Wuppertal and the Neander Valley
Author: Hank Kune Issue: 2025-06-18
Wuppertal and the Neander Valley
by Hank Kune
On a visit to Wuppertal–an engaging mid-sized city in Germany–we encountered its monorail, the oldest electric elevated railway with hanging cars in the world. It is 13.3 kilometers long, at a height of about 12 meters above the river Wupper, and began operation in 1901. Its ironwork construction is similar to the Eiffel tower, only horizontal instead of vertical.
Until the First World War, Wuppertal was one of the richest cities in Germany, based on its weaving industries; in its heyday, it had more than 4000 active looms. It was also the birthplace and home of Friedrich Engels, before he moved to Manchester.
It's now a city of impressive buildings, unexpected museums, and street art.
Not far from Wuppertal is the Neanderthal, where the first remains of what came to be called the Neanderthal people were discovered. In a beautiful valley of rolling, forested hills, there is a tower at the place where the remains were found, and a museum that tells a story to debunk many modern misconceptions about the Neanderthal humans.
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Bonus Photo from Sicily
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