of my favourite places. I like to be there, but if it´s not your favourite thing, it won´t matter.

Have fun in Duisburg,

(Leonie Melters )

10.) ...or on your own with some of your buddies

Our Streethockey team

The main thing we like in Duisburg is our Streethockey-team, the “Duisburg Street Tigers”. The members of our team are: Dominik, Nils S., Maximilian, Nils B. and Jan. Five of us are in year 7 of Reinhard-and-Max-Mannesmann-Gymnasium. We play in the streets of our suburb in Duisburg-Buchholz, four of us live there, too. As you can see in the following pictures we have a goalie set, a goal and up to ten sticks. We nearly meet every Saturday and we are looking for other teams to play against. We are just thinking about buying T-shirts and printing our names and the name of the team on them. Sorry but we don’t have a picture of Jan and Nils S.

All in all we love our city for the sports you can do there and for the nature in some parts of Duisburg. Very close to the place where we play there is the “Sechs-Seen-Platte”(Six lakes that flow into each other with forest around it where you can play “boyscout games”).

(by Dominik, Jan, Maximilian, Nils S.)

11.) Last but not least here is an example of how you can have the best of two worlds - music and movement -  by combining sports and dynamic artistic expression as a dancer

Tanzakademie Duisburg

Tanzakademie Duisburg (Academy of Dancing) is a place where you can learn to dance. There are many courses. You can learn everything that has to do with dancing. For example Jazz-dance, ballet, yoga, modern-dance, hip-hop, street-dance and little children can have fun dancing with other kids.

You can have courses in one or more dancing styles. Whatever you want. The first lesson is from 10 to 11.15 a.m. The latest is from 21.15 to 21.45. But for teenies like me courses are in the afternoon or in the evening because during the morning we are at school.

Our trainer’s name is Steffi Clemens. She is very nice and she shows us how to dance. She is very good at dancing.

This is Steffi

It’s always a lot of fun to dance there because the other girls in my course are very nice. We are good friends. The dances we learned there were shown in the assembly hall of Mannesmann-Gymnasium at the end of the term.

(by Leonie B.)