April 9, 2019, 11:10 am | Read time: 4 minutes
There are many observation platforms in Germany. They offer views over valleys and mountains, vast fields, rivers, lakes, and seas. Or over the Autobahn 40 near Bochum. You read that right—there’s a platform there that might offer the ugliest view in Germany. TRAVELBOOK took a closer look.
Bochum isn’t a place that draws crowds of tourists. Dortmund at least has the BVB stadium, Duisburg its zoo, but Bochum? Well, Bochum has the A40. That’s a bit exaggerated, as Bochum does have some nice spots. But it’s hard to understand why there’s an observation platform right by this highway. And for many reasons.
Why Is There an Observation Platform by the Highway?
First, the obvious question: Why build an observation platform at a highway interchange? Susanne Schlenga from Straßen.NRW, the state road construction agency of North Rhine-Westphalia, responds evasively to TRAVELBOOK’s inquiry: “There was significant public interest in the highway even before the work was completed.” However, this interest also stemmed from the fact that the highway, until the new “Westkreuz” traffic hub with the observation platform was operational, was mainly responsible for many traffic jams in the Ruhr area. Is that a reason to want to view the highway from an observation platform?
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It gets even more bizarre: If there are indeed people who really want to view the “Westkreuz,” they could do so from the bridge. Which bridge? The one estimated to be about two meters away, offering a view of the highway that’s identical, if not better. You can see for yourself in the video above. Andrea Defeld from the Taxpayers Association NRW is also outraged: “It’s not understandable why so much money was spent to additionally build this observation platform.” The platform was about 91 percent federally funded.
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But the view from the bridge is supposedly risky—after all, it’s part of a heavily trafficked highway feeder, as Susanne Schlenga from Straßen.NRW points out. The question of why an observation platform is needed here, especially one that’s not signposted, with no nearby parking, and where very few pedestrians pass by, remains unanswered.
According to Straßen.NRW, the platform is meant to protect passersby. How, you ask? Quite simply: Potential visitors might be tempted to climb the hill behind the platform, and this risk, according to the spokesperson from Straßen.NRW, is now reduced thanks to the platform. But: Aside from the fact that, due to the aforementioned bridge, very few people would even consider climbing the hill, TRAVELBOOK believes it’s now even easier to do so.
To explain, here are two scenarios, both assuming the unlikely case that someone desperately needs an elevated view of the Westkreuz and ignores the bridge.
Situation 1: A pedestrian walks past the hill and wants to climb it. Thanks to the stairs up to the observation platform, they save themselves from climbing a large part of the hill, making it easier to reach the top. Situation 2: A pedestrian climbs onto the observation platform. Once at the top, they might want an even better view. Now they can easily climb over the platform’s railing. Either way, more help was provided than deterrence.
Cost of the Platform: 58,000 Euros
Photographers would likely be most at risk—because they are supposedly among the biggest fans of the new observation platform, according to Straßen.NRW. Susanne Schlenga explains: “On the platform, you can work with long exposure. That’s not possible on the bridge, for example, because the structure moves too much there.”
There are only two problems: First, there are admittedly beautiful photos of the A40 from other cities, such as Essen. Secondly, according to Andrea Defeld from the Taxpayers Association NRW, “it’s certainly not the taxpayers’ job to build a platform for photographers here.”
And honestly: Would a photo of the A40, as pretty as it may be, be worth 58,000 euros? That’s how much the structure cost taxpayers.
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TRAVELBOOK was on site and finds: no. How dreary—and above all loud—it really is at the observation platform, you can see in the video above.