Neuss is a 150,000 inhabitants city on the river Rhine near Düsseldorf and somehow the place where I've been living for about 7 years

Touristically Neuss has a "Münster"¹, some museums, a park, a harbour, and a tourist information that has some more information about some attractions in the outskirts².So what is Neuss really about?

Back in the past Neuss was besieged by "Karl dem Kühnen" and his armies, but the Neussers kept him out of the city and finally were freed by an imperial³ army

After this the Neussers gained the right to bear weapons to defend their city

To remember this historical event, every year, at the penultimate week-end in August, the people in Neuss celebrate the "Schützenfest".

This means: all shops are closing on friday to open again on tuesday, the largest place in town is crammed with a fair and every day there are at least five parades through the city of "Schützenvereinen"⁴. A shooting match is held, whose winner will be next year's "Schützenkönig"⁵.

But the main aspect of the "Schützenfest" seems to be getting drunk in public. Throughout the city there are beer stands were "Alt Bier" is sold and on the fair there is a big marquee. On friday the participants start drinking and won't stop to do so until monday. The last parade is called "Wobbling Parade"!

I never understood, why people celebrate themselves for "protecting their town" by urinating in the streets⁶, somene once told me it has to do something with tradition. Well.

Do yourself a favour: avoid Neuss in late August...

Whenever there is wind from the east the shopping street smells - no: stinks - like concentrated scrambled eggs with bacon. This is because of the oil mill in the harbour. My ex-girlfriend almost collapsep, when she had to smell this the first time.

Why don't they just put filters into the mill?

Due to lying in the lower rhine landscape there are no hills in Neuss, everything is flat.

No hills? Not really! We forgot about the waste disposal site.

All the rubbish the Neussers produced during the last years was pilled up and has become a hill. Naturally it's the highest hill in Neuss. Nothing special so far. But:

The Neussers seem to be proud of this hill. They actually put up a plaque there indicating something like "This is Neuss's highest hill. It reaches a height of 88 meters above sea level" and in december they put a huge christmastree up there, so that everyone, passing by on the autobahn can see how much waste was produced in Neuss...

The latest feature of the great rubbish hill is an indoor skiing arena - a giant fridge with snow canons inside on the hill slope.
Where else would you like to waste energy and time to do 100 meters downhill skiing but in Neuss??