Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [531]
East along Am Abdinghof to the north of the Dom are the remnants of the Carolingian Kaiserpfalz, Charlemagne’s palace where that historic meeting with Pope Leo took place. It was destroyed by fire and replaced in the 11th century by the Ottonian-Salian Kaiserpfalz, which has been reconstructed as faithfully as possible atop the original foundations. Inside is the Museum in der Kaiserpfalz ( 105 110; Am Ikenberg 2; adult/concession €2.50/1.50; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun), which presents excavated items from the days of Charlemagne, including drinking vessels and fresco remnants. The only original palace building is the twee Bartholomäuskapelle ( 10am-6pm) next door. Consecrated in 1017, it’s considered the oldest hall church north of the Alps and enjoys otherworldly acoustics.
HEINZ NIXDORF MUSEUMSFORUM
You don’t have to be a techie to enjoy the engaging Heinz Nixdorf Museumsforum (HNF; 306 600; www.hnf.de; Fürstenallee 7; adult/concession/family €5/3/10; 9am-6pm Tue-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun), an amazing romp through 5000 years of information technology, from cuneiform to cyberspace. Established by the local founder of Nixdorf computers (since swallowed by bigger corporations), it displays calculating machines, typewriters, cash registers, punch-card systems, manual telephone exchanges, accounting machines and other time-tested gadgets, although the heart of the museum clearly belongs to the computer age. Most memorable is the full-scale replica of Eniac, a room-sized vacuum-tube computer developed for the US Army in the 1940s. These days, the data it held would fit onto a barely-there microchip.
There are plenty of machines to touch, push and prod as well as computer games and a virtual-reality theatre. English-language explanatory panels are only sporadic, but a comprehensive museum guide in English is available for €5. To get here, catch bus 11 from the Hauptbahnhof to Museumsforum.
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Sleeping
DJH hostel ( 220 55; www.djh-wl.de/jh/paderborn; Meinwerkstrasse 16; dm under/over 26yr Mar-Oct €17.60/20.30, Nov-Feb €15.20/17.50; ) Well-run and central hostel. Take bus 2 to Detmolder Tor.
Hotel Campus Lounge ( 892 070; www.campuslounge.de, in German; Mersinweg 2; s/d from €80/90; ) Great views and roomy digs with private balcony are among the assets of this warm and welcoming property near the university. Frolicking zones include a spa with sauna, steam room and ice grotto and a lounge-bar.
Galerie-Hotel Abdinghof ( 122 40; www.galerie-hotel.de, in German; Bachstrasse 1; s/d €80/100; ) Hands-down our favourite in town, this charming hotel in a 1563 stone building overlooks the Paderquellgebiet. Famous artists – Michelangelo to Picasso – inspired the decor of the 11 rooms, furnished in styles ranging from country-rustic to elegant-feminine. Original art graces the downstairs cafe-restaurant.
Hotel Stadthaus ( 188 9910; www.hotel-stadthaus.de, in German; Hathumarstrasse 22; s/d €98/106; ) An air of quiet elegance pervades this 34-room hotel spread over two separate but equally delightful buildings. Free wine, bottled water and DSL are welcome perks, and so is the sauna for relaxing. The restaurant serves modern German cuisine.
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Eating
Curry Company ( 387 7414; Kamp 10; dishes €2.50-9; 11am-midnight) ‘Gourmet snack’ is not an oxymoron at this artsy sausage parlour where you can pair your Wurst (sausage) with such freshly made gourmet sauces as truffle mayonnaise, coriander-chilli sauce and roasted garlic honey sauce.
Deutsches Haus ( 221 36; Kisau 9; mains €7-19; 8.30am-1am) You won’t leave hungry after a meal at this honest-to-goodness German inn souped up with rustic beams, wood booths and a mosaic inspired by Gustav Klimt. The hungry-man breakfasts (€6.50, including bottomless tea or coffee) could easily last you through to supper. Also come for lunch specials and meaty dinners.
Trattoria Il Postino ( 296 170; Rathauspassage; mains