Karlsruhe Tourism Chronicle

We are celebrating 120 years of tourism in Karlsruhe and 10 years of KTG!

10 years of KTG!

We look back on an exciting 10 years of KTG Karlsruhe Tourismus GmbH! From its foundation in 2014 to today's 10th anniversary.

18.02.2014	The Karlsruhe municipal council decides to restructure Karlsruher Messe- und Kongress GmbH (KMK). Accordingly, the tourism division is spun off from KMK. In addition, a separate company is founded for major events.
	As of April 1, 2014, the tourism division with 27 employees is to be spun off from KMK. A new municipal company will be created. The new Karlsruhe Tourismus GmbH will be a wholly owned company of the City of Karlsruhe. The aim is to better market Karlsruhe as a tourist destination and strengthen the city's tourism industry.
09.05.2014	KTG Karlsruhe Tourismus GmbH is registered in the Mannheim commercial register under the number HRB 719752
20.08.2014	Opening of the KA300 store at Kaiserstrasse 97 - 300 days before the start of the city's 300th birthday. The store is run by Stadtmarketing Karlsruhe and KTG. An information counter provides information about the 2015 city birthday, tourist information about Karlsruhe in general and the sale of KA300 promotional items. The store will close again after the end of the 2015 festival summer.

Opening of KA300 store — Opening of store KA300 © KTG Karlsruhe Tourismus GmbH

15.09.2014

Successful premiere for the new "Round Table Tourism" event series for Karlsruhe and the region at Buhlsche Mühle in Ettlingen. In future, the round table will take place regularly as a supplement to the Karlsruhe Tourism Day and will focus on a different, current topic for tourism managers in the region.

Premiere of the Tourism Round Table — Premiere of the Round Table Tourism © KTG Karlsruhe Tourismus GmbH

November 2014

The Karlsruhe Volunteer Program is being launched by the KEG (now KME) with the 300th Karlsruhe City Birthday in mind. They are looking for 300 committed Karlsruhe residents to help organize and carry out over 500 events. The volunteers of the City Birthday provided a total of 887 assignments, which corresponds to 7,681 hours of work.

The City of Karlsruhe's volunteer program is unique in Germany in terms of its size, scope and sustainability. Since 2015, Karlsruhe's volunteers have been a natural part of the city's image and its events and embody a welcoming culture. The volunteer program has been coordinated jointly by KME and KTG since 2017.

04. - 08.03. 2015

KA300 Press reception at the international tourism trade fair ITB Berlin in front of over 100 invited guests: Lord Mayor Dr. Frank Mentrup presents the program of the 100-day festival summer with insights into the opening show.

For the first time, KTG will have two stands at ITB, in the Baden-Württemberg Hall and, for the first time, in the Culture Lounge. In addition to the festival program, KTG will be presenting tourism products: There is a cooperation with Deutsche Bahn "Sparpreis Kultur", which allows visitors to the 2015 festival summer to travel to Karlsruhe and back at low cost. With the "KULTURmalVIER" culture pass, culture enthusiasts have the opportunity to experience all four special exhibitions of the festival summer with one ticket.

Press conference on the 300th anniversary of the city

30.10.2015

First presentation of the new umbrella brand "Culture in Karlsruhe" at the offerta public fair. The cultural campaign is launched with 22 partners to promote Karlsruhe as a city of culture with joint print and online products and merchandise and to jointly organize trade fairs and appearances. The initiators of the campaign are the city's cultural office, city marketing and KTG; around 50 partners are now involved in the campaign.

First presentation of the umbrella brand Culture in Karlsruhe 2015 © KTG Karlsruhe Tourismus GmbH

15.07.2016

Maiden voyage of the CityTour Karlsruhe: the red double-decker bus sets off for the first time on its discovery tours through Karlsruhe. Representatives from the local council, the Karlsruhe authorities and the press have been invited to the first trip, and there will be a reception for the guests on the viewing platform on the Durlach Turmberg. In cooperation with the BNN, there will be a competition to win complimentary tickets for the second trip.

Long-distance youth ride of the CityTour Karlsruhe 2016

Maiden voyage CityTour Karlsruhe 2016 - stop on the Turmberg

25.06.2017

With the official inauguration of the NaturRADtour Karlsruhe, the cycling city of Karlsruhe has gained another tourist attraction. Around 100 cyclists and leisure cyclists, including Mayor Klaus Stapf and ADFC Chairman Christian Büttner, accepted KTG's invitation to take part in the 48.8-kilometer tour along seven nature reserves in Karlsruhe. For over two years, several Karlsruhe offices worked together with the KTG on the implementation of the NaturRADtour.

21.11.2017

Municipal council decides on the new structure: instead of the previous three municipal companies, two will be responsible for the fan-shaped city's internal and external image from January 1, 2018: the city's marketing activities will be bundled at KEG and KTG, while Stadtmarketing Karlsruhe GmbH will be dissolved at the turn of the year.

Operational marketing for all companies will be handled by KEG, which will also have marketing in its name and be renamed "Karlsruhe Marketing und Event GmbH" (KME). Cooperation marketing will also be handled by the new KME in future.

KTG is responsible for cultural marketing with the umbrella brand Culture in Karlsruhe.

In future, overarching city marketing will be a top priority in Karlsruhe: a "Strategic Marketing" coordination office will be created in the Lord Mayor's department to coordinate all of the city's marketing activities.

16. - 22.11. 2018 KTG employees move from Beiertheimer Allee to the new offices at Kaiserstraße 72-74. The tourist information staff remain at the main station for the time being.

18.06.2019

Merger of the KME website karlsruhe-erleben.de and the KTG website karlsruhe-tourismus.de: By merging the sites, both GmbHs want to support each other in content production, share technology, save costs and achieve SEO optimization. The GmbHs are being supported in the conversion process by the Karlsruhe agency netzstrategen, which is also creating personas for the target group-specific approach of the joint homepage karlsruhe-erleben.de.

09.10.2019

Karlsruhe wins the "EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF SMART TOURISM 2020" competition in the Cultural Heritage & Creativity category. First Mayor Gabriele Luczak-Schwarz and Klaus Hoffmann accepted the award at a ceremony in Helsinki, Finland. The jury justified its decision with the natural approach to culture in Karlsruhe, because in the City of Law there is a "right to culture".

European Capital of Smart Tourism Logo © European Commission

31.10.2019

Now it's official: Karlsruhe is the first and only city of media art in Germany to be awarded the title "UNESCO City of Media Arts". The award was granted as part of UNESCO's "Creative Cities" program. A total of around 40 institutions from culture, the creative industries, research, science and politics joined forces for the more than one-year application process. The UNESCO City of Media Arts office at the Cultural Office of the City of Karlsruhe has been set up as the central point of contact.

Opening of the Schlosslichtspiele 2019 © KTG Karlsruhe Tourismus GmbH

11. - 19.11. 2019	"Everything must go": Clearance sale at the Tourist Information at the main station.
21.11.2019	Final relocation of the Tourist Information staff from the main railway station to Kaiserstrasse. There is an "emergency service" in the rooms at the main station until 23.11.2019.

Old Tourist Information at Karlsruhe main station — Old tourist information office at Karlsruhe main station © KTG Karlsruhe Tourismus GmbH

25.11.2019

With the "Karlsruhe Showcase", the most digital tourist information center in Europe is opening. With an interactive table, digital marketplace, audio show and 360-degree experience, visitors can go on a journey of discovery and put together their own personal Karlsruhe city guide. However, the "Karlsruhe Showcase" is not only intended to provide tips and event information, but will also become a venue for receptions, information days, readings and much more in the future.

More than 100 listeners are taking part in the competition "What is your favorite place in Karlsruhe" organized by the radio station die neue welle to make Karlsruhe audible for the sound shower in the new shop window on the market square. The 40 most original submissions will be set to music.

Opening of the Karlsruhe showcase © KTG Karlsruhe Tourismus GmbH

16.04.2021

The members' meeting of the Central/North Black Forest Nature Park votes in favor of admitting the city of Karlsruhe as an official member. As early as 19.02.2021, the Karlsruhe Regional Council issues a legal ordinance and takes the necessary legal steps with its publication. The areas of the high-altitude districts of Durlach, Hohenwettersbach, Stupferich, Grünwettersbach and Wolfartsweier are now part of the largest nature park in Germany with around 420,000 hectares.

Important goals in the nature park are the preservation of the cultural landscape and its sustainable use for local recreation and tourism. Since 22.05.2022, the Nature Park Market series of events has also been held in Durlach every year. Another cooperation with the nature park is the conception of a nature park eye tour around the mountain villages.

02.06.2021

In addition to the Karlsruhe showcase, KTG now also has a mobile tourist information center. First Mayor Gabriele Luczak-Schwarz christens the e-cargo bike "KAline", derived from the city of Karlsruhe and the draisine, the original form of the bicycle. With the new promotional bike, KTG is setting an example for sustainable mobility and also for Karlsruhe as a cycling city. KAline will also be used at numerous trade fairs and events in the future.

July 2021

Start of the certification process to become a sustainable destination: In its responsibility as a DMO, KTG initiates the certification process for the entire destination of Karlsruhe in order to make the city and its tourism stakeholders fit for the future. In several workshops, all employees develop a new corporate mission statement under the motto "KTG - Creative, energetic and together" as well as several measures.

One milestone is the establishment of a sustainability council on 18.05.2022. The members of the council represent the various stakeholder groups of Karlsruhe tourism and connect them with renowned partners from business and science. For example, representatives from municipal companies, tourism companies, research (KIT) and mobility as well as the Black Forest Central/North Nature Park are represented.

KTG's sustainable mission statement — Sustainable mission statement of KTG © KTG Karlsruhe Tourismus GmbH

19. - 23.09. 2022

KTG, the Kreishandwerkerschaft Region Karlsruhe, the IHK Karlsruhe and the hotel and restaurant association DEHOGA are initiating the training initiative under the motto "Deine Ausbildung. Your future. Connecting industries." on the subject of careers and prospects. Numerous information stands and hands-on activities for schoolchildren will be offered in and around the Karlsruhe showcase.

Training initiative in the Karlsruhe showcase © KTG Karlsruhe Tourismus GmbH

2023

Annual campaign on the subject of enjoyment "Karlsruhe. Have you tried it yet?" - Karlsruhe Tourism is in charge of bringing the prestigious and media-effective Michelin star award ceremony to Karlsruhe on April 4, 2023. Karlsruhe can officially call itself a Michelin Host City for six months. This attracts numerous press representatives, bloggers and influencers to Karlsruhe. The gourmet brochure "Karlsruhe. Have you tried it yet? is published!

19.10.2023

Great jubilation at the 15th Karlsruhe Tourism Day in the new hospitality worlds of the BBBank Wildpark: Karlsruhe is now officially certified as a sustainable destination. This is the result of a process initiated by KTG Karlsruhe Tourismus GmbH in 2021. Sustainability is not a result, but a process that is constantly being developed and advanced. 13 partners are already officially partners of the Sustainable Destination. Our vision is for all tourism partners, service providers, cultural and leisure facilities and locations in and around Karlsruhe to join in, as this is the only way we can make sustainability a tangible experience.

15th Karlsruhe Tourism Day - Karlsruhe is a sustainable travel destination © KTG Karlsruhe Tourismus GmbH

1903 until 2014

We capture some of the most relevant moments in the development of tourism in Karlsruhe from 1903 to 2014!

02.11.1903	The Karlsruhe Tourist Office is founded as a registered association with the aim of promoting tourism in Karlsruhe and the surrounding area.
1913	The office of the Karlsruhe Tourist Office was located "in the town hall, on the ground floor, to the right of the main entrance, room no. 2." The office could be contacted on telephone numbers 46 and 84 and provided free brochures, guides, maps, hotel lists and directories of places of interest.
06. - 08.10. 1928	To celebrate its 25th anniversary, the association organized the 1st Karlsruhe Festival of Lights in 1928, to which over 90,000 visitors travelled by train to the fan-shaped city.
1930s	Thanks to its numerous members, who held influential positions in business, banking, the hotel industry, the military, the civil service and the city administration, the Verkehrsverein played a key role in significantly increasing tourism and thus the number of overnight stays in Karlsruhe.
1938	The tourist office publishes the Karlsruhe weekly magazine "Verein zur Hebung des Fremdenverkehrs".
1939	The beginning of the Second World War means the temporary end of the tourist office.
April 1947	The company is re-established and moves into temporary accommodation in the new town hall on Beiertheimer Allee.
01.04.1948	The tourist office at the southern entrance to the Stadtgarten is a public information point with room information.
1965	Relocation of the tourist information office to the spacious and modern premises at Bahnhofplatz 8, followed by the move to Bahnhofplatz 6. The association succeeds in building on the old days and, with the now primarily scientific and medical congresses, the city birthday in 1965 and the Federal Garden Show in 1967, the number of visitors to Karlsruhe increases to a new record level.

View of the reception hall of the Karlsruhe Tourist Office in its new home at Bahnhofplatz 8, 1965

The Gondoletta boats pulled by ropes in the water were one of the highlights of the Buga period

1970s	The generally worsening economic situation in the 1970s led to a significant decline in the number of overnight stays in Karlsruhe; a trend that could only be slowly halted in the following years.
1984	The first city information center in Karlsruhe is opened in the building of Hofdruckerei G. Braun, today Verlag Braun, at Karl-Friedrich-Str. 14.
1995	The city information office moves to the building on the corner of Karl-Friedrich-Straße and Erbprinzenstraße on Rondellplatz, and in 2000 it moves to the Weinbrennerhaus on Marktplatz.
2001	The City of Karlsruhe, whose representatives had formed the board since the association was founded, withdraws from the association's activities. All operational tourism tasks are transferred to the newly founded Karlsruher Messe- und Kongress-GmbH (KMK), which was formed from the merger of Karlsruher Ausstellungs- und Kongress-GmbH and Karlsruher Sportstätten-Betriebs-GmbH. The Verkehrsverein Tourismusregion Karlsruhe e.V. will continue to operate as an independent association and is made up of service providers in the hotel, catering, trade, craft and cultural sectors as well as citizens interested in tourism and organizational bodies such as sports and cultural associations.
January 2008	Launch of the Convention Bureau Karlsruhe & Region as a service center of the city and the Karlsruhe TechnologyRegion for all those planning a conference, a national or international congress or an event in Karlsruhe and the region. Structurally, the Convention Bureau was part of the Tourism division at the KMK. Since 2014, it has been structurally part of KTG Karlsruhe Tourismus GmbH.
01.07.2009	The Karlsruhe Tourism Day takes place for the first time. More than 100 participants come to the Konzerthaus Karlsruhe to discuss synergies, cooperation and strategies for tourism in Karlsruhe. In future, the networking event will take place annually with keynote speeches, workshops or open space sessions with representatives from culture, politics, the hotel and catering industry as well as tourism service providers and partners from tourism associations in the surrounding area.

01st Karlsruhe Tourism Day 2009 © KTG Karlsruhe Tourismus GmbH

01.11.2010

The Karlsruhe city information center in the historic Weinbrennerhaus on Marktplatz is closing its doors after more than 10 years. In future, the entire space will be used by the landlord Karlsruher Verkehrsverbund (KVV).

01.03.2013

The magic million mark has been exceeded for the first time: 1,007,217 people stayed overnight in Karlsruhe's accommodation establishments in 2012. Guests from abroad in particular recorded an above-average increase in overnight stays in 2012 (+25.1%).

Celebrating 1 million overnight stays in Karlsruhe for the first time — Celebrations for the first 1 million overnight stays in Karlsruhe © KTG Karlsruhe Tourismus GmbH

Karlsruhe tourism heads since 1903

Karlsruhe City Archive

(* 1853 - † 1930)

Robert Ostertag

Karlsruhe city councillor and first chairman (until 1910) of the Karlsruhe Tourist Office, founded in 1903.

Karlsruhe City Archive

Günther Heyden

Transport Director (until 1985) of the Karlsruhe Transport Association, which was re-established in 1947 after the Second World War, in the new town hall on Beiertheimer Allee.

Karlsruhe City Archive

(* 1938 - † 2017)

Karl-Heinz Pflaum

Transport Director (1985 to 2001) of the Karlsruhe Transport Association becomes Managing Director of the Karlsruhe Trade Fair and Congress Company (KMK) in October 2001.

Monika Storck

Former spokeswoman for the Bündnis90/Die Grünen municipal council faction takes over the management of the tourism division of the KMK as well as the chairmanship of the Baden-Württemberg city tourism marketing group in 2003.

Klaus Hoffmann

Head of Human Resources, Legal Affairs and Finance at Karlsruher Messe- und Kongress-Gesellschaft (KMK) is appointed Managing Director by the Supervisory Board of KMK on March 1, 2008 and is jointly responsible for the Tourism division with Monika Storck. After her departure in 2011, he takes over sole management of the Tourism division.

The Tourism division is spun off from KMK on April 1, 2014. KTG Karlsruhe Tourismus GmbH is founded, Klaus Hoffmann takes over as Managing Director and thus leaves KMK as the previous Managing Director for Finance and Tourism.

In 2019, he takes part in the election for Mayor of Bad Herrenalb and takes up his new office on January 17, 2020.

Torsten Dollinger

City Treasurer of the City of Karlsruhe was appointed interim Managing Director of Karlsruhe Tourismus GmbH by the Supervisory Board at the beginning of 2020 and will lead the company through the lockdown and the first months of the coronavirus period until September 2020.

André Lomsky

Took over the management of KTG in October 2020. He moved to Karlsruhe from the city of Rottweil, where he headed up the business development, tourism and city marketing department. At the end of 2021, he will leave the city at his own request to become Managing Director of Tiroler Kufsteinerland.

Pascal Rastetter

Managing Director of KTG Karlsruhe Tourismus GmbH since 01.01.2022.
He began his bachelor's degree in tourism management at KTG in 2014. After completing his studies, he initially worked as an assistant to the management and later as a consultant to the managing director, focusing on administration and training, before taking over the "Control & Service" department in 2020 and successfully completing his Master's degree with a focus on General Business Management while working.
On January 1, 2022, he initially took over as interim Managing Director before being appointed as the new Managing Director of KTG on January 1, 2023.