Discover Oststadt

Oststadt: Cultural Monuments and Architecture

Oststadt combines numerous cultural monuments with a diverse mix of architectural styles. Between Durlacher Tor and the Oststadtring, this gives the district an urban character shaped by history. If you would like to plan your trip around architecture and urban heritage, this theme provides a guiding thread for your stay: you can take in the different architectural styles and connect your impressions with a walk featuring named stops. The Oststadt Route is a practical starting point.

An Overview of the Oststadt Route

The Oststadt Route is about two kilometres long and takes around 30 minutes on foot. It connects the Lutherkirche, the Old Slaughterhouse, remnants of the Oststadt railway and the Hoepfner brewery complex. Cafés and concert venues add to the stops; a beer garden is included only when it is open. This makes the walk a combination of architecture, cultural venues and other stops. The approximate duration helps you fit the walk into your day; allow extra time for breaks or longer visits at individual locations.

Getting There

For orientation, the Oststadt Route lists Gottesauer Platz/BGV as a possible stop, as well as tram lines 1, 2 and 4, S-Bahn lines S2, S4, S5, S7, S8 and S51, and parking at Messplatz Karlsruhe. Check current connections and the parking option at Messplatz Karlsruhe before setting off.

More Destinations in the Wider Karlsruhe Destination

The wider Karlsruhe destination offers additional themes that are clearly distinct from one another. Since 1997, the ZKM has been housed in Hallenbau A, a former industrial building listed as a historic monument. The building was constructed between 1915 and 1918 and was considered one of Germany’s most architecturally advanced buildings at the time. While Oststadt is characterised by numerous monuments and diverse architectural styles, Hallenbau A represents the architectural history of a single former industrial building. This lets you explore two different architectural perspectives during a trip to Karlsruhe.

The State Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe features permanent exhibitions on native and exotic wildlife, as well as rocks, minerals and fossils. Karlsruhe Zoological City Garden combines a zoo with a municipal garden. These destinations have different thematic focuses from Oststadt’s architecture: here, the emphasis is on natural history and the combination of a zoo and city garden. You can plan your visit according to whether you are interested in architectural history, wildlife or other natural history topics.

More Routes and a City Tour

The approximately ten-kilometre “AugenBlick” Karlsruhe loop offers a different scale from the roughly two-kilometre Oststadt Route. It can be started at various points, for example at Turmberg. The different distances help you choose between a short walk and a longer route without treating the two routes as equivalent.

The CityTour Karlsruhe takes in the city’s major sights aboard a red double-decker bus. This is a different format from a walk through Oststadt; seasonal details may change. So check the latest tour details before setting off.

Discover more destinations: Grötzingen, Durlach.

Back to the overview of destinations: Karlsruhe.