Düsseldorf's beliebtes Wahrzeichen als leckeres Souvenir - da steht jeder Kopf.
Der Radschläger gehört zu Düsseldorf wie der
Rheinturm oder das Altbier.
Er ist ein Stück Tradition der Düsseldorfer.
Düsseldorfs cartwheeler (Radschläger in German) is one ofthe city's most famous symbols.
While the original connection between this children's game and the city can no longer reliably be reconstructed, it is generally said to have found it's beginning after the battle of Worringen, a battle against Cologne that won Düsseldorf it's city rights, which was won in 1288. According to history when the children heard the news, they took to the streets and expressed their joy through cart wheels. Others say the symbol had its beginnings when on its way to a wedding a carriage's wheel broke. A brave young boy from Düsseldorf witnessing the situation is said to have saved the bride within the coach by replacing the wheel himself.
In the 19th and 20th century Düsseldorfbecame the location for many major exhibitions that would later become the trade fair's the city hosts to the day. Those events attracted people from far away cities and countries and cartwheels became a lucrative source of income for the city's children, as they could be paid up to a penny for a presentation oftheir skills, as it was thought a local tradition and symbol ofthe city.
If you visit Düsseldorf in June you may witness to the annual cartwheel competition on the city's most famous street, Königsallee. An average of 500 children participate every year in what's become apart ofthe city's favorite events.