Pforzheim
GREEN CITY WITH A SUNNY DISPOSITION

On a walk through the city, you will quickly notice that both tradition and modern life play an important role in Pforzheim. In the pedestrian zone, which is the main shopping street in Pforzheim, you’ll find the Sparkassenturm. It’s a modern office building which “stands guard” over downtown Pforzheim. Right next to it is the Industriehaus Pforzheim, a historic building and one of the few which was not destroyed in World War II (1939-1945).

In some parts of the city, you can still notice how the war influenced the development of Pforzheim. For example, the used to be a smaller mountain, but was elevated to 417 metres after the war with tons of rubble from the destroyed city. You will find large pillars atop the hill showing photos of what Pforzheim looked like before and after the war.

You might hear people refer to Pforzheim by its nickname: “Goldstadt”, meaning “Gold City”. The name refers to its historic tradition of jewellery making. Even today, Pforzheim and the surrounding region are home to numerous companies which produce watches and jewellery.

If you’d like to learn more about the local culture, you should pay a visit to the Pforzheim Jewellery Museum. Not only is the exhibition on the jewellery- and watch-making industry in Pforzheimfascinating, the museum’s architecture itself is worth seeing. It’s called the and is an outstanding example of the architectural style of many buildings constructed in the post-war era.

The , a park on the Nagold River with benches and bright flower patches, is situated directly next to the Jewellery Museum. When it gets warm, you’ll see kids playing in the fountain and people relaxing in the shade of the trees. But even in bad weather, the inhabitants of Pforzheim are prepared and for example go to the cinema.

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