From “Shithole” to “Swiftkirchen”: The fact that superstar Taylor Swift is starting her German concerts in Gelsenkirchen surprised some – and made some particularly happy.
Glamour and great emotions in Gelsenkirchen: The visit of US megastar Taylor Swift will do the Ruhr region city’s image good, says cultural scientist Jörn Glasenapp. “Taylor Swift is a major win for Gelsenkirchen because she brings globality, cosmopolitanism and inclusiveness, liberality. That suits any city very well.”
Gelsenkirchen is an interesting case among the concert cities on the “Eras Tour”. “Outside the USA, it is definitely the least glamorous stop on the entire tour,” said Glasenapp. As the location for two major events this summer – before the “Swifties” numerous football fans came to the European Championship games – the city has repeatedly made international headlines in recent months.
Who knows Gelsenkirchen?
US presenter Jimmy Kimmel joked that no one has ever heard of “Gelsenkirchen, Germany”. “Maybe it doesn’t even exist”. British football fan and vlogger Paul Brown, who travelled to England’s European Championship match against Serbia, called the city a “shithole” in a video. However, he later backtracked and praised the people and pubs in the city.
The city in the Ruhr area has certainly already come into contact with glitz and glamour. Superstars such as the Rolling Stones, Robbie Williams, Pink and Ed Sheeran have performed here. “The ‘Eras Tour’ is something very special because of the worldwide attention,” said city spokesman Markus Schwardtmann. Hotels and private accommodation in the city have long been fully booked. The city is therefore creating additional sleeping options on the pop-up campsites that have already been set up for the European Championships.
The city expects millions in sales
“Financially, the concerts not only mean a boost to the city’s image, but also a turnover per concert that is difficult to quantify, but is likely to be between two and three million euros,” Schwardtmann continued. “That does not include the price of the tickets.”
The demand from national and international media and the hype on social media are even higher than before the European Championships. The city wants to fuel the euphoria with many activities around the three concerts (17th, 18th and 19th July). There will be an open-air party in the city center on the concert days, which should also be interesting for fans without tickets. In “Taylor Town” there will be karaoke, a stage program and a tattoo stand. At the beginning of the month the city had already started putting up signs with the inscription “Swiftkirchen”. There will also be “Swiftkirchen” merchandise.
“Swifties” from all over the world in “Swiftkirchen”
In addition to the modern stadium roof of its arena, Gelsenkirchen is also an attractive venue because it is located in the middle of Germany’s largest metropolitan area with over five million inhabitants. By far the largest number of visitors are expected to come from North Rhine-Westphalia, neighboring federal states, as well as Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Around 210,000 fans will travel to the three concerts.
Some of them also travel much longer distances to get to “Swiftkirchen”: In Facebook groups for the three Gelsenkirchen concerts, “Swifties” from countries such as the USA, Canada and Australia also exchange ideas.
The American blogger Grace Dobush gives US fans tips for traveling to Gelsenkirchen – and in her text she lovingly describes the city as the “Dayton, Ohio of Germany”. “People elsewhere in Germany have heard of it, but they have probably never visited it and would definitely not go on holiday there.” But the city has a rich history, proud residents and “many little gems if you know where to look”.
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Source: Stern

I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.