Interview with Hajo Rappe about My Oasis Club

Places to relax and socialize are essential for a city's quality of life. This is why Hajo Rappe initiated the My Oasis Clubwith a wide range of leisure activities. Düsseldorf newbies in particular appreciate the numerous activities such as boat trips, yoga and fitness classes as well as the joint barbecue evenings and excursions. Düsseldorf newcomers now make up around 80 percent of members and come from all over the world. Hajo Rappe told us in an interview what characterizes the club and his personal insider tip in the Medienhafen. 

Hajo, you run the My Oasis Club, which has the promise of being an island of peace and relaxation in its name. How do you put this into practice?
Essentially, we want to create a place where you can leave your everyday life behind and meet new people - without having to organize anything. We offer a wide range of activities, from joint sports, cultural and culinary discovery tours to relaxed get-togethers.  

There is always something exclusive about the term club. A leisure activity such as water sports may lead people to prematurely associate high membership fees and a wealthy elite. How are you positioned in this respect?
At our club, you'll find students as well as members of parliament, single people alongside family men and businesswomen - people with very different biographies. Everyone is welcome. We cultivate relaxed manners, are on first-name terms and numerous friendships have long since developed among our members. We are very keen to connect people with each other. We focus on fun and shared experiences, such as our excursions. For newcomers to Düsseldorf in particular, the club offers good opportunities to make contacts and get to know the city. We have barbecues together, play volleyball and much more. I think with a monthly fee of 45 euros, we appeal to a wide range of people. For example, members can take part in sports courses with our own trainers, such as the outdoor fitness boot camp or yoga courses. We have two of our own motorboats in the Medienhafen, from which everyone can benefit. 

Boat trips, barbecues, yoga, volleyball - it sounds like a club that is primarily geared towards spring and summer. Is the impression correct?
Absolutely not. Of course, some things are easier to do in summer, but we also offer our fitness boot camps and yoga outdoors in fall and winter, so you should dress warmly. Jumping into the heated whirlpool afterwards is second to none. And our excursions can be enjoyed at any time of year anyway. 

That really is a full program. Since you mentioned excursions, what do you do?
The question would rather be what we don't do. Last year we had a guided tour of the botanical gardens, which even those without green fingers loved. Of course there are our boat trips, which start in the marina under the Rhine Tower in the Medienhafen and then end in selected places such as Kaiserswerth, Himmelgeist, Lörick or Hamm. Incidentally, the most beautiful sunset on the Rhine is in Hamm, because neither houses nor forests restrict the view. In cooperation with various partners such as the Unterbacher See or the Langenfeld water ski facility, we have been able to expand the range of water sports beyond the original scope. We also maintain contacts with cultural sites in Düsseldorf and regularly organize private museum tours or are invited to vernissages and exhibitions. Something very special are the guided tours in cooperation with Düsseldorf companies, where we can take a look behind the scenes, for example at the Rheinische Post. These are insights that are not usually accessible to private individuals.  

This is indeed a wide range of leisure activities that you probably wouldn't expect. Finally, a personal question: what is your insider tip for the Medienhafen?
I love Café Greger on Erftstraße. It has the best coffee - at least in the entire harbor area. And the granola is also great. A real insider tip is the Hafen-Kunst-Kino. Not many people know about it. International and regional film art is shown there all year round. It always starts about 15 to 30 minutes after sunset. You can bring your own wine and cheese and make yourself comfortable on the square in front of the Riva.

Further information can be found at my-oasis.club.