A day in Bielefeld!

Germany is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, blessed with so many cool cities. Some of them can be discovered in a week while others, such as Bielefeld, in a day! This cute city is located in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, which makes it close neighbor to the cities like Münster, Hamm, Dortmund and Paderborn. Bielefeld is famous for its many things, but most importantly it is famous for its "conspiracy"! The Bielefeld conspiracy is basically a satire of conspiracy theories that originated in 1993 in the German Usenet, which claim that the city of Bielefeld, Germany, does not exist, but is an illusion propagated by various forces. So if you want to find out if the city exists or not, here is your guide! 

The old city hall was built in 1904 and it is still in use today. If you want to visit the mayor of the city, that is where you should go. This gorgeous building is an excellent example of Gothic Revival and Neo-Renaissance style. When you look at the main gable, you can see the city’s clock. If you want to check out how Bielefeld looked like in the 1650s, you can go inside the lobby and observe the scale model of Bielefeld. Outside the building, you can also check out a sculpture by the Italian Transvanguardia artist, Sandro Chia. 

Right next to the Old City Hall, you will see an Art Nouveau opera house with solemn Baroque influences. This building is the Stadttheater, -aka city theatre-, which was built around the same time with the Old City Hall. In this gorgeous building, around 500 opera, theatre and ballet performances are held each year. It is also home to the 72-piece Bielefeld Philharmonic Orchestra! 

Get ready to take some pictures because next stop is the Alter Markt! This old market square is one of the most picturesque spots in Bielefeld, where the city’s market was held until 1903. In here, you will get to see the gorgeous Renaissance gabled houses and take photos of them. Most of the buildings are pretty exquisite in here, but the prettiest of them all is the Late Gothic Crüwell-Haus dating back to 1530! Inside this building, you can also take a look at the city's history through its staircase, which is made of 7,000 tiles from Delft, the Netherlands! 

And lastly, the Sparrenburg Castle! The landmark of the city, the Sparrenburg Castle, was built between 1240 and 1250 by Count Ludwig von Ravensberg. With its 37-meter-high tower and its catacombs, the castle attracts many tourists each year! The castle's name comes from its location, the Sparrenberg hill. Very close to the massive Tutoburg Forest, this castle has one of the most spectacular views of the city! If you want to take a look at Bielefeld from the top, just go to the top of the tower and enjoy the mesmerizing view!