Colors of Bielefeld - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

The ancient city of Bielefeld was founded at the beginning of the 13th century, so there’s no wonder why it has a range of interesting peculiarities. For example, many current names of streets and landmarks are connected with events in the past. Local people often call Bielefeld “the Sunny City”. This nickname is not random. In the Middle Ages, Bielefeld was a famous center of sundial manufacturing. During archaeological excavations, scientists keep finding pocket sundials in enormous quantities as different parts of ancient mechanisms.

Quite an interesting fact – the ancient watches still work flawlessly as visitors can see in the local museum. In accordance with one theory, Bielefeld became a center of watchmaking because of unique climatic conditions. The weather in the city can be sunny and cloudless for weeks, and it is hard to think of better conditions for masters involved in making sundials. Despite the fact that there have been no watchmaking factories in Bielefeld for many years, the old nickname, which appeared centuries ago, is still alive.

Besides watches, the ancient city is famous for its quality linen fabric. In accordance with historical data, half of Bielefeld’s population was working in the linen fabric production in the 13th century. The city had ties with merchants from England, Scandinavia, and Baltic countries. Within several centuries, the industry has become very popular and widespread. Even nowadays items made of linen remain a popular souvenir among tourists. In the old part of the city, there are many workshops and shoe shops where visitors can order a pair of custom-made shoes and various accessories made of leather. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Lion figurines are one more popular souvenir that tourists like bringing from Bielefeld. One of the city’s museum exhibits an old coat of arms of Bielefeld that depicts two powerful lions in front of a castle. Despite the fact that now the city has a new symbol, the lion is still widely used in various souvenirs and crafts. Locals treat guests of the city with some caution but they instantly like people who can talk in their mother tongue. They are quite reserved but friendly and are always ready to help tourists or show them the right way to some landmark. During national holidays, tourists and locals have fun together – on such days all borders and national differences simply disappear.

Bielefeld has a rich cultural life that will certainly appeal to numerous tourists. The city regularly hosts different events and festivals that are very interesting to attend. For example, Bielefeld hosts FameLab in May. This is a popular international competition, the aim of which is to determine the best science communication talent. Each of the candidates has only three minutes to present their concept. There are professional judges who will choose the best candidate, but the audience also has the right to vote. Visitors select their winner on the basis of such qualities as entertaining and scientifically accurate at the same time.

Fans of shopping and everyone craving for something new will definitely like the following event that takes place in Bielefeld several times a year. The Midnight Shopping is a late night shopping spree in the area near Bahnhofstraße. During two evenings, retailers don’t close their shops and offer special discounts and promotions for visitors who come to shop at night. There are also smaller special shopping events called Sunday Shopping. On these special days three times a year, the majority of local retailers have their shops open from 1 pm to 6 pm. As a rule, various entertaining activities and performances take place on these days, so there’s no wonder why numerous people from adjacent towns and tourists come to enjoy the event.