04/10/2021
In the Duisburg district of Hüttenheim lies one of the two remaining steel mills in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the 'Hüttenwerke Krupp Mannesmann'. In the past, there were numerous ironworks in the Ruhr region and at the Lower Rhone, and at that time coal was also mined here, so an important raw material for steel products was available directly on site. That is long gone. Coal mining in Germany is simply too expensive. Along with the mines, almost all the steel mills have also disappeared. Only in Duisburg on the Rhine do they still exist. The iron ore and coal are imported from overseas and transported by ship across the Rhine. I went now to the opposite side of the river from the Krupp Mannesmann steel mill. From here you have a good view of the plant. And the scenery is quite impressive.
Krupp Mannesmann steelworks #1
Power station at Krupp Mannesmann steelworks
Krupp Mannesmann steelworks #2
Port and blast furnace
Krupp Mannesmann steelworks #3
Anglers on the Rhine
Steam above the coking plant
04/04/2021
Hamm is a large city in North Rhine-Westphalia and is located about halfway between Bielefeld and the Ruhr area. The main railway connection between western and eastern Germany runs through the city, so I often travel through it by train. North-east just before Hamm's main station, the railway tracks cross the Datteln-Hamm canal. From the train window, you can get a good view of the canal and the harbour, and especially early in the morning or in the evening, it looks really beautiful in good light. On a clear day, the power plant Werne-Stockum (Gersteinwerk) is also well visible.
Usually railway bridges are not accessible for pedestrians (and photographers). Fortunately, this is different with the old bridge over the Datteln-Hamm Canal! The following two photographs were taken one evening in April.
Evening twilight at the Datteln-Hamm Canal #1
Evening twilight at the Datteln-Hamm Canal #2
03/31/2021
The 'Medienhafen' (Media Harbour) in Düsseldorf is not only beautiful in the morning. It is also worth a visit in the evening when the light is backlit and at sunset. Basically, you would have to be everywhere at once to take advantage of all the opportunities for good photos. I'll probably go there again when I get the chance.
This time, too, I took photos with the Fujifilm GFX 100S. I used the lenses Fujinon GF 4/ 45-100 mm OIS, Fujinon GF 3.5/ 30 mm and Fujinon GF 4/ 23 mm.
Late afternoon at the Medienhafen #1
Late afternoon at the Medienhafen #2
Sunset at the Medienhafen #1
Sunset at the Medienhafen #2
Sunset at the Medienhafen #3
03/29/2021
Last Sunday I was in Düsseldorf, the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia. The trip wasn't really planned, but it was the first beautiful spring weekend this year and the city is definitely interesting. I went to the harbour and the government district. Architecturally and photographically interesting is the so-called media harbour (Medienhafen). Originally part of the commercial harbour, many new buildings have been built here over the last 30 years. By the way, the name 'Medienhafen' comes from the fact that companies from the media and advertising industries were given preference to settle here. There are some, but in the meantime it has become a normal office quarter.
I took pictures with the Fujifilm GFX 100S camera and tried out Fuji's new film simulation 'Nostalgic Negative'.
State Parliament House NRW and Government Quarter
State Parliament House NRW
Building of the WDR (West German Broadcasting Company)
Düsseldorf City Gate building (Stadttor)
New architecture at Media Harbour #1
New architecture at Media Harbour #2
New architecture at Media Harbour #3
Office building at Franziusstraße
Building complex Neuer Zollhof
03/26/2021
The liverwort (Hepatica nobilis) is a plant found in the deciduous forests of the northern hemisphere. It is one of the early flowering plants. The flowering time of the liverwort begins in March and ends in April. In Germany, the liverwort is a protected species.
The Teutoburg Forest is considered to be the northernmost distribution area of the liverwort in Europe and it can also be caught in some places on the southern slopes of the forest in my home town of Bielefeld. Here the flowering usually starts at the end of March and lasts two to three weeks.
The blue or violet flowers are quite small. The white stamens grouped around the green inflorescence create a beautiful colour contrast and this also makes the liverwort very attractive photographically.
The three pictures were taken a few days ago in the Blömkeberg nature reserve in the Quelle district of Bielefeld.
Liverwort in the Teutoburg Forest
Liverwort blossoms in the Teutoburg Forest #1
Liverwort blossoms in the Teutoburg Forest #2
> Nature
03/20/2021
Undeniably, there is no need for more photos of the Nikolaus-Dürkopp-Straße in Bielefeld. Probably, there is no street in the whole city, which is so often captured in a picture. And it is beautiful, as it is spanned by a bridge between the two old factory buildings of the former Dürkopp works. As you can see, I still could not resist. I justify myself simply with the fact that the sun is only on a few days early in the morning so that it rises under the bridge. So it would have been a pity not to use the favorable opportunity.
The photo was taken with the Fujifilm GFX 100S and the lens Fujinon GF 4/ 45-100 mm at ISO 1000. The camera delivers RAW files with a very wide contrast range, which is very helpful for subjects like this one.
Sunrise at Nikolaus-Dürkopp-Straße
03/14/2021
A little to the east of Bielefeld's city centre is a neighbourhood where the slaughterhouse was located until some time ago. There were also various industrial enterprises. The slaughterhouse has closed and many of the companies that used to be there no longer exist. So the challenge was to find a reasonable new use for the vacant land. The result is a new residential area. All in all, a good idea.
In the meantime, the development is almost complete. Everything still looks very new. People are already living in the new houses, but everything looks as if the housing estate has not yet really arrived in reality. A state between the drawing board and the real world.
The photographs were taken with the camera Fujifilm GFX 100S and the lens Fujinon GF 3.5/ 30 mm.
New residential buildings between 'Frachtstraße'
and 'Walther-Rathenau-Straße'
New housing estate with garage entrance
on 'Walther-Rathenau-Straße'
Side street in a newly built residential area
03/01/2021
In the last few weeks, not only have the temperatures risen to a level that is unusual for the month of February - namely to over 18° Celsius in some places - the wind from the south has also brought dust from the Sahara to us at great heights. This makes for extraordinary light and brightly coloured skies, especially in the mornings and evenings. The month of February was very special this year. From minus 15° Celsius with heavy snowfall to almost summer temperatures, everything was there.
Dawn in winter over Bielefeld #1
Dawn in winter over Bielefeld #2
Dawn in winter over Bielefeld #3
High-rise under construction
Sunrise over the city
Tower of St Paul's Church (Pauluskirche) at dawn
Dawn on Eckendorfer Straße
02/27/2021
Sunday, 14 February 2021 was a really beautiful morning. After the heavy snowfalls of the last few days, the snow was still lying high in many streets, although the city cleaning service was working with all available forces to get them reasonably clear again. Because the sight is so rare in our country, I set out with a small camera to capture it in pictures. Already on the following Monday it started to thaw and a week later all the snow was gone.
Streets in winter: Königsbrügge
Streets in winter: Fröbelstraße
Streets in winter: Prießallee
Streets in winter: August-Bebel-Straße #1
Streets in winter: August-Bebel-Straße #2
Streets in winter: August-Bebel-Straße #3
Ravensberger Park
02/20/2021
The 'Promenade' is a wide path that leads along the ridge of the Teutoburg Forest in the Bielefeld city area to Sparrenburg Castle. From up there you have a beautiful view over the Bielefeld city area. It is particularly beautiful in the morning and evening. I was up there very early on Saturday, 13 February 2021. It was very cold, around minus 20° Celsius. But the sunrise was very nice. In the first three pictures you can see the large building of the central hospital Bielefeld-Mitte (Klinikum Bielefeld).
Early in the morning above the rooftops of Bielefeld #1
Early in the morning above the rooftops of Bielefeld #2
Early in the morning above the rooftops of Bielefeld #3
Early in the morning above the rooftops of Bielefeld #4
Winter sunrise over Bielefeld
> Urban & Cityscapes