SINSHEIM
Rhein Stadium and City Guide
It
the shining pride of the 99s, the 1899s anyway,
the new Rhein-Neckar Stadium in Sinsheim near Heidelberg. This state-of-the-art
stadium
is home
to
the 1899
Hoffenheim
(Achtzehn
99) men’s
league football team, which takes its name from a tiny village suburb
of Sinsheim in the Kraichgau region between Heidelberg and Heilbronn
below the foothills of the Odenwald forest, south of the Neckar River
valley. Sinsheim is best known for the fascinating Autmobile and Technical
Museum of Sinsheim which is just across the A6 autobahn from the stadium
with giant real airplanes thrust into the sky visible from the highway.
Getting to the Rhein Stadium Sinsheim
Though
there are a few hotels in Sinsheim, including the Hotel
O Sinsheim next to
the museum, one is more likely to find lodging in nearby Heidelberg,
the historic university city first made famous to American tourists by
Mark Twain and later by the American army base and headquarters following
WWII. Sinsheim is a twenty
minute ride on the S-Bahn train from Heidelberg, or fifteen minute drive
on the autobahn with parking at the stadium. The train from Heidelberg
stops at the Sinsheim main village station and the next stop of Sinsheim
Museum and Stadion. As of this writing the museum and stadium stop is
undergoing some improvement to serve the stadium in advance of the summer
soccer matches. The station is directly across from the Sinsheim Technik
museum and a 15 minute walk under or over the autobahn to the stadium,
though shuttle busses should be running for games. A Heidelberg Card
transportation ticket covers the route to Sinsheim. With a car there
are a number of options for accommodations, including staying in the
Necker Valley at a castle hotel (see Castle
Hornberg) or the picturesque
ancient town of Bad Wimphen.
Things to do in Sinsheim / Heidelberg
Sinsheim
Auto & Technical Museum
One
of the most entertaining “museums” you’ll find
in Germany. Begun as a warehouse for a group of private collectors to
store their growing holdings of cars, war vehicles, steam trains and
mechanical devices, the museum at Sinsheim has one of the largest assembly
of these you’ll find anywhere, two massive buildings and outdoor
displays. The design of the technik museum in Sinsheim and its mate,
located in Speyer (see Technik
Museum Speyer), is intended to keep the
young forever fascinated. Where traditional museums are laid out in themes
or periods,
Sinsheim’s
collection mix the endless variety of wonders together so there is always
something to grab the attention. The museum has a giant Imax Theater
as well. (see Sinsheim
Technik Museum)
Sinsheim Town
Sinsheim’s historical significance and lively cultural scene are
evident in the many events and exhibitions held there, ranging from jazz
and pop concerts to all kinds of performing arts, including theater,
cabaret, and literary readings. The village has a modest old town near
the railway station with small pedestrian streets of restaurants and
shops. The 18th Century half-timber town hall has a small history museum. The
village’s
most prominent landmark, located on a hilltop outside of town is the
Castle
Steinsberg of Hohenstaufen dynasty, who ruled the lands around the Neckar
during the time of the Holy Roman Empire. The castle is open to the public
with guided tours and houses a traditional restaurant. During the summer,
castle hosts a variety of cultural events.
Neckar Valley/Castle Road
The
valley of the Necker River as it twists through the Odenwald hills
is one of the
prettiest in Germany, lined with castles along what is
called the Castle Road (see German Castle Road). German
medieval lords from the order of Teutonic Knights to the iron fisted
(literally) Götz von Berlichingen controlled lands with fortereses
along above nearly every bend of the river and east all the way to Prague.
The hillsides
are perfect for wine vineyards with small wineries often connected to
the castles and the green woodlands are ideal for cycling. The flatlands
around Sinsheim and the Kraichgau is along the Baden Asparagus route,
though the prime season for Germany’s ubiquitus white asparugus
is in May.
Heidelberg
Heidelberg
offers a whole collection of activities to explore. The shops and restaurants
along the main historic shopping avenue, the Hauptstrasse, from the
modern Kaufhof department store with its glass elevator to the top floor
restaurant
to
the Ritter
St George (see Hotel
Ritter St George) and traditional
three hundred year old bars where the students of the university would
carve their initials in the tables. Heidelberg Castle is one of Germany
most magnificent Medieval and Renaissance ruins (see Heidelberg
Castle)
with its fascinating Pharmacy Museum with its alchemists lab and the
Giant Wine Barrel where the elector would collect his tax payments of
measures of wine from the surrounding vineyards. Don’t forget to
step in the legendary stone footprint which assures your return to Heidelberg
and everlasting happiness. Arrest yourself in the Student Prison and
visit the University’s elegantly elaborate Great Hall (see Heidelberg
Student Prison) or cross the statue lined old bridge to
the Philosopher’s
Walk with its meditation inducing Neckar River views. From Heidelberg
the wine region of the Palatine is a short distance and the magnificent
of spires of the Kaiser’s Cathedral in
Speyer (see Speyer
Cathedral) is a brief train ride away. © Bargain
Travel Europe
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Sinsheim
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