NRW is definitely worth a visit, if you’re looking for amazing and instagrammable photo spots. We collected a few of them, that are offering more than just a nice view! Discover e.g. the Indemann, the Tetraeder in Bottrop, the Externsteine in Horn-Bad Meinberg or Schloss Türnich in Kerpen.
The Indemann is the symbol of the Indeland region. It is a 35-meter high tower in the form of a man. From the viewing platforms at different heights, visitors have all-round views over the region between Aachen and Cologne.
www.indeland.de
In the historical town centre of Freudenberg, black-and-white half-timbered houses are crammed tightly together, and are reminiscent of a small 17th century town. This popular photo motif in Siegen-Wittgenstein is known as the ‘Alter Flecken’, and offers great motifs from a hill on the edge of the town as well as from close up.
www.siegen-wittgenstein.info
The ‘Nase im Wind’ (‘nose in the wind’), a viewing platform on the Tiefenrother Höhe hill on the Rothaarsteig trail, offers photographers a view of the forests and meadows of the Rothaargebirge hills. The sunsets during the summer months are a popular photo subject.
www.rothaarsteig.de
The Sparrenburg in Bielefeld is itself particularly well-suited as a photo motif, while also offering a great view over the city and the Teutoburger Wald forest. The fortress complex, which is around 800 years old, is located on the ridge of the hills above the Bielefeld old city.
www.sparrenburg.info
The Baroque Schloss Türnich palace in Kerpen is a magical location that is already frequently used as a film set. The palace itself is currently being restored. From the outside, it already looks majestic and beautiful, and the palace grounds with its gardens and a grand, elegant avenue of trees, are also worth visiting. A café in the courtyard offers bread and organic cakes.
www.schloss-tuernich.de
Visitors travelling by bike can take a break along the panoramic cycle routes and discover great photo locations. On the 40-meter high Saubrücke bridge in Velbert, for example, it’s worth getting off your bike and digging out your camera. The Nordtal-Ruhrbrücke bridge and the Ruhrstrasse viaduct in Heiligenhaus are also particularly photogenic.
www.die-bergischen-drei.de
On the Weser Skywalk near Würgassen, which extends over four meters above the Hannoversche Klippen rocks, visitors can enjoy a breathtaking view out over the Teutoburger Wald forest and the Weser river. During the day, the red-brown rocks become very hot, which is why the rocks are home to many different types of butterfly.
www.kulturland.org
The Externsteine rocks have existed in the Teutoburger Wald forest since the Ice Age. The sandstone giants are imposing natural monuments and are excellently suited as photo motifs. They tower up into the sky like huge spikes, and are reflected in the surface of the water.
www.externsteine-info.de
The industrial culture in NRW offers particularly impressive photo locations. In the Duisburg-Nord landscape park, furnaces and metal pipes are lit up in red, blue and green when the sun begins to set. Here, spectacular photos can be taken at night using long-term exposure. For anyone without a fear of heights, there is a great view out over the Ruhr area from the furnace.
www.landschaftspark.de
The Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site in Essen also offers great motifs for any camera lens. Photographers will find tall chimneys, angled pipes and unusual architecture in what used to be the largest colliery in the world.
www.zollverein.de
Many rubble heaps in the Ruhr area are adorned with works of art, such as a tetrahedron on the Beckstrasse rubble heap in Bottrop. This landmark, which is impossible to miss, is a sculpture that not only offers great photo opportunities at ground level. The first platform can be reached via free-floating stairs, and a ladder takes visitors up to the second platform, which is 38 meters above ground. Both offer wonderful views onto the Ruhr area.
www.ruhr-tourismus.de
Two water towers in Mülheim an der Ruhr are photogenic relics of industrial history, and offer beautiful views onto the Ruhrtal valley. A highlight for photo fans: the cupola of the water tower in Broich contains the largest accessible camera obscura in the world, offering images from the city and surrounding area.
www.aquarius-wassermuseum.de | www.camera-obscura-muelheim.de
The walk-in roller coaster in Duisburg really is unique: the spiral routes and curves of this landmark, the ‘Tiger&Turtle’, offer a never-ending stream of new photographic details. At the top on the sculpture, an impressive view opens out over the Rhine, the furnaces of the Krupps Mannesmann smelting works and the port complex.
www.duisburg.de
The Biggeblick viewing platform lies above the Biggedamm dam in Attendorn and offers a view onto the dam, the Waldenburg castle ruins and the surrounding forests in the Sauerland region. At night, the platform is illuminated and attracts a particularly large number of photographers.
biggesee-listersee.com
Photographers travelling to the Eifel should pack their wide-angle lens to be able to capture the panoramic views. At 65 sites, or ‘Eifel-Blicke’ (Eifel viewpoints), panorama overviews and compass panels indicate which mountains, lakes and castles can be seen from afar.
www.rureifel-tourismus.de
A walk among the treetops in the Bergisches Land region offers entirely new perspectives for photographers. In the Panarbora nature experience park, visitors follow a treetop walkway up to a 34-meter high viewing tower that offers broad views over the region.
www.panarbora.de
The Urfttalsperre on the Urftsee lake in the Eifel region is a particularly popular photo motif. Anyone planning to take a trip here should also pay a visit to the former NS Ordensburg Vogelsang fortress, which is located above the reservoir.
www.schleiden.de
The Drachenfels in the Siebengebirge nature park near Königswinter is a legendary place. The Drachenfels plateau offers a view onto the Rhineland region. Visitors who don’t wish to climb up to the plateau can take the Drachenfelsbahn railway.
www.der-drachenfels.de
