Germany, Duesseldorf

Dusseldorf is the capital city of the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and one of the economic and cultural centres of Germany.Dusseldorf is located on the River Rhine and in the densely populated Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan area, with more than 10 million inhabitants.

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.

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

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).

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

Sports

Düsseldorf is also famous for its traditional football team, Fortuna Düsseldorf, the German Champion of 1933.

Düsseldorf is one of nine 1974 FIFA World Cup cities and the Rochusclub Düsseldorf hosted the tennis world team cup since 1978.

Transport

Düsseldorf International Airport, also referred to as Rhein-Ruhr Airport, is located eight kilometres (5 mi) 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.