Cologne, the Ruhr area & Bad Salzuflen - why I love changing cities

I spent the first 20 years of my life in the Ruhr region, in beautiful Hamm, Westphalia . A city known not only for its lack of beauty, its Higher Regional Court, and its train separations in the regional star central station (all trains from the surrounding area are guaranteed to pass through it), but also for being sarcastically dubbed "The East of the West" in an old SPIEGEL article. As a loyal and home-loving Westphalian, I can't help but attribute a certain imperfection to my birthplace. Too little to experience, too little big city, no sprawling club scene, no international concerts, and everything cultural somehow felt like compromises and well-intentioned. At least, those were the beliefs that accompanied me through my youth 25 years ago and shaped my perception of the cityscape.

Leaving the nest was a given from my teenage years. And that meant not just my parents' house, but also my hometown. So the question arose:

Stock photo for the term “Hamm”

Where to now?

Dortmund, Minden, Ennepe, Koblenz, Hanover, Bielefeld... - It doesn't matter! The main thing is to cross the city limits and head for new shores.

For everywhere where my teenage bubble and I suspected a record store and spray cans, a flyer for a hip-hop jam or a mediocre nightclub we wanted to visit, we bought train tickets and set off . I had the opportunity to travel to a few cities and found my favorite. So I packed up my record player and collection, my ancient clock radio, and my PC and headed to Münster—to a retirement home.

I shared the small, L-shaped one-room apartment with another volunteer who snored like crazy and listened to loud Western soundtracks to relax. But an apartment in Germany's most bicycle-friendly city was my only criterion for my Voluntary Social Year. Even though it was under the roof of a senior citizens' residence and I had to work full-time for €127 a month (room and board were included). Moving to the student city was a dream come true, and I had a really good time there.

From Münster to Pulheim

Many poetry slams and a two-month photography apprenticeship later (the business went bankrupt), my studies took me to Cologne. I lived in neighboring Pulheim, a town boasting a high average age, the filming location for BARES FÜR RARES, and the best Dürüm (drama) in the world. While studying communication design for two years and attending drama school for one year, I worked part-time in nursing. And I have to be honest; I never would have imagined I'd work in this profession for a total of 14 years. But I did :)

I've truly grown to love Cologne, the Rhineland, and the spirit of the revelers and the Muuzepuckels, and I still fondly dream of returning to the Rhine with my silly faces and a view of the cathedral. But life wanted to move on, and so another move, and the associated change of city, was on the cards.

Squaring the circle of Soest

From Cologne we went to the Venice of Westphalia : Lippstadt . Back to the proximity of family and old friends.

Professionally, I stayed in the care of people with disabilities and worked there for 8 years in Lipperode (please remind me to write to Jörn again).

The city suited me and my lifestyle at the time: tranquil, peaceful, unfussy, friendly, and with everything I needed nearby. Those were good years for me and my family, and leaving wasn't easy for any of us. But life, I tell you, can sometimes be wild with its decisions. And so, my most recent move to date, to Bad Salzuflen, came about.

Bad Salzuflen

I have now been living in East Westphalia in the Lippe district for almost three years.

The neighboring towns of Schötmar, Vlotho, Volmerdingsen, and Wüsten still sound like a dream to me, but even though my initial move here presented a few obstacles, I now truly enjoy living here. The small spa town, with its ever-shopping senior citizens, fairytale half-timbered houses, and the salt mines right on my doorstep, is truly a magical place. And thanks to the Teutoburg Forest , I've been able to reawaken my love of nature.

The next move

So why shouldn't I just stay here? Arrive, set up, and relax? Get to know every pigeon by name, become on first-name terms with the mayor, and identify myself as a Salzufler? It's beautiful here, isn't it?

I know myself and my life only too well, and I know that sooner or later, I'll move on. Whether that will happen in three, seven, or eleven years, I have absolutely no way of saying. And whether I'll leave North Rhine-Westphalia for it and end up in one of my current options—Munich or Hamburg—is completely up in the air. It will probably be a place I'm not even thinking about right now, something life will simply shove under my door without comment.

I like the fresh start that comes with moving to a different city. Everything is reset, and all that matters is who you are and what you can do. Getting to know new mentalities, understanding the dynamics of the place, and finding and shaping my own place within it. That has helped me grow as a person. And when I come back to Hamm, and it feels as if the earth has barely turned any further there, I feel like a little globetrotter, bringing exotic things home with me. Yes, my previous places of residence were by no means exotic—I've never left North Rhine-Westphalia. But for me, as a small-town resident, it feels as if I've traveled halfway around the world. At least a very small part.

Best regards

Marius