Welcome to Karlsruhe!

“Feel free to step on the grass." - "Touching the exhibits is welcome.”…
Things in Karlsruhe are a little different. In the castle park people hang out on the lawn and pass their time with cheese, baguettes, and red wine. No signs that prohibit stepping on the grass. A few young guys are playing petanque, France is close by.

When the windows were opened to let in fresh air in Karlsruhe 15 or 20 years ago – nobody remembers exactly when – the era of dusty concepts in museums, exhibition halls, and event locations was over. The town’s atmosphere is surprisingly youthful, summed up by a 2003 slogan: “Karlsruhe – viel vor und viel dahinter“ (“Karlsruhe – long past, great future”).

In the “Fan City", architecture, culture, universities, future technologies, music, dining, and a healthy love of life are melted into an impressive overall image.

Business travellers, single tourists, or families will discover many charming surprises.

Karlsruhe has been blessed by the sun, enjoy it in the castle park, various beer gardens, sidewalk cafes, or neighbouring lakes.

Festivals

Händel Festival – around the anniversary of G.F. Händels birthday (23.2.1685), the state theatre of Baden dedicates around ten days to the work of this great composer.

European Culture Days – a festival that takes place every two years. In 2010, Karlsruhe again attracted many fans of theatre, literature, music, visual arts, and architecture.

Schlossfestspiele Ettlingen – a regional festival with a long tradition. Four weeks in June with many exquisite plays and concerts.

Das Fest – southern Germany’s largest free open-air festival at Günther-Klotz-Anlage. Performers include Joan Armatrading, Neneh Cherry, Marla Glen, or the Simple Minds.

Kamuna – the Karlsruhe night of museums takes place every first Saturday in August. The town’s museums and exhibits are open from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. The ticket includes free public transport.

Baden Marathon – a speedy walking event that attracts more than 7,000 people each year.

Christkindlesmarkt – Christmas market from late November to December 23. More than one-hundred stands are put up around the pyramid. The market is one of the region’s most beautiful ones. In 2003, the world’s largest gingerbread house was presented here. The entire downtown district will eradiate a brilliant Christmas glow.

Operas & Concerts

The Baden State Theater – best place for operas and classical music in Karlsruhe. Baden-Württemberg’s second largest stage organises the yearly Händel Festival.

Konzerthaus Karlsruhe – another venue for large performances.

The Festspielhaus – in Baden-Baden, an international stage for operas and concerts. It is only 30 minutes from Karlsruhe.

Attractions in Karlsruhe

ZKM and Städtische Galerie: Arts and technology as the city’s main features.

Bundesgerichtshof – Karlsruhe is the seat of Germany’s two highest courts. The federal court of justice is located in the former ducal palace, which was constructed in the late 19th century by Josef Durm. The court is the highest instance for civil and criminal cases.

Ludwigsplatz – the liveliest square in Karlsruhe, especially between May and October, when bars and cafes open their terraces. The square was constructed around 1820, by overbuilding the Landgraben. The Landgraben is still one of the town’s most interesting buildings.

Majolika-Manufaktur – the beautifully located Majolika factory was built in 1901 as a grand-ducal enterprise thanks to the incentive of painter Hans Thoma. It has a moved past and has seen many different owners. It has been a limited company owned by the federal state since 1990. Renowned artists like Colani and Lüpertz could be convinced to participate in the renovation. The garden pottery is finally past any kind of lawn gnome flair behind and has been adapted to modern tastes.

Marktplatz – the most important square in Karlsruhe: the market place is the historic centre, a place for public receptions and city festivals, as well as the downtown centre. The marketplace is generally seen as one of the most beautiful classicistic squares in Germany.
Friedrich Weinbrenner developed a little church square into the central counterpart of the castle square around 1800, demonstrating the change from a ducal seat to a citizens’ town. Weinbrenner replaced the discontinued Konkordienkirche, which had been the mausoleum of the town’s founder Margrave Karl Wilhelm, with a pyramid. It is now one of Karlsruhe’s main attractions.

Schloss and Schlossplatz – the castle, the large castle park, and the large front square are quite possibly Karlsruhe’s most beautiful attractions. Climbing the stairs of the castle tower will put you right in the centre of town, giving you a perfect view of the famous Fan District. The laying of the cornerstone on June 17, 1715 signified the foundation of the town of Karlsruhe, and a large anniversary festival is celebrated every year. After the grand duke resigned in
1919, the castle became the home of the Baden state museum. Although it was completely destroyed by bombs in 1944, the castle is now more impressive than ever.
culture.

Badisches Landesmuseum – the state museum of Baden goes back to the art collections of the two margravian dynasties of Baden-Durlach and Baden-Baden in the 16th century. Nowadays, it features collections reaching from the stone-age to our times, comprising 250,000 objects. This universal museum combines arts and crafts, regional history, ethnology, and everyday.

Staatliche Kunsthalle – the collection includes the art of seven centuries, mostly works by German, French, and Dutch masters. Around 800 paintings can be seen permanently at the orangery. The copper etching cabinet includes 80,000 pages and is one of Europe’s oldest print collections.
Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde – the natural history museum of Karlsruhe has seen more than 200 years. The collection includes a vivarium, rock and mineral halls, as well as African, dinosaur, and insect collections (more than 2 million butterflies!).

Städtische Galerie – well endowed at the end of the 19th century and during the following years by taking over private art collections, the town’s art collections had no own exhibition rooms until 1981. The Städtische Galerie (Public Gallery) at Prinz-Max-Palais is now firmly established in the town's art scene. The main focus is on German art after 1945/1960, with a special eye on the German southwest.

Zentrum für Kunst- und Medientechnologie – the “Center for Art and Media Techology“ is an impressive place. The large, landmarked halls of a former ammunition factory were transformed into an arts island of international renown. Since 1997, the ZKM has been attracting many visitors with different museums and collections focussing on arts, media, and technology.

Botanischer Garten – the botanical garden, which stems from the late romantic period, is known across Europe. The trees, bushes, fountains, sculptures, and exotic greenhouses are surrounded by lovely brick houses. Highlight: a cup of coffee on the terrace under elaborate iron corpus of a former margravian winter garden.

Stadtgarten and Zoologischer Garten – the combined city park and zoo was influenced by the German garden fair of 1967. It includes a rose garden with more than 300 species of roses, and one of Europe's oldest Japanese gardens. The park lake adds to its recreational value with its gondoletta boats, a water stage, and a restaurant. 

Sports in Karlsruhe

Biking – as the birthplace of one of the first bicycles and home of the official bike courier world champion, it is just natural that the town's bike path network is excellent. The extensive forests surrounding the city offer many exciting tours close to the town, and also suitable for children. If you want to know more about bike tours around Karlsruhe, visit www.rad-karlsruhe.de.

Climbing – at the climbing hall “The Rock”, you can climb up to 18 metres high on an area of 1180 sqm. The local alpine society’s hall is a worthy alternative.