'Düsseldorf' () is the capital city of the
German Federal State of
North Rhine-Westphalia and one of the economic centres of
Western Germany. Düsseldorf is located on the River
Rhine and in the densely populated
Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan area, with more than 10 million inhabitants. The city is famous for its
carnival and events, also for
fashion and trade fairs, like the
Boot Messe (worldwide leading in boats and watersports) and
Igedo (worldwide leading in fashion). Every year more than 4 Million people visit the
Rhine folk festival during 9 days in summer.
History
When the
Roman Empire was strengthening its position throughout Europe, a few
Germanic tribes clung on to their
marshy territory off the eastern banks of the
Rhine River.
In the 7th and 8th centuries, the odd
farming or
fishing settlement could be found at the point where the small river
Düssel flows into the Rhine. It was from such settlements that the city of Düsseldorf grew.
The first written mention of the town of Düsseldorf dates back to 1135 (then called ''Düsseldorp''). It was told that under
Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa the small town of
Kaiserswerth, lying to the North of Düsseldorf, became a well fortified outpost, where soldiers kept their watchful eyes over every movement on the Rhine. Kaiserswerth eventually became a suburb of Düsseldorf in 1929.
Düsseldorf in 1647
Portion of monument portraying the brutality of the battle of Worringen
In 1186 Düsseldorf came under the rule of
Berg. The counts of Berg moved their seat to the town in 1280.
14 August 1288 is one of the most important dates in the history of Düsseldorf as it was on this day that the sovereign Count Adolf V of Berg granted the village on the banks of the Düssel city rights.
Prior to that announcement, a bloody struggle for power had taken place between the Archbishop of Cologne and the count of Berg, culminating in the
Battle of Worringen. The Archbishop of Cologne's forces were wiped out by the forces of the count of Berg who were supported by citizens and boors of Cologne and Düsseldorf, paving the way for Düsseldorf's elevation to city status, which is remembered today with a monument on the Burgplatz. After this battle the relationship of the two cities deteriorated, because they were commercial rivals. It is often said that there is a kind of hostility between the citizens of Cologne and Düsseldorf. Today, it finds its expression mainly in a humorous form (especially during the Rhineland ''
Karneval'') and in sports.
A market square sprang up on the banks of the Rhine and the square was protected by city walls in all four directions. In 1380, Düsseldorf was made regional capital of the Duchy of Berg. During the following centuries several famous landmarks were built, including the Collegiate Church of St. Lambertus. In
1609, the ducal line of
Jülich-Berg-
Cleves died out, and after a virulent struggle over succession, Jülich and Berg fell to the
Wittelsbach Counts of
Palatinate-Neuburg, who made Düsseldorf their main domicile, even after they inherited the
Palatinate, in
1685, becoming now
Prince-electors as Electors Palatine.
Düsseldorf's growth was even more impressive under the leadership of
Johann Wilhelm II (r. 1690-1716) in the
18th century, also known to his people as Jan Wellem. Greatly influenced by his wife
Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici, the art lover designed a vast art gallery with a huge selection of paintings and sculptures that were housed in the ''Stadtschloss'' (city castle).
After the death of childless Jan Wellem, the flourishing royal capital fell back to hard times, especially after Elector
Karl Theodor inherited Bavaria and moved the electoral court to
Munich. With him he took the art collection, which became part of what is now the
Alte Pinakothek in Munich. Destruction and poverty struck Düsseldorf after the
Napoleonic Wars.
Napoleon made Berg a Grand Duchy and Düsseldorf its capital. After the defeat of Napoleon, the whole Rhineland including Berg was given to the Kingdom of
Prussia in 1815. The parliament of the
Rhine province was established in Düsseldorf later.
By the mid-19th century, Düsseldorf enjoyed a revival thanks to the
Industrial Revolution as the city boasted 100,000 inhabitants by 1882; the figure doubled in 1892. However, the
First and
Second World Wars soon plunged Düsseldorf into depression. During World War II, the city was virtually reduced to a pile of rubble as round-the-clock air attacks took their toll.
In 1946 Düsseldorf was made capital of the new federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The city's reconstruction proceeded at a frantic pace and the economic transformation saw Düsseldorf growing into the wealthy city of trade, administration and service industries as it is known today.
Geography
Physical geography
Düsseldorf lies in the middle of the lower Rhine basin on the delta of the Düssel River where it flows into the Rhine. The city is on the east side of the Rhine, except for District 4 (
Oberkassel,
Niederkassel,
Heerdt and
Lörick).
Across the Rhine
Neuss was built on the delta of the
Erft river. Düsseldorf lies southwest of the
Ruhr mining district, and in the middle of the Rhine-Ruhr urbanized region.
Düsseldorf is built entirely on
alluvium, muds, sands, clays and occasionally gravels. The highest point in Düsseldorf is the top of Sandberg in the far eastern part of the city (
Hubbelrath borough) at 165 m. The lowest point is at the far northern end in
Wittlaer borough where the Schwarzbach (Black Creek) enters the Rhine, with an average elevation of 28 m. Like the rest of the lower
Rhinelands Düsseldorf has mild winters and moderately warm summers, with an average yearly temperature of 10.5°C and 77 cm. of rainfall. The predominate wind direction is out of the south or southeast with velocities in the range of 3 to 4 m/s, with gusts of 3.5 - 4.8 m/s. The wind is calm (under 2 m/s) about 35% of the time, more frequently at night and in the winter.
[2][3]
Districts
The regional parliament, seen from the top of the Rheinturm.
Düsseldorf is currently (2007) divided into
ten administrative districts. Each district (Bezirk) has its own elected district council (Bezirksvertretung) and its own district mayor (Bezirksvorsteher). The district councils are advisory only. Each district is further subdivided into boroughs. There are 49 boroughs in Düsseldorf.
Adjacent cities and districts
The following districts and cities border Düsseldorf (clockwise starting from the north):
the
City of Duisburg, the
District of Mettmann (
Ratingen,
Mettmann,
Erkrath,
Hilden),
Langenfeld, and
Monheim), and the
District of Neuss (
Dormagen, Neuss, and
Meerbusch).
Economy
Düsseldorf is not only widely known as a center of the German advertising and
fashion industries: in the last few years the city on the Rhine has become one of the top
telecommunications centers in Germany. There are 18 internet providers located in the capital of North-Rhine Westphalia. With two of the four big German providers of mobile frequencies,
D2 Vodafone and
E-Plus, Düsseldorf leads the German mobile phone market. There are also many foreign trading centers in Düsseldorf such as
NTT,
Ericsson,
Nokia and GTS.
Schadow Arkaden - shopping mall.
Gehry buildings in Media harbour, looking from ''Monkey Island''.
Many of the internet companies in Düsseldorf have their roots in the world of advertising: there are 400 advertising agencies in Düsseldorf, among them three of the largest in Germany:
BBDO Group,
Publicis Group and
Grey Group. A number of affiliates of foreign agencies deserve mention as well, such as
Ogilvy & Mather,
Dentsu,
Hakuhodu,
Digital District and
DDB.
In Düsseldorf there are about 170 national and international financial institutions and about 130 insurance agencies and one of the biggest German stock exchanges. There are also about 200 publishing houses in Düsseldorf.
Several other major German companies have their headquarters in the city:
Henkel KGaA (Branded Consumer Goods and Industrial technologies);
E.ON (energy);
ThyssenKrupp (metallurgy);
Metro (wholesale, retail); Ergo (insurance);
LTU (air transport),
Cognis (chemicals, headquarter in Monheim near Düsseldorf, but production mainly in Düsseldorf).
DaimlerChrysler build the transporter
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter in Düsseldorf.
Since the 1960s, there has been a strong relationship between the city and
Japan. Many Japanese banks and corporations have their European headquarters in Düsseldorf - so many that Düsseldorf has the third largest Japanese community in Europe.
[4] [5]
The "Kö", which stands for
Königsallee (King's Avenue) is a popular shopping destination. Some of the most reputed jewellery shops, designer labels, and galleries have their stores here. The Kö has about the highest rents for shops and bureaus in Germany.
[6]
Media
Important newspapers and journals such as
Handelsblatt,
Rheinische Post, Wirtschaftswoche, Deutsches Wirtschaftsblatt and VDI-Nachrichten are published in the city on the Rhine. Almost all of these papers are available online on the Internet. Renowned filmmaking companies, such as Germany's biggest cinema enterprise, the Riech-Group, and TV channels such as
WDR,
ZDF,
CNN,
NBC Giga and
QVC solidify Düsseldorf's position as a media center.
Transport
Düsseldorf International Airport, also referred to as Rhein-Ruhr Airport, is located eight kilometres from the city center and can easily be reached by train or the
S-Bahn urban railway. There is a long-distance train station served by regional and national services, which is linked to the airport by the
SkyTrain, an automatic peoplemover. The (old) local station situated under the terminal building carries the S-Bahn line (S7) to the city's central station and to
Solingen as well as a few selected night services.
Düsseldorf's subway
Düsseldorf International Airport
After Frankfurt and Munich, Düsseldorf International Airport is Germany's third largest commercial airport, with 16.6 million passengers annually. The airport offers 180 destinations on 4 continents, and is served by 70 airlines. The airport buildings were partly destroyed by a devastating fire caused by welding works in 1996, killing 17 people. It was completely rebuilt and the Skytrain installed.
The city is a major hub in the
Deutsche Bahn (DB) railway network. More than 1,000 trains stop in Düsseldorf every day. The central railway station at Konrad-Adenauer-Platz is located in Düsseldorf's city center. Several S-Bahn lines connect Düsseldorf to the other cities of Rhine-Ruhr. Local light rail
Stadtbahn traffic as well as bus traffic is carried out by the city-owned
Rheinbahn which operates within the
VRR public transport system. The light rail system also serves neighbouring cities and is partially operated underground.
The Central Station (Hauptbahnhof) and the Airport Station (Flughafen-Bahnhof) are connected to the national and European high speed (Intercity / Eurocity, IC / EC) and extreme high speed
InterCityExpress.
North Rhine-Westphalia has a closely-woven
autobahn network with many routes leading directly to Düsseldorf. The city is connected to the
A3,
A44,
A46,
A52,
A57,
A59 and
A524 motorways.
Facts and Figures
Demographics
★ 17% of Düsseldorf's population is comprised of foreigners, which is a total 98,686 people. The largest minority ethnic groups are Turkish, Greek, and Italian.
[7]
★ Düsseldorf has the third largest Jewish community in Germany, with about 7,300 members, which is more than 1% of the city's population.
★ Düsseldorf and its environs has the third largest Japanese community in Europe and the largest in Germany (about 11,000).
[4] [5]
Living in Düsseldorf
The 2007 Mercer HR Consulting survey ranks Düsseldorf on place 5 of the cities with highest quality of life worldwide and number 1 in Germany
[10]. This comes at a price; in the same study the cost of living was measured, making Düsseldorf the third most expensive city in Germany after Munich and Berlin (45
th world-wide)
[11].
Culture and recreation
Art-loving Elector
Jan Wellem and his wife
Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici of Tuscany, were the patrons of Düsseldorf's first significant cultural activities in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Heinrich Heine, whose 200th birthday was celebrated in 1997, Clara and Robert Schumann as well as
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy are the most prominent artists related to the city. Artistic impulses were often born in the
Academy of Fine Arts and the names of
Paul Klee, Joseph Beuys,
Gerhard Richter as well as
Albert Bierstadt are associated with the institution (
Düsseldorf School). The Düsseldorf cultural scene comprises traditional and avant-garde, classical and glamorous. The world famous state art collection of North Rhine-Westphalia, the highly acclaimed
Deutsche Oper am Rhein (opera), and the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus (theatre), artistic home of
Gustaf Gründgens, are major elements of Düsseldorf's reputation as a center of the fine arts.
Music
Since the
1950s the "
Kom(m)ödchen" has been one of the most prominent political cabarets of Germany.
Düsseldorf's most famous contribution to the culture of modern popular music is beyond doubt the avant-garde electronic music band
Kraftwerk. Formed by a few Düsseldorf-born musicians, Kraftwerk have often been regarded as the most significant band in the history of post-war German music and as pioneers in electronic music. Internationally-known
power metal band
Warlock was formed in Düsseldorf in 1982. Their frontwoman,
Doro (band), has had a successful solo career in Europe and Asia since
Warlock ended. The punk band
Die Toten Hosen, which is famous around the world, also the most popular singers in Germany
Westernhagen and
Heino come from Düsseldorf.
Sports
The LTU-Arena
Düsseldorf is also famous for its traditional
football team,
Fortuna Düsseldorf, the German Champion of 1933. Today, Fortuna competes in the Regionalliga (3rd Division) and their new stadium, the
LTU arena opened in January 2005 and has a capacity of 51,500. Düsseldorf is one of nine
1974 FIFA World Cup cities and the Rochusclub Düsseldorf hosted the tennis world team cup since 1978.
Other sports in Düsseldorf are
ice hockey (the
DEG Metro Stars, former DEG - Düsseldorfer Eislauf Gemeinschaft, which play in the new
ISS-Dome) and American football. The
Düsseldorf Panther are the most successfull team in Germany with six national champion trophys.
Rhine Fire Düsseldorf was an established team of the
NFL Europe and won the
world bowl two times in 1998 and 2000.
Table tennis is also played (Borussia Düsseldorf), as are
handball (HSG Düsseldorf),
basketball (Düsseldorf Magics),
baseball (Düsseldorf Senators) and
dancing (Rot-Weiß Düsseldorf).
Carnival
One of the biggest cultural events in Düsseldorf is the Düsseldorfer
Karneval (also referred to as the "fifth season") which starts every year on
11 November at 11:11 a.m., and reaches its climax on Rosenmontag (Rose Monday), featuring a huge parade through the streets of Düsseldorf. Karneval ends on Aschermittwoch (
Ash Wednesday). The Düsseldorf carnival is part of the traditional carnival festivities in the Rhineland.
Special drinks and meals
Düsseldorf is well-known for its
Altbier, a dark beer, which is brewed only in the region of Düsseldorf.
[12] Other traditional drinks are the liquieurs
Killepitsch and Samtkragen.
Traditional meals in the region are Rheinischer Sauerbraten (meat from horse pickled for a few days) and Sky and Earth (Himmel on Ähd) (black pudding with stewed apples mixed with mashed potatoes). In winter the people like to eat Muscheln Rheinischer Art (Rhenish-style mussels). Also a special meal: Düsseldorfer Senfrostbraten (Steaks roastet with Mustard).
Together with the french city of
Dijon Düsseldorf is famous for its hot
Mustard served in a traditional pot called "Mostertpöttche", which was even eternalized in a still life by
Vincent van Gogh in 1884.
[13]
Theaters
Tonhalle Düsseldorf
★
Deutsche Oper am Rhein (Opera; Ballet)
★
Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus; the theater started with theatralic performances in
1585
★ FFT - Forum Freies Theater (Juta and Kammerspiele)
★
Kom(m)ödchen (political cabaret)
★ Komödie Düsseldorf
★
Tonhalle Düsseldorf (classical music, jazz, pop, cabaret)
★ Theater an der Kö
★ Capitol (musicals)
★ Apollo (varieté, circus; shows do not require knowledge of German language)
Museums and arts institutes
Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen - K20 (Grabbeplatz)
★ Aquazoo-Löbbecke-Museum (aquarium and zoological museum)
★
Forum NRW
★
Goethe-Museum
★ Heinrich-Heine-Institut
★
Kunsthalle Düsseldorf
★
Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen - K20 (Grabbeplatz) and K21 (Ständehaus)
★ Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen
★
museum kunst palast
★
Stadtmuseum (City history museum)
★ Schloss und Park Benrath (Palace and park of Benrath) - Museum of European Garden Design
★
Hetjens-Museum (German museum of ceramics)
University and colleges
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf is located in the southern part of the city.
It has about 20,000 students and a wide range of subjects in natural sciences, mathematics, computer sciences, philosophy, social sciences, arts, languages, medicine, economy and the law.
Other academic institutions include
★ the Clara Schumann Musikschule (Music School)
★ the Robert Schumann
Musikhochschule (
official website) (Musics College)
★ the
Kunstakademie Düsseldorf (
Official Homepage) (Academy of Fine Arts) which is famous for high-profile artists like Joseph Beuys, Paul Klee and
★ the
Fachhochschule Düsseldorf (
official website) (University of Applied Sciences).
★ the
Max Planck Institute for Iron Research (
Official homepage of the institute)
★ The
Goethe Institute (
Official Homepage)
Buildings
★
Rheinturm (tv tower) the town`s landmark (1982: 234 m, since 2004: 240,50 m), the lights on which comprise the world's largest
digital clock.
★ The
Gehry buildings in the Düsseldorf media harbor (see picture above)
★ The Benrather Schloss (Benrath palace)
★ The
Wilhem Marx House of 1922/24, with twelve stories Germany's first high-rise building
★ The Stahlhof of 1906, administrative centre of Germany's steel economy until 1945
★ The Stummhaus of 1925, early high-rise building in Germany
★ Gerresheim Basilica
[1]
★ St. Suitbertus Basilica
[2]
★ DRV Tower, 120m high-rise building of 1978
★ GAP 15, a 85m high building of 2005 near
Königsallee
★ Arag Turm, with 131m Düsseldorfs highest office tower of architekt
Sir Norman Foster
★ The bridge family includes 8 river rhine crossovers, also a town`s landmark
Sister Towns & Cities
★
Reading,
United Kingdom (since 1947, officially since 1988)
★
Haifa,
Israel
★
Chemnitz,
Saxony, Germany
★
Warsaw,
Poland
★
Moscow,
Russia
★
Chongqing,
P. R. China
★
Shenyang,
P. R. China
See also
★
List of mayors of Düsseldorf
★
Japan Day
Famous people connected with Düsseldorf
Music and arts
★
Oswald Achenbach, painter
★
Peter Behrens, architect and designer
★
Joseph Beuys, performance artist
★
Julius Eichberg, composer
★
Emil Fahrenkamp, architect
★
Gustav Gründgens, actor and director of the theatre
★
Jürgen Habermas, philosopher
★
Heinrich Heine, poet
★
Heino, folk music singer
★
Ralf Hütter, musician
★
Wolfgang Hünnekens, founder of IEB
★
Jörg Immendorff, painter
★
Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi, philosopher and writer
★
Johann Georg Jacobi, poet
★
Hape Kerkeling, actor, presenter and comedian
★
Kraftwerk, electronic music group
★
Karlrobert Kreiten, concert pianist
★
Emanuel Leutze, drawer
★
Lore Lorentz, cabaret artist
★
Heike Makatsch, actress
★
Felix Mendelsohn-Bartholdy, classical composer
★
Jürgen Mittelstraß, philosopher
★
Doro Pesch, singer
★
Otto Piene, painter, performance artist
★
Elisabeth Röhm, actress
★
Ulrich Roth, guitarist
★
Clara Schumann, classical componist and pianist
★
Robert Schumann, classical componist and pianist
★
Else Sehrig-Vehling, artist
★
Adolph Tidemand, artist
★
Die Toten Hosen, punk rock band
★
Karl August Varnhagen von Ense, biographer
★
Peter von Cornelius, painter
★
Wim Wenders, movie director, producer
★
Marius Müller-Westernhagen, singer and actor
Sport
★
Klaus Allofs, football player
★
Ria Baran and
Paul Falk, figure skating world champions
[14]
★
Steffen Driesen, swimmer
★
Erik Hochstein, swimmer
★
Toni Turek, football player and world champion in 1954
Other
★
Anne of Cleves, fourth wife of
Henry VIII of England
★
Fritz Henkel, founder of the chemical factory Henkel
★
Konrad Henkel, founder of the
Henkel Company
★
Felix Klein, mathematician
★
Peter Kürten, serial killer
★
Richard Lieber, conservationist
★
Claudia Schiffer, supermodel
★
Kenzo Tenma, neurosurgeon and suspected serial killer
Famous Places
★ Kö (
Königsallee), a well-frequented shopping street with luxuries shops
★
Schloss Benrath, rococo castle
★
Altstadt (Düsseldorf), the old town is famous for its nightlife
★
Düsseldorf Hafen, the harbour is a modern build district
★
Kaiserswerth, historical district with the ruined castle of Barbarossa
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
★
Hofgarten, old city park
References
1. City Statistics Amt für Statistik, Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf
2. ;
3. ''Klimaatlas - NRW'' (1989): Der Minister für Umwelt, Raumordnung und Landwirtschaft des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalens, Düsseldorf.
4. http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Germany/Land_Nordrhein_Westfalen/Duesseldorf-67466/Local_Customs-Duesseldorf-Japanese_Duesseldorf-BR-1.html
5. http://www.japantag-duesseldorf-nrw.de/305.html?&L=1
6.
7. http://www.duesseldorf.de/statistik/themen/bevoelkerung/bev03.shtml
8. http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Germany/Land_Nordrhein_Westfalen/Duesseldorf-67466/Local_Customs-Duesseldorf-Japanese_Duesseldorf-BR-1.html
9. http://www.japantag-duesseldorf-nrw.de/305.html?&L=1
10. 2007 Quality of Living Survey Mercer Human Resource Consulting
11. 2007 Cost of Living Report Mercer Human Resource Consulting
12. http://www.brauer-bund.de/bierfans/sorten/alt.htm
13. http://duesseldorf-altstadt.blogspot.com/2007/01/van-gogh-stilleben-mit-abb-senf.html
14. http://www.deg-eiskunstlauf-ev.de/Verein4.html
External links
★
www.AmazingDusseldorf.com English language web portal for the city of Düsseldorf
★
Wikidus.de The Wiki for Düsseldorf
★
Düsseldorf Official English website of the city
★
Düsseldorf go Search engine and portal for the region Duesseldorf with an English range
★
Interactive 360° Panoramas of Düsseldorf, with location descriptions
★
Düsseldorf 360 - Fullscreen panoramas of Düsseldorf (text currently in Geman only)
★
Burrying the Hoppeditz: Carnival in Düsseldorf
★
City Panoramas - Panoramic views of Düsseldorf's highlights
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