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DüsseldorfNational Incoming's Care and Excursion Project

Phone number: 110

Phone number: 112

Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf

Moorenstr. 5

40225 Düsseldorf

Referat Austausch, Fachschaft Medizin

Gebäude 16.61.01.07

Universitätsstraße 1

40225 Düsseldorf

austausch_duesseldorf@bvmd.de

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Content

Düsseldorf A­Z

About Düsseldorf and the Heinrich­HeineUniversity

How to pass a typical day in the hospital

German Skills

The places to be and to see:

Nice places

Restuarants & Bars

Things to do after work:

Culture

Sports

Tours, trips & travelling

Public transport in Düsseldorf

Day trips

Trips ­ a short overview

Shopping

FAQ

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4 | niceAltbier best beer in the worldBenrath castle the pinkest place in Duesseldorfwith a wonderful gardenCampino front singer of the famous band DieToten HosenDöner best famous Turkish food, recommendablefür all incomingsEurovision Song contest that took place in thebeautiful Esprit­Arena, Düsseldorf’s main eventcenter, in 2009Fortuna Düsseldorf best soccer club in the worldGehry­Bauten the result of internationalarchitecture competitionsHeinrich Heine University Düsseldorf’s universitywith 23.511 studentsIce skating a place to have fun and do somesportsJapanese community one of Europe’s biggestJapanese communitiesKönigsallee big shopping street where you canspend 1000000 Euros and find shops like Prada,Louis Vuitton and GucciLot Jonn best student’s place to drink a beerMauer always good for a flirty party eveningNorth Rhine Westphalia the federal land thatDuesseldorf is part ofOld town longest bar in the worldParliament Düsseldorf is the capital of North RhineWestphaliaQuartier Bohème party place for the monthlystudents partyRhine promenade a really nice place with reallynice coffee1 shot Killepitsch a genuine Düsseldorf speciality

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LMN

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5Düsseldorf A to Z

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U

VW

XYZ

Rhinetower during sunshine the best place tohave a nice overviewUniklinik meaning our university's teachinghospitalVolksgarten Düsseldorf's "central park"Water Germany's biggest river, the Rhine, flows inthe middle of the cityXenos place where you can buy useless stuffYummi Food everywhereZakk centre for culture & communication: a placeto hear concerts and poetry slams

We're as much interested in our incomings' culture as they are in ours ­always a good reason for having great transcultural parties together!

About Düsseldorf

8 | nice

Düsseldorf [ˈdʏsl dɔɐ f] is the capital of the region NorthRhine­Westfalia. It has nearly 600.000 citizens and 20 000students. It is located between Köln and Duisburg which areall connected by the famous river Rhine.Duisburg which is in the north of Düsseldorf, is thebeginning of the Ruhrgebiet, a region that fifty years agowas known for its heavy industries. Today in theRuhrgebiet, the days of heavy industries are left behind andin 2010 the fith biggest urban agglomeration of Europe wasthe european capital of culture. In Essen which is thebiggest single city of the Ruhrgebiet you can still visit aworld cultural heritage, the Zeche Zollverein. In Cologne,our small neighboring city in the south of Düsseldorf, youcan for example visit the Cologne Cathedral which isanother world cultural heritage.Düsseldorf is known as an international financial and

business metropole and hassome well known fashion storesand trade fairs. Most famous isthe shopping street Königsalle,also known just as KÖ , whereyou can find unimaginablyexpensive shops like Prada,Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Channel andmany more.Not yet world cultural heritagebut famous and mouth watering

are some old breweries that produce for the typical beer ofDuesseldorf, known as Altbier. In the city center can youfind the breweries: Uerige, Kürzer, Füchschen, Schlüssel andSchlösser. Try all the different types of house­brewed beerand enjoy it!Cheaper places to stay, eat, drink and live are the studentsdistricts not far from university like Bilk, Friedrichstadt andOberbilk.

Düsseldorf is beautifully

located at the Rhine,

offering splendid sunsets.

Many diffent intreresting

towns are located near by,

the so called "Ruhrgebiet".

Düsseldorf is known for

luxury ­ and beer.

The Gehry buildings

9About Düsseldorf|There are also cultural events in Duesseldorf that youshouldn’t miss. The best place to see cheap concerts, poetryslams and more is the ZAKK. Zakk stands fors centre foraction, culture and comunication. Check the monthly pro­

gram at www.zakk.deEvery july the largestfair along the Rhineattracts nearly 4.5.million people. Thereare many different at­tractions, rollercoasters and sweetsto try and it usually

ends with impressive fireworks on the last evening.

The weather in Düsseldorf is changing every season. Insummer, when most of you are coming through, like themost of you coming through the summer season, thetemperatures vary between 20 and 30°C. And it is possibleto have some rain up to 5 days a month. If you will staywith us in winter (November to February) you have to bringmany warm clothes. It will be around 0°C ,some dayswarmer, some days colder and there may be rain or snowcoming down. So be prepared for cold nights and warmand sunny days, maybe just bring clothes for everyweather!

Be prepared for all kinds of

weather and check on

German climate before

arriving.

A sculpture of Jan Wellem in front of the city hall

Two years ago, Düsseldorf's municipality asked an advertising agency to

create a new logo for the city. The result was as simple as expensive

(150.000€):

: D

10 | nice

The HHU arose from a

medical academy, founded

in 1907 and is located on a

campus next to the teaching

hospital.

Heinrich Heine (1797­1856) was afamous German writer and poet

About the Heinrich­Heine University (HHU)

In 1919, across from Heinrich Heines birthhouse in theoldtown, 25 medical students, who returned from worldwar1, set up an expose in order to create a new medicalfaculty in düsseldorf. The expose was an important step onthe way to official approval of the "medical academy inDüsseldorf" in 1923.A bronze panel which can be found above the entrance ofthe Golden Kettle, which belongs to the Schumacher Bre­wery, still remembers that important moment.The Heinrich Heine University (HHU) Düsseldorf as we knowit today was founded in 1965 after being known as „Düs­eldorf's Medical Academy“ since 1907.

Nowadays there are more than 20,000 full time studentsenrolled at one of the five different faculties: Medicine, Artsand Humanities, Mathematics and Sciences, BusinessAdministrandtion ans Economics and Law.What most of us 3,000 medicine students in Düsseldorf loveis the campus atmosphere with our university hospitallocated right beside the university.

Our new Surgical clinic (ZOM II) gained an award for being an outstanding

example of wasted public money. Why? We'll it's construc­tion has been

finished three years ago and since then it costs about 2 million Euros per

year ­ but due to technical problems it can't be used yet.

11How to...

How topass atypicalday in

thehospital

There are some points you should pay attention to duringyour stay in the hospital. It will help you to have someawesome weeks, instead of a tiring time. The relationshipbetween doctors and students usually is friendly andcollegial. You can ask them everything about medicine, butplease nothing too private.As you may have heard, Germans are usually reallypunctual. So our first tip is to be aware that you won’t comein late in the morning. Try to be at the meeting point aboutfive minutes earlier then they told you.Our second advice is to show your attending doctor yourinterest in medicine. Ask the doctors everything you want toknow and be motivated to learn.The third and last general point is to offer your help.Doctors often are afraid to give you too much work, so don’tbe shy and ask them about everything you can do. So itshould be your aim to do most things alone at the end ofyour stay.In the following we will give you some ideas about typicalexercises a German medical student does in his internship.So try to ask for these things to do: taking blood samples,putting in an IV, do the examinations (especially if newpatients come to hospital), be in charge of patients. If youare not sure about how to do this stuff, ask your doctor toexplain it. If you pass your time on a surgical ward, ask ifyou could assist the surgeries and you will be learning to dosutures faster then you expected.

DO DON'TBe punctualBe motivated and offer yourhelpAsk everything you want toknowStay with the doctors andinternsSpeak English

Be lateUse your phone to surf onthe internetBe afraid & hide yourselfAsk for too much freetime

German Skills

14 | nice

Basic ConversationHallo!Guten Morgen/Tag!Ich heiße...JaNeinDankeBitteEntschuldigungWie geht's?Bis bald / Auf Wiedersehen.Ich spreche kein Deutsch.

Ich studiere Medizin.Ich komme aus...Ich bin nur für einen Monat hier.

Ich bin …. Jahre alt

Numbers and DaysNull Zehn ZwanzigEins Elf EinundzwanzigZwei Zwölf ZweiundzwanzigDrei Dreizehn DreißigVier Vierzehn VierzigFünf Fünfzehn FünfzigSechs Sechzehn SechzigSieben Siebzehn SiebzigAcht Achzehn AchzigNeun Neunzehn Neunzig

Hundert

2 UhrHalb 3Viertel vor/nach 2

Hello!Good morning/day!My name is...YesNoThank youPleaseSorryHow are youSee you/Good bye!I don't speakgerman.I study medicine.I'm from...I'm here only forone month.I am ... years old

0 10 201 11 212 12 223 13 304 14 405 15 506 16 607 17 708 18 809 19 90

100

2 o'clockHalf past 2Quarter to/past 2

15german skills |Am Morgen

Am NachmittagMinuteStunde

TagWoche

MontagDienstagMittwoch

DonnerstagFreitag

SamstagSonntag

Food and DrinksWasser

MilchCola (light)

BierWein

Mit AlkoholOhne Alkohol/Alkoholfrei

NudelnReis

Obst/FrüchteGemüse

Vegetarisch(Rind­/Schweine­)Fleisch

FischHühnchen

Salz/Pfefferscharf

Ich esse kein ...Ich habe eine Allergie gegen ...

In the morningIn the afternoonMinuteHourDayWeek

MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdaySunday

WaterMilk(Diet) CokeBeerWineWith alcoholWithout alcohol

NoodlesRiceFruitsVegetableVegetarian(beef/pork) meatFishChickenSalt/ PepperSpicyI don't eat ...I am allergic to ...

16 | nice

Words you will probably hear a lot ..."Shit""Damned""Aha ok!" or "now I got it!""Exactly""All right"

Medical GermanKörperRücken BauchArm BeinHand FußKopf RumpfMund Nase

Gehirn, SchlaganfallGallenblaseHerz, HerzinfarktInnereien, DarmNiereLeberLungeBauchspeicheldrüseMagenMilzGefäßeBlut, BlutdruckKnochen, Bruch

ChirurgieInnere MedizinFrauenheilkunde, GynäkologieKinderheilkunde, PädiatrieIntensivstationKrankenschwester

"Scheiße""Verdammt""Achso""Genau!""Alles klar!"

BodyBack BellyArm LegHand FootHead TrunkMout Nose

Brain / StrokeGall BladderHeart / Heart attackIntestine/Bowl/GutKidneyLiverLungPancreasStomachSpleenVesselsBlood / ~ pressureBones / Fracture

SurgeryInternal MedicineGynecologyPediatricsIntensive Care UnitNurse

17german skills |Untersuchung

BehandlungGenesung

RöntgenNotfall

KrankheitKrebs / Tumor

WundeFieber

EntzündungAllergie

Schmerzen, SchmerztablettenEiter

SchwellungnähenSpritze

German skills for DüsseldorfI’d like to have a beer, please!

(Watch out, if you say that, you’ll get a strong dark beer in Dusseldorf. If

you like to have something else, ask for a “Kölsch” or a “Pils”)

Let’s go to the Altstadt.(Place to party around in Dusseldorf. To go shopping or to have some

beer.)

Surgery canteen or big student canteen?(The Surgery canteen is in the middle of the hospital area and a little

cheaper than canteen for the students.)

Let’s meet at the Oase.(It is our medical library and a central meeting point.)

Fries with ketchup and mayonnaise, please.

ExaminationTreatmentRecoveryX­RayEmergencyDiseaseCancer / TumorWoundFeverInflammationAllergyPain / ~ killersPusSwellingto sewSyringe

Bitte ein Bier.

Ab in die Altstadt!

Chirurgen Mensaoder große Mensa?

Treffen wir uns ander Oase?

Einmal Pommes rot­weiß, bitte. /Einmal PommesSchranke, bitte.(For Ruhrgebietonly.)

The places tobe & see

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Nice Places

Grafenberger WaldIf you are a fan of pure nature, the forest and wild animalparcs: Grafenberger Wald in the north of Duesseldorf will bea good choice for you.The parc is surrounded by a big forrest that’s always worthto go for a walk in.You can get into the parc for free and walk around whilewatching boar families and free living deers. Of course theenclosure of racoons is always fun to watch. During summer(April to September) the parc is opened from 9:00 to 19:00.The best way to get there is the tram 703/709/713 to “Aufder Hardt” and walk about 15 minutes to the parc.

RheinstrandA really nice place is to hang out on sunny days andevenings is the beach of the Rhine, locals call it“Rheinstrand”. It’s a 2 km long beach where you can havea picnic, sit around or play some volleyball. It’s also pos­sible to quickly freshen up in the river, but be aware thatthe water isn’t clean. By the way: DO NOT try to swim inthe deeper parts of the river, even if you’re a goodswimmer. The best way to get there is by bike. The nextbus stop is 15 walking minutes away. First get to the“Rheinturm”. On it’s backside, cross the rhine promenadeand get up the pe­destrian bridge. After passing the bridge,keep on wal­king/biking until you find the place you like themost. Good luck!

RheinpromenadeAnother place to have a nice view, or to watch the sunset, isthe promenade along the Rhine. There are small but quiteexpensive bars, in a part called the “Kasematten” where you

Never seen a middle

european forest and it's wild

animals? Go for it!

Wanna hang out at the

"beach" or have a picknick?

23The places to be & seecan have a beer. Or youjust bring your owndrink and a blanket tosit down in the grass oron a wall.To get there just takethe 836/835 from thebus stop “Bilk S” or“Universität West” to

“Landtag/Kniebrücke” and keep on walking down thepromenade.

VolksgartenThe best and most recommendable place to hang out on asunny day is the parc: Volksgarten.It’s a big public parc where you can meet your friends tohave barbeque , play soccer, do slacklining, smoke ahooka and drink a few beer (and sometimes more ;­))The best option to get here is by bike. From universityyou follow the “Witzelstraße” ten minutes in directioncity until you reach “Auf’m Hennekamp”. There youturn right and follow the street (it’s name is still Auf'mHennekamp”). You follow this street until you see athree coloured dragon to your left and many clocks toyour right. This is the main entrance to the parc.Of course it’s for free.

Botanic gardenIf you are a friend of nature and plants don’t miss theuniversity’s botanic garden. You get in for free and can walkaround as you love to. Opening hours (Apr.­Sept.) : Mon ­Fri 8am – 7pm, Sat. 1pm­6pm and Sun. 10am – 7pm. If yougo by bike just ask some students around the campus ortake the tram 707 to “Universität Ost/Botanischer Garten”.Sometimes you can get plants for free to take away.

Hanging out at the Rhine

and still staying close to the

old town.

Düsseldorf's "central park"

View towards the Medienhafen

The clocks at the Volksgarten'sentrance

Falling down the Rhinetower takes 1,5 sec. longer than a fall from the

tower of Cologne Cathedral.

24 | nice

Food and RestaurantsThe typical Rhenish cuisineoriginates in the lovinghousewives‘ aim to satisfy theirhusbands hunger after a longday of hard work in the coalmines. It consists of differentpotato variations, numeroustypes of sausages and othermeat products served with vege­tables like beans and cabbage.

Düsseldorf is known for its mustard, „Düsseldorf Mostert“,and of course for its` Altbier.Altbier, we simply call it „Alt“, is a dark, clear beer, served insmall glasses. For your first Alt experience, we recommenda gentle summer evening with your friends in front of thebrewery „Uerige“ (Berger Strasse 1). The barkeepers comeoutside to sell beer, pickles and bread rolls with Mett, amixture of raw ground meat and onions, it's unique!Or go to Ratinger Strasse where you find numerousbreweries which also serve delicious Rhenian food (forexample Brauerei Füchschen, Ratinger Strasse 28).If you like Asian food Düsseldorf is the perfect city for you.There are countless small restaurants in the Japanesedistrict. The best one for soups and sushi is „NaNiWa“(Oststrasse 55). You should be there before 6 pm if you'renot willing to wait for a table.Delicious Thai food is served in „Cha Cha“ (Kasernenstrasse18).A very nice Italian restaurant is „A Tavola“ (Wallstrasse 11)or take a pizza to go at „Colopic Mini Pizza“ (cornerMertensgasse/Kurze Strasse).On a summer day it’s nice to sit on the steps next to the

Local breweries provide the

so called Altbier, most of

them are located in the old

city (around Ratinger

Strasse)

Check out the Sushi bars!

All kinds of international

food and restaurants await

your visit!

One restaurant besides another

25The places to be & seebank of the river Rhine (Burgplatz): you'll meet people of allages and different nations. Here you can listen to streetmusicians and see other performing artists.„Leo's Grill“ (Martinstrasse 18) serves outstanding Dutchfood such as burgers, frikandel and twister fries withdifferent sauces. For a small snack in the old town, try thefries at Fritz & Friends (Hunsrückenstrasse 41).Next to the Uni, you'll find „Scotti's“ (Christophstrasse 2),they are brilliant at making fancy burgers.

Clubs and barsSince Düsseldorf's old town is known as "the longest bar inthe world" it's quite easy to find lots and lots of places tohave a beer and to party.Here are some of the most popular spots (not all of themare located in the old town):Lot Jonn: most famous bar of the local students just a beeraway from the university (Kopernikusstraße 94)Frida: greatest Tapas bar in town, alternative and goodatmosphere (Bilker Allee 4)Café de Paris: are you looking for the best cocktails around?Go there. You can even create your own ones(Stresemannstraße 32)Die Mauer: flirty, flirty and main stream (RatingerMauer 1)Schickimicki: alternative (Neustraße 51)Cube: electronic (Mertensgasse 8)Rudas Studios: Posh but after­work with live bandson tuesdays (Kaistraße 7)

Old town = longest bar in

the world. Is there anything

more to say?

Things to doafter work

28 | nice

Cultural stuff

TonhalleEveryone who’s interested in music, especially classicalmusic, shouldn’t miss the „Tonhalle“.Their homepage www.tonhalle­duesseldorf.de gives you a

great overview about their concerts.Especially the “Big Bang” concerts arerecommendable classic concerts, played by youngmusic students' orchestras and choirs.Bring your student ID and pay 5 Euros only. TheTonhalle is located in the central city and has its ownbus stop called Tonhalle/Ehrenhof. You get there bytram (U74, U75, U76, U77) or by bike (30 minutes

from university).

CinemasThere are a few small, but alternative cinemas inDüsseldorf, that show movies in the original version,meaning mainly in English. To get an overview, have a lookat the program at http://metropol­kino­duesseldorf.kino­zeit.de/Recommendable and not to far away is the “Metropol” inDüsseldorf­Bilk, near the Arcades (Brunnenstr. 20) Otherplaces are Bambi (Dominikanerstr. 4) and Souterrain(Klosterstr. 78). The Entrance fee varies about 8 – 10 Euros.

MuseumsDüsseldorf is also known for his variety of museums. Just tomention the most important ones:Museum Kunstpalast; www.smkp.deKunst im Tunnel (Art inside of a tunnel), mostly modern artwww.kunst­im­tunnel.deK21; www.kunstsammlung.deFor information on entrance fees and oparating hours checkthe websites.

Tonhalle, the place where

excellent music meets an

extraordinary architecture.

Some cinemas show movies

in their orignial version.

View at the Tonhalle

Düsseldorf's academy of arts is

known for it's famous former

students such as Gerhard

Richter or Joseph Beuys.

29What to do after work|

Sports in and aroundDüsseldorfThe Heinrich­Heine­University, the city of Düsseldorf andthe surrounding cities offer a vast variety of sports. You caneither watch some of Germanys biggest football clubs live orbecome active yourself. This guide gives you a briefintroduction into what you can do here.

Sports facilities at the universityThe sports department of our university offers you a broadvariety of sports. Usually you don´t have to register for thecourses and you can join almost every course at any time.Most courses even take place during semester break whichshould be the time when you´re around. And best of all,most courses are for free. Small fees only need to be paidfor tennis or sailing courses and for our cozy gym. For moredetailed information just visit the homepage of our sportsdepartment or visit the sports department which is locatedon the campus.Hochschulsportreferat im AStAbuilding 25.23Universitätsstr. 140225 Düsseldorfhttp://www.uni­duesseldorf.de/hochschulsport/Sportprogramm/

Additional sports facilities in DüsseldorfIf the sports program offered by the university is notenough for you, there are plenty of other facilities inDüsseldorf you can go to. The Arena Sport Park is probablythe biggest sports facility in Düsseldorf. Here you can findprofessional training conditions for track and field, includingan athletics sports hall with two gyms. You can also playfootball on small grounds with synthetic turf. At the ArenaSport Park you can also find indoor and out­door swimming pools with sunbathing areas and beach

Plenty of sports facilities and

most of them for free!

30 | nicevolleyball grounds. For opening hours and address visit theofficial hompage.http://www.duesseldorf.de/sportamt/sportpark_nord/

Aquatic sportsApart from the offers of our sports department you can ofcourse go swimming by yourself. On http://www.baeder­duesseldorf.de/ you can find all swimming pools andopening hours in Düsseldorf.More water sports? In Langenfeld (not too far away fromour university) you can go waterskiing or wakeboarding.http://www.wasserski­langenfeld.de/

Ice skatingNever been ice skating before? Düsseldorf has two ice ska­ting halls to offer. For opening hours and location vi­sit www.sparkassen­eissporthalle.deor http://www.duesseldorf­magazin.info/brehmstrasse.html

The Düsseldorfers are in love with their Fortuna 95!

31What to do after work|Sports venuesLike almost everywhere in Europe, football is very big inGermany. In and around Düsseldorf you can find a lot offamous football clubs.The biggest football club in Düsseldorf is Fortuna 95. At themoment they play in the second Bundesliga. The biggestrival of Fortuna 95 can be found in Cologne, one of oursmaller neighboring cities ;) If you get the chance to visit afootball game between Düsseldorf and Cologne you shouldgo there. An exciting atmosphere is guaranteed.Up to date playing schedules can be found onhttp://www.fortuna­duesseldorf.de/profis/liga/spielplan/

Clubs that play international and in the first Bundesliga canbe found in Dortmund (BVB 09), Gelsenkirchen (FC Schalke04) and Leverkusen (Bayer04 Leverkusen).

Ice hockeyYou are too cool to watch football? Why don´t you try icehockey? The ISS Dome is the new home of our local icehockey team, the DEG. For playing schedules visithttp://www.deg­eishockey.de/

Fortuna 95 vs. Cologne ­

something you should not

miss!

Several Bundesliga football

clubs play in towns close by.

Trips, tours& travelling

34 | nice

Public transport withinDüsseldorf

There are different kinds of public transportationsthat you can use within Düsseldorf. Besides busses,trams and underground you can also use a so calledS­Bahn. These trains are faster than normal tramsand stop less often and less frequently, all of themgo via Düsseldorf main station. Busses, trams andunderground usually depart every ten minutes atdaytime during the week. At the weekend, serviceat night is provided by busses.

TicketsUsually it's possible to buy tickets on board (except S­Bahn).Prices vary from 2,50€ for a single ride to 6,50€ for a day­ticket. I you're travelling in a group it's cheaper to buygroup tickets or a ticket for four single rides (9,40€).On weekends or in the evening we can give you a lift on ourstudent transit pass.For more information check on www.rheinbahn.de

Getting around like locals doLuckily Düsseldorf is a town that isn't too big (and still offersso many great things to do!). Most parts of the town caneasily be reached by foot or by bike (unfortunately there aremany areas and streets without separate bike paths, so becareful). We try to provide most of you with bikes duringyour stay so you're as independent as possible.

Use a bike as often as

possible.

If it's raining or if your bike's broken,line 707 gets you to the university.

35Trips, tours & travelling

Day­trips in and aroundDüsseldorf

CologneThere has always been a very special relationship betweenDüsseldorf and Cologne, the citizens maintain rivalry in ahalf serious way. Both cities are centers of history, arts andmedia, have a historic town district and their own beer:Düsseldorf has Alt, Cologne has Kölsch,a light beer served in special thin, longglasses.Cologne is definitely a must­see city when visiting Germany.The town’s landmark is the famous Cologne Cathedral, aneternal building site: construction works were started in1248 and never finished to this day, because it is mainlymade of sandstone – you’ll always discover a scaffoldsomewhere. To enjoy a great view over the city, climb the509 stone steps of the ancient spiral staircase. Nearby theCathedral, you find the romano­germanic museum with a lotof roman items (Cologne was a roman settlement). If youwalk some minutes down the river Rhine, you’ll find theChocolate Museum with a 10­feet­high chocolate fountain!The best shopping streets: Ehrenstrasse, Breite Strasse andHohestrasse.There are a lots of bars (for example die hängenden Gärtenvon Ehrenfeld, Vogelsanger Str. 140 or Arcadia Bar,Friesenstrasse 52) and clubs in the district Ehrenfeld andmany old­fashioned taverns and breweries in the old town(for example Papa Joe's, Alter Markt 50).You get to Cologne main station by train (RE5, RE1, S6,S11).

Cologne's local beer is called

Kölsch (and isn't as tasty as

Alt!)

First climb the steps up the

Cathedral, then boost up

your energy at the chocolate

museum.

Kölsch and Alt contain the same ingrediences ­ they're

just brewed with different techniques.

36 | nice

BonnUntil 1990, Bonn was the capital of West Germany. You findzoological, historical and art museums at the Museum Mile:take the tram No. 66 to Heussalle/Museumsmeile from Bonnmain station. Have some nice italian food afterwards atVapiano (Ollenhauer Str.1). In the city centre, you findsome beautiful old­fashioned houses, churches and theBeethoven House (Bonngasse 24), where Ludwig vanBeethoven was born.Take the tram No. 66 to Königswinter (approx. 30 Min.) andvisit Schloss Drachenburg, a beautiful, but not very oldcastle: it was built in 1882 by a broker who wanted to livehis fairy­tale dream with his beloved – unfortunately shedied before it was finished, so he never entered his humblehome.The Quiet Man is a cosy Irish Pub (Colmanstrasse 47) tohave some beers in the evening.You'll reach Bonn main station with the RE5.

WuppertalWuppertal, where our good friend Aspirin was invented, wasan important industrial center in the 18th and 19th century,you still find old factory buildings everywhere. Thesuspension monorail (Wuppertal Schwebebahn), whichfollows the river Wupper through the city, is definitely worthseeing. You can take the Schwebebahn to the WuppertalZoo which is located in a nice and hilly park, don't miss thefeeding of the sea lions if you go there! For art lovers: theVon der Heydt Musem displays paintings from Gaugin,Munch, Picasso, Renoir, Monet and more. Take the RE4 orS8 to Wuppertal main station.

Bonn is the former German

capital.

Drive up in the air with the

suspension monorail.

37Trips, tours & travelling

Duisburg/Landschaftspark NordThe public parc is located in the north of Duisburg and caneasily be reached by public transport (stop: LandschaftsparkNord). The area has been a former coal and steelproduction and was turned into a public park. It combineselements of the former industry, light installations and parkelements. It might be interesting for people who areinterested in architecture. You can climb on a formerindustry tower and have a beautiful view on thesurroundings. It's worth to visit the park in the afternoon toenjoy both, the view at daylight and the beautiful lightinstallations by night.

Benrath CastleThe beautiful pink castle was built in the 18th century.

Surrounded by a largegarden and a lake, it isespecially worth visitingif you like to combinesightseeing andrelaxing. There are twomuseums inside thecastle as well: TheMuseum of European

Garden His­tory and the Museum of Natural History (8 eurosfor students to see them both). For more information have alook at the homepage www.schloss­benrath.de.To get there you can catch a tram (U74, 701) to the stop“Schloss Benrath” or go there by bike (about 30 minutesfrom university).

Benrath Castle, built between 1755 and 1773© Düsseldorf Marketing&Tourismus GmbH

38 | niceKaiserswerthKaiserswerth is a rural district in the north ofDüsseldorf. When the weather is good, the approx.15km walk along the river Rhine is really beautiful andrelaxing. Reward yourself with a break in theextraordinary restaurant ''Burghof'' (Burgallee 1).Kaiswerswerth offers peaceful atmosphere, excellentice cream, a small but nice old town, a beautifullandscape and even a tiny castle ruin!You can get to Kaiserswerth by bike or Line U79, too.

Getting around by trainIf you feel like visiting another interesting town in Germany,such as Berlin, Frankfurt or Hamburg, travelling by train isthe most comfortable way of getting there. The fastest kind(and therefore the priciest, too) of long distance trains is theso called ICE (inter city express), followed by the IC or EC(inter city / euro city). You can check on connections onwww.bahn.deA more budget way of travelling is going by bus. There areseveral providers offering rides throughout Germany.www.flixbus.dewww.meinfernbus.de

Trips ­ a short overviewCologne (Köln): 30 min. by train. Must sees: ChocolateMuseum, the Cathedral and the Hohenzollernbridge. AtZüplicher Platz you can find “partyhard” student clubs.Cologne is also known for his great queer community.

Wuppertal: 20 min. by train. Interesting: the Schwebebahnand also Waterworld Bergische Sonne .

Essen: 35 min. Interesting places: the old coal mine Kokereiand Zeche Zollverein (a UNESCO Monument), Design

For getting around by train

check on

www.bahn.de

Kaiserswerth's ruin of a former royalpalace© Düsseldorf Marketing&Tourismus GmbH

39Trips, tours & travellingZentrum NRW, the Krupp­Villa Hügel and different shoppingmalls.

Bochum: 40 min. by train. There you can visit the museumof coal mines, a railway museum and many shopping malls

Duisburg: 15 min. by train. There you can visit a bigmagnificent park called Tiger and Turtle and theLandschaftspark Nord and another old industrial part ofcity, that nowadays is filled with bars, restaurants andoffices, the so called Innenhafen .

Oberhausen: 30 minutes by train. Check out Germany’sbiggest shopping mall: The Centro and the Gasometer – aformer storage, nowadays a gallery.

Dortmund: 60 min. by train. There you can visit the SignalIduna Arena – the 'temple' of Borussia Dortmund .

Gelsenkirchen: 40 min. by train. There you can visit VeltinsArena – the 'temple' of Schalke 04.

Kamp­Lintfort: 75 min. by train and bus. Visit the historicaland outstanding garden Kloster Kamp, which inspiredSanssouci Palace´s garden in Potsdam.

Xanten: 70 min. by train. There you can visit an archeo­logical parc, the Bislicher island and St. Viktor's cathedral.

For further information how to get there ask your locals!On weekends you can get everywhere in Germany withDeutsche Bahn for 42 Euros including 5 persons.For trips within North Rhine­Westphalia and during theweek, use the NRW Ticket. It's 41€ for up to 5 people allover NRW for regionaltrains, trams, busses and under­ground.

40 ShoppingGroceriesThe cheapest way to buy groceries for your daily need is tostick to the so called "discounters". Those are less expensivethan other supermarkets. Just look out for the signs of Aldi,Penny, Lidl or Netto to find an affordable offer of chocolateand everything else you might need after a hard day at thehospital. REWE, Edeka and Kaiser's are a little moreexpensive supermarkets, offering a larger variety of fresh

food, but of course they're stillaffordable, too. If you're loo­king for drugstore products

check out Rossman or dm. Supermarkets operate at leastbetween 8am and 8pm, most of them are opened evenloger.

"Trinkhalle" & "Büdchen"If you're on your way to a party, the old town or justlonging for a little snack or Alt, our Trinkhallen will be atyour service. We fondly call these kiosks "Büdchen" ("littlebooth"). They offer a wide range of beverages and drinks,chocolate bars, newspapers and sometimes even ­ good toknow in case of emergency ­ toiletpaper. Most of themoperate till 11pm or midnight, you can find them at nearlyevery corner.

ShoppingAs taste and personal style varies it is quite hard to givegeneral tips on shopping clothes.So we'll just mention some spots where you can find diffe­rent kinds of shops in a high denseness:Düsseldorf Arkaden (tram stop "Bilk­S")Shadow Arkaden (tram stop "Jan Wellem Platz)Shadow Straße (tram stop "Jacobistraße")Streets around the old town (get off at "Heinrich­HeineAllee")

In Germany only pharmacies are allowed to sell drugs, even over­

the­counter drugs such as Aspirin can only be bought there!

41Frequently Asked Questions

What is provided to me by the localcommittee?To make your stay as comfortable as possible, we'reproviding German SIM­cards/mobile phones, bicycles, andaccomodation. Every incoming has two locals as contactpersons. And of course we try to provide as much fun,activities, trips and parties to you as possible to make yourstay unforgettable!

How can I access the internet?On the university campus you can use your eduroam ­access for the internet. In most of the accomodationsinternet access is included.

I'm religious. Where can I practice myfaith?Besides plenty different christian communites, there is alsoa muslim community (Masjid Assalam e.V.) and a jewishcommunity (www.jgd.de), too. Just ask us the help you interms of contacting them.

How do I find out about the weekly socialprogram?Just check in our facebook group (SCOPE Düsseldorf ­Incomings201X & leos & friends)! There we'll keep youupdated on our plans concerning our social program. Ifyou're having a special interest in certain activities or if youwould like to propose a trip or event ­ just let us knowabout it!

What else should I know?Well. First of all: Düsseldorf is better than Cologne(obviously). Be prepared to try the different kinds of Altbier.And get ready to have a wonderful month, hopefully filledwith fun and new experiences!

Notes

Thanks to:

Partners and SponsorsOn national level, the bvmd exchange Program is generouslysupported by the following institutions:

Impressum

National Incoming Care and Excursion Project

Handbook

Ein Projekt der Bundesvertretung der

Medizinstudierenden in Deutschland e.V. (bvmd)

Robert­Koch­Platz 7

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