Photo tips from Lucas

INTRODUCES LUCAS!

Hey! I'm Lucas, 32, a project engineer and a native of Dortmund. Interest in the city and its history developed early on, in elementary school. During my studies with stations in Düsseldorf and Berlin, I noticed relatively quickly how authentic and completely underestimated the Ruhr area and Dortmund are. Unfortunately, despite everything, the image of beer, bratwurst, football and a gray Ruhr area still often prevails. Here in Dortmund you will also find impressive architecture, beautiful streets and great districts with a lot of character, which do not have to hide from Berlin, Hamburg or Munich. In addition, the people in the Ruhr area are very open, helpful and wear their hearts on their sleeves. It doesn't matter whether it's a quick beer at the Bude or a walk through the allotment garden. When it comes to photography, I love that there are more great photo spots within a radius of a few kilometers than in any other city or region in Germany.

WHAT CAMERA DO YOU USE?

A lot of the pictures are actually relatively spontaneous and therefore taken with my iPhone, but for planned tours I like to use my Olympus camera with different lenses.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE 5 PHOTO SPOTS?

DORTMUNDER U

What a Berliner's gate is to Cologne's cathedral and a Dortmunder's U. It towers over the city like a crown and can be seen from every corner of the street in the evening hours thanks to its huge, luminous, golden U. The old "fermentation and storage building" of the Dortmunder Union brewery is now a center for art and creativity, which also has an impact on the surrounding Union district. There are now countless restaurants, bars and of course the typical stalls, which means that there is a super open and urban atmosphere in the nearby Westpark in the summer months.

BODELSCHWINGH CASTLE

Many cities in Germany are known for their castles, palaces and aristocratic residences, but there are also incredible gems in Dortmund. One of the largest and best-known is Bodelschwingh Castle in the district of the same name. The Renaissance-style moated castle with an English landscape park and extensive outer bailey is one of the last privately owned complexes in the Ruhr area. The castle has been used as a family residence since 1302.

DORTMUND PORT

When you hear the term harbour, warehouses or docks, you immediately think of the cities on the North and Baltic Seas and perhaps also the cities on the major rivers such as the Rhine, Weser and Ems. What many do not know, however, is that the largest canal port in Europe is in Dortmund and its history dates back to 1899. If you have the time and inclination, you can still get on your bike today and cycle from the north of Dortmund to Emden on the North Sea in a tour without any major climbs - provided you are in good physical condition. However, if you want to stay in the Ruhr area with your camera, you also have a lot to discover here. The Hafenviertel, like large parts of Dortmund's northern part, emerged around the turn of the century as a typical, densely built-up workers' residential area in perimeter block development with large, park-like open spaces. Despite large-scale destruction in the Second World War, many old buildings worth seeing have survived around the port. A huge promenade is currently being built here and the old warehouse buildings are being renovated. In the southern Speicherstrasse, however, some very cool locations for an after-work beer have already settled with the transshipment point, the party ship Herr Walther and the Bergmann brewery.

PHOENIX WEST

In the south of the city center is Hörde and the Phoenix project, another location that is easy to reach and incredibly exciting. Exciting places to take photos are, for example, the market square and the Slim Mathilde, the Luther Church and the streets around the Penningkamp and the Alfred-Trappen Straße with its many historic buildings and monuments. The Phoenixsee is just a stone's throw away from Hörder's old town. There are many exciting photo motifs around the lake, such as the Hörde Castle, the small marina with many modern office buildings or the Kaiserberg. The mountain on the edge of the lake provides a great overview point with a panorama of the Dortmund skyline (Westfalenstadion, Lutherkirche, blast furnace, Florianturm and high-rise buildings). The heart of the Phoenix-West site are the old industrial plants, which as witnesses to industrial history all enjoy monument protection . These include the Hoesch Gasometer, the blast furnace, the water tower, the Phoenixhallen, the 101 switchgear and the former cooling towers with their gas pipes. Anyone with a head for heights can book a guided tour on the old gas pipes as a skywalk.

SAARLANDSTRASSE QUARTER

The Saarlandstrasse district is probably one of the lesser-known districts in Dortmund and often takes a back seat to the Kreuzviertel and the Kaiserviertel. But that is unfounded. With the coffee roastery Neues Schwarz, the Café Lotte and the Bude116halb, the quarter doesn't have to hide. Especially with the great cherry blossoms, it also makes something for photos.