Time travel - an exciting tour through the centuries
One of the great dreams of mankind is to travel through space and time. Floating into other eras with the flux generator like in „Back to the Future“ - who wouldn't want that? In Oppenheim this longing is now being fulfilled. Locals and visitors alike can take a costume tour and travel back in time to centuries gone by - at least in their mind's eye.
Grand entrance for magister, innkeeper and farmer's wife
Guest guide Mechthild Zink acts as a guide. She „lures“ the group that has booked this new offer from the tourist information office to the square in front of St. Catherine's Church and leaves them there in the shade of the large Luther oak tree with mysterious allusions. Before the group can ponder for long what the nice lady with the Rhenish accent might have meant, a tall man in a black gown with a medieval beret on his head approaches. He identifies himself as a scribe, magister and judge and takes those waiting with him back to his time, the year 1225, the very day Emperor Frederick II granted Oppenheim its town charter. An exciting time. A time of change.
And Jürgen Franz, who takes on the role of the Magister, lets his listeners take part in this, even taking them back over 1000 years to when the Romans built a rest stop here on the banks of the Rhine. He talks about the Franconian period, when the core of the settlement was established, and recalls other significant dates and events in a conversational tone. But he has to hurry, because he doesn't want to miss the celebrations to mark the town's elevation. With a respectful „Saluto vos omnes!“, the „Magister“ bids farewell to the time travelers.
They then become aware of an innkeeper from the year 1621, who comes clamoring towards them. In a down-to-earth manner, „landlady“ Ulla Eisenhardt complains about her work-shy husband and the approaching Spanish troops. We are transported back to the time of the 30 Years' War. The costumes are authentic, the narrative style authentic and entertaining.
The „farmer's wife“ Ulrike Franz, who takes over the time travelers from Ulla Eisenhardt and leads them into the darkest hours of the town's history: the great town fire of 1689 and the difficult years of reconstruction in the early 18th century, reports on hardship, suffering and destruction.
The „farmer's wife“ gives a captivating account of misery and hardship and walks with the group through the alleyways of the old town to St. Bartholomew's Catholic Church, where Mechthild Zink welcomes them back. Here the circle closes, because Zink embodies what she really is: a contemporary tour guide. She spans the arc from the 18th century to the present day. Like the other three protagonists, she spices up historical facts and figures with anecdotes and local color. „I like taking part in costume tours like this, because they have their very own flair,“ says a participant from Nieder-Olm, who has come to Oppenheim with friends to go on a „journey through time“. She is not disappointed. On the contrary. „They did a fabulous job,“ she says.
Information + drama = - extraordinary costume tour
„We have thought about what we can do for the guest companions. Jubilee 800 years of Oppenheim town charter last year,“ says Ulrike Franz, looking back at the beginning of the „time travel“ tour. The group of four quickly came together. After a joint exchange of ideas, the concept was decided. „Essentially, it's a combination of historical facts and theatrical elements,“ explains Jürgen Franz. He approaches his part in the spirit of Robbie Williams‘ „Let me entertain you“. „We want to entertain our guests and give them an understanding of the city's history,“ says Jürgen Franz, explaining the standards the quartet sets for itself.
To make the connection between knowledge and amusement visually comprehensible, guests slip into costumes from the respective eras. „The guests are playfully taken back in time. That goes down really well with people,“ says Mechthild Zink, describing the appeal of this unusual costume tour, adding: „When we arrive back in the present day at the end, everyone is absolutely thrilled.“
Stephan Arnold, the city councillor responsible for tourism, is also enthusiastic. „Oppenheim has an incredibly rich history. The journey through time takes guests back to different eras of our town. History is not only told, but actually experienced,“ says Arnold.
All time travel photos: Stephan Arnold/City of Oppenheim
Anecdotes and stories about shopping and stopping off in the old days
The „journey through time“ is not the only new format that was created in the course of last year's 800th anniversary celebrations. „What would you like? - Where you used to be able to shop in Oppenheim“ is the title of a guided tour that sheds light on the town's more recent history. And in particular the economic sector. It is not only about the business world, but also about hotels and restaurants, craft businesses, factories and urban life. The focus is on the period after the war up to the 1990s.
The motives that prompted the city's tour guides Ulla Eisenhardt, Franz Kram and Thomas Ehlke to create this tour are similar to those of the „time travelers“. „We wanted to give the city something special for its 800th birthday,“ says Ulla Eisenhardt. Like her two companions, she grew up in Oppenheim and knows the times when you could buy all your daily necessities in the numerous stores.
The trio set about researching their idea in archives and interviewing contemporary witnesses. Initially, they assume that a few meetings, phone calls and conversations will be enough. A misconception. What was ultimately gathered in interviews, archives and by reading yearbooks and historical address directories far exceeded expectations. In the end, there are 243 stores, workshops, manufacturing companies, service providers, hotels and restaurants listed from the banks of the Rhine to the Gautor - and they document the once lively business and economic life of the city.
Photos: Collection Bernd Felix Hahn
The search for meaningful photos is particularly difficult. In the end, this hurdle is also overcome. The collected photos form a focal point of the tours through the city. Due to the large number of businesses, the tour is divided into three modules on three different dates: Vorstadt, Mainzer Straße and Wormser Straße/Krämerstraße/Marktplatz. Of course, not all the „finds“ are mentioned, that would be tedious.
Photos: Stephan Arnold/City of Oppenheim
Interesting not only for Oppenheimer
What surprises the tour guides is that this tour format is not only well received by long-established Oppenheim residents, but also by new residents and even out-of-towners. „We hadn't expected this, nor did we expect the overwhelmingly positive feedback,“ says Ulla Eisenhardt.
This may be due to the fact that the walks through the former shopping streets are not a stereotypical string of stores and businesses. Anecdotes and background stories not only provide a laugh, but also bring to life and make tangible a time when retail and trade flourished and the town's innkeepers had their hands full.
A time when there were still originals. And these too are brought back to life during the guided tours in the form of quotes and humorous stories. Who still knows today that the town's dignitaries used to gamble in the „Zum Schwanen“ pub in the late fifties? Or that in some stores, the butter floated unpackaged in a tub of cold water due to the lack of refrigerated shelves? Or that stars such as Caterina Valente, Vico Torriani and Conny Froboess performed live in a movie theater in the city in the fifties?
„With ‚Was darf's denn sein?‘ we bring the recent history of Oppenheim back into everyday life. The tour is particularly lively thanks to the many little anecdotes from life in the town, which surprise even long-established Oppenheim residents and are as entertaining as they are exciting for visitors from out of town,“ says Stephan Arnold, summing up what makes this format so special.
Outlook: barrier-free guided tours through the cellar labyrinth planned
The Oppenheim tour guides and the active tourist information team are never at a loss for new ideas - even beyond the anniversary year. The latest project is barrier-free guided tours through the unique cellar labyrinth, which are to be added to the program in 2026. „With these tours, we will be opening up this special place to even more people in future. At the same time, we are also working on developing other barrier-free formats in Oppenheim so that as many visitors as possible can discover our city and its history,“ says the municipal councillor.
These new and all other guided tours of the city can be booked at www.stadt-oppenheim.de/buchen. There you will also find more information on prices and dates.
