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.
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1q86jde
Posted by DenseIntern4597
40 Comments
Huh? Never hear of that. Cheers from cologne.
Is it?
Is this the follow up on the Frankfurt guy?
MÜNSTER 🗣️🗣️🗣️
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
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.
Because a lot of people think „NRW = Ruhrgebiet“
And lets be honest while cities like Duisburg, Bochum and co. have some nice areas…They are overall pretty ugly.
envy
Haters gonna hate. Source: I‘m from Bavaria
I have been living in Berlin for the last 4 years and lived in Aachen for 5 years before that.
I enjoyed living in Aachen much more than I am enjoying living in Berlin.
People are much more friendly and being in a group never felt like being in an eco-chamber.
Well, we are still seen as the ugly industrial area. But the Ruhr Area is neither industrial, nor ugly anymore. And NRW is far more than Ruhr Area.
The big cities are not pretty. There are nice places, but I would never recommend to someone to go on vacation in Dortmund, Duisburg or Bochum. There are nicer places to see.
To be very honest, I much prefer the ruhr area to those conservative, post-feudalist places you depicted. Livable places should have more qualities than pure visuals.
Cheers from Bonn, I never heard of that. The only hating I saw was on the local train system (which I think is justified), plus some comments about the Ruhr area not being beautiful, but thats about it. The Rhine instead gets plenty of admiration.
NRW is „hated“ for different reasons, despite being one of the most beautiful places in Germany. One is the traffic problem. There are way too many cities in a small area. And the roads are mostly under maintenance so there are a lot of traffic jams. And there are a lot of ugly cities in NRW which leads people to believe that all cities are like that.
Hated by whom?
I’m German and I had no idea NRW is “hated”?
Theres No hate
Well, Hollywood filmed the Hunger Games in Duisburg, because it was cheaper than to create a hellish dystopia with CGI.3🤷🏼♂️
I am upvoting all positive NRW comments
I am a proud Münsterländer and when I think about it, I probably never heard anybody genuinely hate on NRW. I feel like many people don’t like certain places (e.g. Gelsenkirchen, Duisburg), but don’t hate the entire Bundesland.
And seriously, does it matter? I think NRW is beautiful with all its flaws.
Who the hell is hating on NRW. It’s one of the most beautiful places in DE
Where are pictures 3 and 9 taken?
I will make a quick summary of what I read here:
No one hates NRW except Bavarians. But Bavarians hate everyone so who cares
I think you meant Bayern? Is over hated and beautiful.
NRW is over-hated? Since when? Lol. I love Düsseldorf.
People hate it cos they ain’t it.
I have not heard of anyone hating NRW. Actually it is the suggested place that people from other countries come to. NRW is the most open and accepting areas of Germany. Especially the entire area around Koln and Aachen. I have been living in Julich and that has been working very well.
We’re hated? Why? 😢
Who hates NRW? Never seen one
Woanders ist auch scheiße!
Why every photo has blue skies? You joking?
Dude, stop it. We spend decades of effort on promoting that idea to keep Southerns from coming. Please don’t undermine it.