Leverkusen - the city of gingerbread, aspirin and Bayern 04 Leverkusen.

Leverkusen is a city in western Germany in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It lies on the Rhine River and has a population of more than 160,000. At first it was the village of Wiesdorf. In 1861, German chemist Carl Leverkus chose the site to build a dye factory. Later, the pharmaceutical company Bayer AG moved there and gradually more workers began to arrive. From then on, Wiesdorf became the center of the chemical industry. In 1920 it was granted a city charter, and over time neighboring villages were added and renamed Leverkusen. In 1975, other nearby towns and counties from Bergisches Land were incorporated.

The city is primarily associated with the Bayer 04 Leverkusen soccer club and its BayArena stadium, and the Bayer pharmaceutical company, but it is also famous for its delicious gingerbread, art and beautiful green spaces.

Leverkusen - sights and attractions in the city

What to see while in and around Leverkusen? We provide hints in the text below.

Museum of Modern Art Morsbroich

Until the 19th century, the area of today's Leverkusen had a rural character. Morsbroich Castle was a country estate of the nobility with a history dating back to the 14th century. The current appearance of this palace surrounded by a park dates from the 18th century and represents the Baroque style. Since 1951, a museum with an extensive collection of modern art has been housed inside. You can admire there, among others, works by Gerhard Richter, Wolf Vostell, Joseph Beuys or Yves Klein.

BayArena Stadium

The stadium of the Bayer 04 Leverkusen team seats more than 30,000 fans. It was built in 1958 and significantly rebuilt and upgraded in the 1990s. However, it only took its current shape in 2009. While in Leverkusen, it's worth going there at least once to see a match or tour the entire facility.

Japanese Garden

The garden is located in the Flittard district. In 1912, German chemist Carl Duisberg, CEO of Bayer, made the first plantings on what was then his estate. Traveling in the Far East, he felt enchanted by the extraordinary gardens of Japan, so different from those in Europe. Today, the Leverkusen garden features a tea house, a Shinkyo bridge modeled after the bridge in Nikko, Japan, numerous bodies of water, gazebos, statues and many plants typical of Japanese gardens. You can walk there among red maples, sequoias, bamboos or miscanthus. The garden is accessible all year round, and admission is free.

Viewpoint on the water tower

The Leverkusen-Bürrig water tower was built in 1978. It is 72 meters high and has an observation deck at the top, from which visibility reaches up to 50 kilometers in good weather. The tower is a symbol of the city, visible from anywhere in the area, still performing its original role of providing constant water pressure to the city.

Cologne Cathedral

Cologne, less than 11 kilometers away, is also home to many monuments, interesting museums and attractions. One of the most important, which is worth a look, is the Gothic Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Mary. It is the most recognizable religious building in Germany visited annually by millions of tourists from all over the world. It was built from 1248 with interruptions for more than 600 years. Inside is a reliquary with the remains of the Three Kings, the more than 1,000-year-old Geron Crucifix, a sculpture of the Madonna from the 12th century, and in one of the temple's towers hangs the St. Peter's Bell, the largest to ring in Europe. Since 1996, Cologne Cathedral has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.