Solingen
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Solingen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Solingen is world famous for its century old tradition of making knives and swords and you can still get a high quality blade here, but expect to pay good money for good quality.
Understand
Sitting in the hills between Wuppertal and Düsseldorf at the edge of the Bergisches Land region, this city of 160,000 people (2022) is well known for its history of knife production. It's not quite the most exciting place but it can be a good place to stay if Düsseldorf is too expensive.
Get in
By train
- 1 Solingen Hauptbahnhof
sees regional and local train services to Wuppertal, Düsseldorf, Cologne and further, in addition to the occasional ICE stopping here. The station is at the edge of Ohligs district, about 5.00 km (3.11 mi) from the city centre, but well connected with Solingen trolleybuses and regular buses including to Düsseldorf. - 2 Solingen-Mitte is a small local stop near the city centre, placed on the winding railway to Remscheid and Wuppertal.
By plane
Düsseldorf, Cologne/Bonn, Dortmund, and Frankfurt are all within close proximity to Solingen.
Get around
By trolleybus
Solingen is one of only three remaining cities in Germany to still have buses driven by overhead wires. The other two German cities to retain such systems (as of 2020) are Eberswalde and Esslingen. The network consists of 8 lines, all within Solingen, except for line 683 which runs to Wuppertal-Vohwinkel station. All trolleybuses meet at 3 Graf-Wilhem-Platz stop and are run by the municipal transport bureau under VRR fares.
By bus
Besides the trolleybuses, a few regular buses cross the city on their way to the neighbouring cities. From Solingen Hauptbahnhof, buses run to Haan and Düsseldorf, from Grad-Wilhelm-Platz to Wuppertal, Leverkusen and even express services to Cologne.
By bike
The local geography is not exactly calling for dutch levels of bike traffic, but it's possible, and there are bike routes like the Korkenziehertrasse, an old rail alignment to Wuppertal.
See
- 1 Müngstener Brücke. With the adjacent Brückenpark: The Müngsten Viaduct between Solingen and Remscheid is the highest railway bridge in Germany, running at 107 metres above ground level. A park located below the bridge contains various playground items, a mini-golf course, a hand-operated overhead ferry and a bistro. Also, there are various hiking trails in the area.
- 2 Burg Castle (Schloss Burg), Schloßplatz 2 (Bus 683 to Stop "Burg Brücke" or change to 687, 689 to Stop "Burg Schloss" to skip the walk up. There's also a small gondola to take you up. Limited parking.). Tu-Fr 10:00-16:00 Sa Sa 10:00-18:00. This 12th century castle was once seat of the Duchy of Berg and was reconstructed starting in the late 19th century. Today it stands as the largest reconstructed castle in the state and hosts a museum, guided tours, gastronomy and large events like medieval games.
- 3 German Blade Museum (Deutsches Klingenmuseum), Klosterhof 4 (Trolleybus 695 Gerberstr. stop), ☏ +49 0212 258360. Tu-Su 10:00-17:00. Museum about blades and knives, for which Solingen is famous for.
Do
Buy
- Haribo Factory Outlet, Wuppertaler Str. 76. M-Sa 09:00-18:00. Factory outlet of the famous candy brand. Wide selection.
Eat
- 1 Fasil, Am Neumarkt 13, ☏ +49 212 2337907, info@fasil-solingen.de. Tu-F 12:00-15:00 and 17:30-00:00, Sa 12:00-15:00 and 17:30-05:00, Su 15:00-00:00. Turkish and mediterranean food.
- 2 Gaston - Fischerstube, Breidbacher Tor 5-7, ☏ +49 212 2245904. M-Sa 10:00-21:30, Su 11:00-15:00. Seafood
- 3 Bistro & Café Valentino, Küstergasse 1, ☏ +49 212 10220. M-F 09:00-19:00, Sa 09:00-16:00. Serves breakfast, lunch and cakes.
Drink
Sleep
Budget
- 1 Adler Apotheke, Stresemannstraße 8, ☏ +49 212 2237522. Bed and breakfast in the formerly "Adler Apotheke (pharmacy)" much used by craftsman. Shared bathroom and toilets. €25 per night in a single room.
- 2 Hotel Solinger Hof, Goerdelerstraße 9, ☏ +49 212 599030. Hotel with restaurant and three skittle lanes.
- 3 Zum Roten Ochsen, Konrad-Adenauer-Straße 20, info@zumrotenochsen.info. Small hotel with 18 rooms.
- Monteurzimmer Solingen, Kölner Straße, ☏ +49 2246 9111217, fax: +49 2246 9111211, info@mczimmervermietung.de. Bed and breakfast much used by craftsman. Shared bathroom and toilets. €360 per month and person.
Mid-range
- 4 H+ Hotel Solingen, Teschestraße 34, ☏ +49 212 22060, solingen@h-hotels.com. All rooms are equipped with TV, radio, fridge and a bathroom.