Five things that all students should have experienced in Landau

Lena Frohn is about to complete her Bachelor's degree. Her future career will take her out of the Palatinate. With a completed bachelor's thesis on political communication on social media and moving boxes packed, she looks back on the time she spent in Landau. In this column, she has compiled her personal Landau essentials: Places and experiences without which life in Landau would not be the same and which she can only recommend to anyone and everyone. For newcomers to get a taste of the city as well as for old hands. 

1. The cafés

When I first came to Landau in autumn 2020, one of the first things I researched was the vegan food options. As a new vegan at the time, it was absolutely clear to me that the availability of vegan-friendly restaurants and cafés would always play a role in my choice of where to live. In the area where I come from, this offer tends towards zero, which is why the selection in Landau at the time seemed like paradise to me. And yet a few such cafés were added to Landau's cityscape while I was still a student. Café Cosmo and Café Zur Krumbeere, in particular, took on the role of my living room at times. For a relatively small town, Landau has an incredibly cosy eco-charm, which is reflected in the constantly growing number of hip cafés with a socio-ecological concept. Logically, I had to try them all.

2. The ‘Rote Kaserne’

The university has many satellite campuses in Landau, so student life is closely linked to city life. In my opinion, none of them describes this connection as well as the Rote Kaserne: the birthplace of the father of the American political cartoon, Thomas Nast, is not even the most beautiful branch of the university: that title certainly belongs to the magnificent building in Xylanderstraße. Many members of the social sciences and sociology staff have their offices and their lectures in the Rote Kaserne. As a student of social and communication sciences, I probably had at least one course there every semester. Accordingly, I associate formative moments from my student days with the old military barracks. During the Landau Summer (a festival in the city centre), I danced and ate pizza with friends outside the building. One Saturday in midsummer, I sat there eating ice cream at an event on media sociology and discussed the (un)democratic potential of social media. I sat there hungover in seminars more than once and wished I had said and done fewer stupid things at parties. Maybe once there was even a little champagne tasting in the seminar. The Department of Political Communication, where I wrote my bachelor's thesis, also has some events there. I therefore also registered, presented and handed in my Bachelor's thesis at the Rote Kaserne. Over the course of the semesters, I also gave many exciting presentations there, all of which ultimately led me directly or indirectly to my enthusiasm for political communication. In short, I experienced all the emotions that are part of a good student life in this building. And every single one of them has brought me something.

3. Schorle hike to the Kleine Kalmit

Well, it doesn't necessarily have to be a Schorle hike. You can also do a normal hike to the Kleine Kalmit. From the highest elevation in the Rhine Graben, you have a wonderful view of the Palatinate Forest. If you want the full programme, join the pilgrimage on the first of May. Every year, there is hardly a free spot on the entire Kleine Kalmit, as people sit everywhere on picnic blankets and dubbe glasses (the Palatinate sliding glasses with round indentations for a secure grip) in their hands. However, the hour and a half it takes to get there (depending on how many breaks you take) is worthwhile at any time of year. It's just a shame if it rains for an hour and a half on the way back and you keep slipping in the mud. I can now find my way there and back in all weathers.

4. Market Saturdays

This is one of the things I will miss the most: sitting in the sun on the market square on a Saturday morning, a jute bag filled with regional fruit and vegetables next to me. In front of me, a cappuccino and a chocolate croissant from the best bakery stall in the whole market. They taste best when you dip them in your coffee. One of the best things about these mornings was always their spontaneity. Because Landau is so small, everyone is close together. I usually wrote a quick message on the way to the market, something like ‘Coffee at the market square soon?’ I took all the time in the world when buying fruit and vegetables, as you're usually standing in a queue anyway, listening to the orders of the people in front of you. Incidentally, this is a good way to find inspiration for what you actually want to buy, because I usually went shopping less for the vegetables and more for the nice feeling at the market. Quite apart from the fact that the average student can't afford it anyway, you don't have to buy kilos of grumbeeren (Palatinate for potato) and pointed cabbage at the market to feel good. Sometimes a few apples are enough. Only the chocolate croissant is an absolute must.

5. Sport at the LGS

The former Landesgartenschau site (LGS) should not be missing from any description of Landau. In my first semesters, I spent a lot of my free time there because the pandemic meant we could only meet outside. It started with playing basketball in the sports facilities just behind the park, which eventually turned into volleyball and sometimes spike ball. Because the LGS is in the far south of Landau, we often walked back towards the city together, gradually saying goodbye to everyone. Sometimes there was an ice cream for the way home. Those days helped me get through the pandemic. At the time, I hadn't seen the inside of a single lecture theatre due to the lockdown.

Of course, there are other places and experiences that characterise Landau. For example, the many study breaks I took under the bell tower trees on campus or the university library, which I knew at least as well as my own home during the exam phases. But these five things can only be found like this in Landau. When I moved here four years ago, I never thought that I would leave such a unique way of life when I moved out. It's not easy to say goodbye, but I know that I'll definitely be back.