Mannheim has its sorrow in the old days, as it was a war-torn area during these time. In 1622 the Thirty Years’ War and 1689 the Nine Years’ War, the city was partly destroyed, but what hit Mannheim the most was the Second World War, during which the city was bombarded so harshly that the whole city was destroyed. Maybe because it was reconstructed so many times, in the end, the organizer simply name the streets within Mannheim city with only alphabets and numbers such as A2, B7, and so on. For people living in the city of Mannheim, it is common to encounter errors when inputting address for package sending, stating the address is too short. I once got a comment from the border control of Hamburg, stating my address is very comical. Other interesting fact to know about Mannheim includes that it is the city where Carl Benz made his first three-wheel Motorwagen. After that, his wife, Bertha Benz, made the first long trip with that Wagen to Pforzheim.
Actually aside from the city center, Mannheim is not that small when we count the countryside. One such place is Vogelstangsee(photo 1–2), which is reachable with Tram 7. It is a place with a very big lake and is suitable for sunbathing and picnicking. Another very interesting activity to join in Mannheim is rolling the dragon-boat at Sandhofen(photo3), which is reachable with Tram3. The city even has its own team. However, if we are only looking at the city center of Mannheim, then it is very small. From one side to the farthest end, one can walk to reach it within 30 minutes. Three main tourist attractions worth mentioning are University of Mannheim (a university in the castle), Wasserturm (water tower), and Luisenpark. Luisenpark is a big park with lots of interesting animal species in it, but what makes it different is its huge Chinese Tea House. It is so Chinese that when my flatmate posted a story and wrote he is in China, many friends of his actually believed him.
