Despite housing arguably two of the most beautiful Gothic cathedrals in Germany and having played a central role in the history of the Holy Roman Empire, North Rhine–Westphalia is often dismissed as an industrial, dystopian wasteland. This perception is not only lazy but deeply misleading.
Yes, the Ruhr area exists, and yes, many of its cities suffered extensive destruction during World War II. But reducing the entire region to post-industrial imagery while ignoring everything else it offers is simply hypocritical. North Rhine–Westphalia is home to remarkable cities such as Aachen, Münster, and Bonn, which, despite not being fully medieval, retain an atmosphere that feels almost fairy-tale-like. Beyond the cities, the countryside is peaceful, green, and genuinely beautiful.
Smaller towns like Steinfurt, Monschau, Höxter, Warburg, and Stolberg are breathtaking. Their architecture is rich, varied, and exceptionally well preserved, showcasing the depth of regional history. One of the most fascinating aspects of NRW is the clear cultural and architectural contrast between the Frankish Rhineland and THE SUPERIOR Saxon Westphalia. .
Münsterland, in particular, is criminally underrated. It is rarely discussed, yet it is one of the most beautiful and harmonious landscapes in western Germany. Münster itself, in my view, easily ranks among the top five most beautiful German cities, and I would even place it above cities like Freiburg.
Acknowledging the Ruhr does not mean condemning the entire state. France, the UK, and Spain all have industrial regions that are visually plain, yet they are not defined solely by them. England, in particular, has cities today that are far more aesthetically damaged than anything found in Germany, including the Ruhr.
Unpopular opinion, perhaps, but I also find the architecture of North Rhine–Westphalia far more appealing than that of the Netherlands, which often feels somewhat uniform and plain by comparison.
Edit: These pics are not mine, i just took them randomly from google.
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DenseIntern4597
16 comments
Huh? Never hear of that. Cheers from cologne.
Is it?
Is this the follow up on the Frankfurt guy?
MÜNSTER 🗣️🗣️🗣️
Ruhrpott is considered a shithole in the rest of the republic.
It’s mostly the people in them
Never heard anyone hating NRW. On the contrary. Everyone talks very positively about the Rheinland, its only the Ruhrpott that has a bad rep.
Who really hates NRW?
Bavarians just use NRW and Berlin as stand-ins for all they hate in Germany, but its not really NRW specific.
What? Where did you catch that? Nobody hates north Rhine Westphalia except the people how hates everything.
Who hates on NRW ?
Of course, one thing that is often brought up is the ruhr area which isn’t the prettiest, but other then that people rarely “hate” on NRW.
Is hated just for the sake of the meme
Münster and Steinfurt mentioned. \o/
I didn’t know that NRW was hated. Maybe if you ask the Bavarians.
I’m not sure why you think it’s hated? Most Germans live in NRW. There’s a reason
Without cherry picking it’s just less beautiful as the pictures you are showing.
Even the Ruhr has some positives to it, though industrialisation history and architecture is definitiely not everyones cup of tea but stuff like Zeche Zollverein and the coal mining museum in Bochum are definitely worth visiting. A lot of it also seems like it’s more joking than genuine distaste for the state. People from abroad also very rarely hear about the more rural parts of NRW like the Sauerland (unless you’re dutch, we get a shitton of dutch tourists) or the Münsterland.
Tbf Aachen and especially Cologne are NOT beautiful. I’ve spent over a decade living in each city and despite the very small old city center of Aachen, there aren’t many pre-war buildings left. Both cities got bombed to hell during ww2 and were rebuilt i a hurry. Having a nice cathedral doesn’t make a city miracoulesly beautiful.