In NRW, art worth seeing is not only to be found in museums: large-scale works and small eye-catchers can be found outside in the streets of large metropolises and smaller towns. A wide variety of artists, art forms and design techniques transform public space into an open-air gallery. Guided street art tours not only guarantee the discovery of ever new works, which often also depict socially relevant themes, but also introduce less well-known corners of Düsseldorf, Cologne, Paderborn and Dortmund.
Tip 1Düsseldorf
Anyone visiting the state capital will encounter art everywhere they go, on foot, by bike or on the underground. The artistically designed stations on the Wehrhahn line or the large "Hornet" mural at Museum K20 are just two examples of how art has become part of public life in Düsseldorf. The most recent example: the "Pretty Wall Bilk" project has transformed a subway into a public art gallery with the help of international artists. In addition, the "40° Urban Art" festival provides new works on bridge or building facades every two years, including the next edition in 2023.
Regular Urban Art Walks through the city centre provide an up-to-date overview of Düsseldorf's street art, as well as background information on the creation of the works, the artists and brief insights into Düsseldorf's city history. If you would also like to see the murals in the outer city districts, you can go on guided Urban Art Rides by bike.
www.duesseldorf-tourismus.de
Tip 2Cologne
There is creative street art on every corner in Cologne. This is not least thanks to the biennial CityLeaks Urban Art Festival, the most renowned festival of its kind in NRW, which constantly produces new works, some of which have long since become photogenic landmarks. Certain neighbourhoods have developed into true street art hotspots, Ehrenfeld for example, which has the highest density of large-scale murals in Cologne. In Nippes, graffiti fans in particular get their money's worth and Mülheim on the right bank of the Rhine is sometimes compared to a well-known trendy neighbourhood in Berlin: "The Mülheim of tomorrow is the Prenzlauer Berg of yesterday," says Cologne street artist Tim Ossege, alias seiLeise, who grew up in Mülheim.
Regular street art tours lead through the particularly creative neighbourhoods of the cathedral city and introduce artists and works of art. If you want to do a longer tour on your own, you can go on a 20-kilometre street & urban art tour by bike.
www.koelntourismus.de
Tip 3Paderborn
Street art and the Catholic Church come very close in Paderborn: graffiti artists have designed a monastery wall on the initiative of the Superior General of the Vincentian Sisters in Paderborn. Over 100 metres of graffiti art have now ensured that the wall has become one of the city's most photogenic sights as the "Busdorf Gallery". Since 2021, the Secret City Festival has ensured that more works are added every year: National and international painters then redesign facades in the city during the summer. In Paderborn, even science is involved with graffiti: the "Informationssystem Graffiti in Deutschland" (INGRID), which is based at the university, is responsible for systematic research into graffiti images in Germany. Those interested can get an up-to-date overview of Paderborn's street art on two different tours, on which an expert on the scene guides you through various parts of the city. A photo reportage gives a vivid impression.
www.paderborn.de
One person who knows graffiti art in Paderborn particularly well is Sven Niemann. He doesn't use a spray can himself, but researches graffiti art scientifically and explains to visitors what's behind it. In our podcast "Listen to who's travelling." he takes you on a graffiti tour through Paderborn.
Tip 4Dortmund
Colourful urban jungles thrive in many places in the Ruhr region, but street art is particularly colourful in Dortmund. Dortmund's Unionviertel district is a colourful hotspot with many large-format murals. Right in the centre: The 44309 Street Art Gallery, which not only offers urban art for the living room at home, but has also repeatedly invited graffiti artists from all over the world to design the city's façades. Right in the centre: The Dortmunder U, cultural centre, observation tower and landmark of the city, is the start and finish of guided street art tours. And it gives the Unionviertel its name: until the 1990s, the Dortmunder U was the fermentation and storage cellar of the Union brewery.
Unionviertel.de| soft-tours.com
