Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources;

Low Franconian Low Franconian, Low Frankish, NetherlandicSarah Grey Thomason, Terrence Kaufman: ''Language Contact, Creolization, and Genetic Linguistics'', University of California Press, 1991, p. 321. (Calling it "Low Frankish (or Netherlandish)".)Scott Shay ...

and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...

, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state and the seventh-largest city in Germany, with a population of 617,280. Düsseldorf is located at the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

of two rivers: the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

and the

Düssel The Düssel is a small right tributary of the river Rhine in North Rhine Westphalia, Germany. Its source is east of Wülfrath. It flows westward through the Neander Valley where the fossils of the first known to be Neanderthal man were found ...

, a small

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

. The ''-dorf'' suffix means "village" in German (English

cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words in different languages that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymology, etymological ancestor in a proto-language, common parent language. Because language c ...

: ''

thorp ''Thorp'' is a Middle English word for a hamlet or small village. Etymology The name can either come from Old Norse ''þorp'' (also ''thorp''), or from Old English (Anglo-Saxon) ''þrop''. There are many place names in England with the suff ...

''); its use is unusual for a settlement as large as Düsseldorf. Most of the city lies on the right bank of the Rhine. Düsseldorf lies in the centre of both the

Rhine-Ruhr The Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region (german: Metropolregion Rhein-Ruhr) is the largest metropolitan region in Germany, with over ten million inhabitants. A polycentric conurbation with several major urban concentrations, the region covers ...

and the Rhineland Metropolitan Region. It neighbours the

Cologne Bonn Region The Cologne Bonn Region (German: ''Region Köln/Bonn'') is a metropolitan area in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany, covering the cities of Cologne, Bonn and Leverkusen, as well as the districts of Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, Oberbergischer K ...

to the south and the Ruhr to the north. It is the largest city in the German

dialect area (closely related to

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

). Mercer's 2012 Quality of Living survey ranked Düsseldorf the sixth most livable city in the world.

Düsseldorf Airport Düsseldorf Airport (german: link=no, Flughafen Düsseldorf, ; until March 2013 ''Düsseldorf International Airport''; ) is the international airport of Düsseldorf, the capital of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is about north ...

is Germany's fourth-busiest airport, serving as the most important international airport for the inhabitants of the densely populated Ruhr, Germany's largest urban area. Düsseldorf is an international business and financial centre, renowned for its fashion and trade fairs, and is headquarters to one

Fortune Global 500 The ''Fortune'' Global 500, also known as Global 500, is an annual ranking of the top 500 corporations worldwide as measured by revenue. The list is compiled and published annually by ''Fortune'' magazine. Methodology Until 1989, it listed onl ...

and two

DAX Dax or DAX may refer to: Business and organizations * DAX, stock market index of the top 40 German companies ** DAX 100, an expanded index of 100 stocks, superseded by the HDAX ** TecDAX, stock index of the top 30 German technology firms * Dax ...

companies.

Messe Düsseldorf The Messe Düsseldorf is a trade fair ground and organizer, based in Düsseldorf, Germany. With a workforce of 1,459 employees worldwide (2006) and a total exhibition space of 306,000 m2 (of which 262,700 m2 is indoors) in Düsseldorf, ...

organises nearly one fifth of premier trade shows. As second largest city of the

Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhinelands ...

, Düsseldorf holds

Rhenish Carnival A variety of customs and traditions are associated with Carnival celebrations in the German-speaking countries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. They can vary considerably from country to country, but also from one small region to another. ...

celebrations every year in February/March, the Düsseldorf carnival celebrations being the third most popular in Germany after those held in

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

and

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...

. There are 22 institutions of higher education in the city including the Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, the university of applied sciences ( Hochschule Düsseldorf), the academy of arts (

Kunstakademie Düsseldorf The Kunstakademie Düsseldorf is the academy of fine arts of the state of North Rhine Westphalia at the city of Düsseldorf, Germany. Notable artists who studied or taught at the academy include Joseph Beuys, Gerhard Richter, Magdalena Jetelová ...

, whose members include

Joseph Beuys Joseph Heinrich Beuys ( , ; 12 May 1921 – 23 January 1986) was a German artist, teacher, performance artist, and art theorist whose work reflected concepts of humanism, sociology, and anthroposophy. He was a founder of a provocative art mov ...

Emanuel Leutze Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze (May 24, 1816July 18, 1868) was a German-American history painter best known for his 1851 painting '' Washington Crossing the Delaware''. He is associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting. Biography Leutze was born ...

, August Macke,

Gerhard Richter Gerhard Richter (; born 9 February 1932) is a German visual artist. Richter has produced abstract as well as photorealistic paintings, and also photographs and glass pieces. He is widely regarded as one of the most important contemporary Germa ...

Sigmar Polke Sigmar Polke (13 February 1941 – 10 June 2010) was a German painter and photographer. Polke experimented with a wide range of styles, subject matters and materials. In the 1970s, he concentrated on photography, returning to paint in the 1980s ...

, and

Andreas Gursky Andreas Gursky (born 15 January 1955) is a German photographer and professor at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Germany. He is known for his large format architecture and landscape colour photographs, often using a high point of view. His works ...

), and the university of music ( Robert-Schumann-Musikhochschule Düsseldorf). The city is also known for its influence on electronic/experimental music ( Kraftwerk) and its Japanese community. Düsseldorf is classified as a

GaWC The Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC) is a think tank that studies the relationships between world cities in the context of globalization. It is based in the geography department of Loughborough University in Leicestershire ...

Beta+ world city.

History

Early development

When the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

was strengthening its position throughout Europe, a few

Germanic tribes The Germanic peoples were historical groups of people that once occupied Central Europe and Scandinavia during antiquity and into the early Middle Ages. Since the 19th century, they have traditionally been defined by the use of ancient and e ...

clung on in

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

y territory off the eastern banks of the

. In the 7th and 8th centuries, the odd

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

settlement could be found at the point where the small river

flows into the Rhine. It was from such settlements that the city of Düsseldorf grew. Duesseldorf-Kupferstich-Merian

Jan van der Heyden and Adriaen van de Velde - View of Düsseldorf with the church of St

The first written mention of Düsseldorf (then called ''Dusseldorp'' in the local Low Rhenish dialect) dates back to 1135. Under Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa the small town of

Kaiserswerth Kaiserswerth is one of the oldest quarters of the City of Düsseldorf, part of Borough 5. It is in the north of the city and next to the river Rhine. It houses the where Florence Nightingale worked. Kaiserswerth has an area of , and 7,923 inh ...

to the north of Düsseldorf became a well-fortified outpost, where soldiers kept a watchful eye on every movement on the Rhine. Kaiserswerth eventually became a suburb of Düsseldorf in 1929. In 1186, Düsseldorf came under the rule of the Counts of

Berg Berg may refer to: People *Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor * Berg (footballer) (born 1989), Brazilian footballer Former states * Berg (state), county and duchy of the Hol ...

. 14 August 1288 is one of the most important dates in the history of Düsseldorf. On this day the sovereign Count

Adolf VIII of Berg Adolf VIII of Berg (also referred to as Adolf V) (c. 1240 – 28 September 1296) was the eldest son of Count Adolf VII of Berg and Margaret of Hochstaden.Walther Möller, ''Stammtafeln westdeutscher Adelsgeschlechter im Mittelalter'' (Darmstadt, 19 ...

granted the village on the banks of the Düssel

town privileges Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...

. Before this, a bloody struggle for power had taken place between the Archbishop of

and the count of

, culminating in the

Battle of Worringen The Battle of Worringen was fought on 5 June 1288 near the town of Worringen (also spelled Woeringen), which is now the northernmost borough of Cologne. It was the decisive battle of the War of the Limburg Succession, fought for the possession ...

NRW, Dusseldorf, Rheinturm - view to Landtag

Rheinturm Düsseldorf NRW mit Sternschnuppe

The Archbishop of Cologne's forces were wiped out by the forces of the count of

who were supported by citizens and farmers of Cologne and Düsseldorf, paving the way for Düsseldorf's elevation to city status, which is commemorated today by a monument on the Burgplatz. The custom of turning cartwheels is credited to the children of Düsseldorf. There are variations of the origin Düsseldorfer Radschläger of the cartwheeling children. Today the symbol (Der Radschläger) represents the story and every year the Düsseldorfers celebrate by having a cartwheeling contest. After this battle the relationship between the four 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 on all four sides. In 1380, the dukes of

moved their seat to the town and Düsseldorf was made regional capital of the Duchy of Berg. During the following centuries several famous landmarks were built, including the . In 1609, the ducal line of the

United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg The so-called United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg was a territory in the Holy Roman Empire between 1521 and 1666, formed from the personal union of the duchies of Jülich, Cleves and Berg. The name was resurrected after the Congress of Vienn ...

died out, and after a virulent struggle over succession, Jülich and Berg fell to the

Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate ...

Counts of

Palatinate-Neuburg Palatinate-Neuburg (german: Herzogtum Pfalz-Neuburg) was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire, founded in 1505 by a branch of the House of Wittelsbach. Its capital was Neuburg an der Donau. Its area was about 2,750 km², with a population of ...

, who made Düsseldorf their main domicile, even after they inherited the

Electorate of the Palatinate The Electoral Palatinate (german: Kurpfalz) or the Palatinate (), officially the Electorate of the Palatinate (), was a state that was part of the Holy Roman Empire. The electorate had its origins under the rulership of the Counts Palatine of ...

, in 1685, becoming now

Prince-elector The prince-electors (german: Kurfürst pl. , cz, Kurfiřt, la, Princeps Elector), or electors for short, were the members of the electoral college that elected the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. From the 13th century onwards, the prin ...

s as Electors Palatine. Under the art-loving Johann Wilhelm II (r. 1690–1716), a vast art gallery with a huge selection of paintings and sculptures, were housed in the ''Stadtschloss'' (city castle). After his death, the city fell on hard times again, especially after Elector Charles Theodore inherited Bavaria and moved the electoral court to

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

. With him he took the

art collection A museum is distinguished by a collection of often unique objects that forms the core of its activities for exhibitions, education, research, etc. This differentiates it from an archive or library, where the contents may be more paper-based, ...

, which became part of what is now the

Alte Pinakothek The Alte Pinakothek (, ''Old Pinakothek'') is an art museum located in the Kunstareal area in Munich, Germany. It is one of the oldest galleries in the world and houses a significant collection of Old Master paintings. The name Alte (Old) Pi ...

in Munich. Destruction and poverty struck Düsseldorf after the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

made Berg a

Grand Duchy A grand duchy is a sovereign state, country or territory whose official head of state or ruler is a monarch bearing the title of grand duke or grand duchess. Relatively rare until the abolition of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the term was oft ...

and Düsseldorf its capital. Johann Devaranne, a leader of

Solingen Solingen (; li, Solich) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located some 25 km east of Düsseldorf along the northern edge of the region called Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr area, and, with a 2009 population of 161,366 ...

's resistance to Napoleon's conscription decrees, was executed here in 1813. After Napoleon's defeat, the whole

including Berg was given to the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Re ...

in 1815. The Rhine Province's parliament was established in Düsseldorf. By the mid-19th century, Düsseldorf enjoyed a revival thanks to the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

as the city boasted 100,000 inhabitants by 1882; the figure doubled in 1892.

World War I

During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

the Royal Naval Air Service (RNS) undertook the first Entente strategic bombing missions on 22 September 1914, when it bombed the Zeppelin bases in Düsseldorf.

Weimar Republic

In 1920, Düsseldorf became the centre of the General Strike. On 15 April 1920, 45 delegates of the German Miners Union were murdered by the

Freikorps (, "Free Corps" or "Volunteer Corps") were irregular German and other European military volunteer units, or paramilitary, that existed from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. They effectively fought as mercenary or private armies, regar ...

World War II

The Rabbi of the Düsseldorf Jewish Community fled to the Netherlands and died in KZ Auschwitz in 1943. The city was a target of strategic bombing during World War II, particularly during the RAF bombing campaign in 1943 when over 700 bombers were used in a single night. Raids continued late into the war. As part of the campaign against German oil facilities, the RAF raid of 20–21 February on the Rhenania Ossag refinery in the Reisholz district of the city halted oil production there. The Allied ground advance into Germany reached Düsseldorf in mid-April 1945. The United States 97th Infantry Division easily captured the city on 18 April 1945, after the local

German Resistance German resistance can refer to: * Freikorps, German nationalist paramilitary groups resisting German communist uprisings and the Weimar Republic government * German resistance to Nazism * Landsturm, German resistance groups fighting against France d ...

group launched Aktion Rheinland.

German Federal Republic

In 1946, Düsseldorf was made capital of the new

federal state A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government ( federalism). In a federation, the self-governi ...

. The city's reconstruction proceeded at a frantic pace and the economic transformation guided Düsseldorf's economic growth.

Geography

Physical geography

Rheinuferpromenade in Düsseldorf DSCF1161

Düsseldorf lies at the centre of the

Lower Rhine The Lower Rhine (german: Niederrhein; kilometres 660 to 1,033 of the river Rhine) flows from Bonn, Germany, to the North Sea at Hook of Holland, Netherlands (including the Nederrijn or "Nether Rhine" within the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta); al ...

basin, where the delta of the

flows into the Rhine. The city lies on the east side of the Rhine, except

District 4 District 4 can refer to: * District 4, Düsseldorf, in Germany * District 4, Grand Bassa County, in Liberia * District 4 (Ho Chi Minh City), in Vietnam * District 4 (New York City Council), in the United States *IV District, Turku The IV Distr ...

( Oberkassel, Niederkassel, Heerdt and Lörick). Across the Rhine, the city of

Neuss Neuss (; spelled ''Neuß'' until 1968; li, Nüss ; la, Novaesium) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the west bank of the Rhine opposite Düsseldorf. Neuss is the largest city within the Rhein-Kreis Neuss district. It ...

stands on the delta of the

Erft The Erft () is a river in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows through the foothills of the Eifel, and joins the Lower Rhine (left tributary). Its origin is near Nettersheim, and its mouth in Neuss-Grimlinghausen south of the Josef Cardina ...

. Düsseldorf lies southwest of the Ruhr urban area, and in the middle of the

metropolitan region. Düsseldorf is built entirely on

alluvium Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...

, mud, sand, clay and occasionally gravel. The highest point in Düsseldorf is the top of Sandberg in the far eastern part of the city ( Hubbelrath borough) at . The lowest point is at the far northern end in

Wittlaer Wittlaer is an urban quarter of Düsseldorf, part of Borough 5. It borders Stockum, Kalkum, Angermund, and the city of Duisburg. It is close to Düsseldorf Airport. Wittlaer has the lowest point in Düsseldorf, where the Schwarzbach flows into t ...

borough where the Schwarzbach enters the Rhine, with an average elevation of .

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 Ratingen ( li, Rotinge) is a town in the district of Mettmann in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It lies in the northwestern part of Berg about 12 km northeast of Düsseldorf. Administration With a communal reform of 1975 the independent mu ...

Mettmann Mettmann () is a town in the northern part of the Bergisches Land, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Mettmann, Germany's most densely populated rural district. The town lies east of Düsseldorf ...

Erkrath Erkrath () is a town in the district of Mettmann, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Erkrath is situated on the river Düssel, directly east of Düsseldorf and west of Wuppertal, close to the famous Neandertal. It has two stations, E ...

Hilden Hilden is a town in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is situated in the District of Mettmann, west of Solingen and east of Düsseldorf on the right side of the Rhine. It is a middle sized industrial town with a forest and numer ...

, Langenfeld, and Monheim), and the District of Neuss (

Dormagen Dormagen (; Ripuarian: ''Dormaje'') is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany in the Rhein-Kreis Neuss. Geography Dormagen is situated between Düsseldorf – Cologne – Mönchengladbach on the western bank of the river Rhine. Division of ...

, Neuss, and

Meerbusch Meerbusch () is a town in Rhein-Kreis Neuss, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It has been an incorporated town since 1970. Meerbusch is the municipality with the most income millionaires in North Rhine-Westphalia. Geography Meerbusch is a town in ...

Climate

The city has an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: ''Cfb'', mild in relation to

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

). Like the rest of the lower

, Düsseldorf experiences moderate winters with little snowfall and mild to warm summers. The average annual temperature is with an average yearly precipitation of . The dominant wind direction is from the west with velocities in the range of 3 to 4 m/s (7–9 mph), with gusts of 3.5 −4.8 m/s (8–10.7 mph). The wind is calm (defined as being under 2 m/s or 4.5 mph) about 35% of the time, more frequently at night and in the winter.

Demographics

With a population of 612,178 within the city boundaries (31 December 2015), Düsseldorf is Germany's seventh largest city. Its population surpassed the threshold of 100,000 inhabitants during the height of industrialisation in 1882, and peaked at just over 705,000 in 1962. The city then began to lose residents with many moving into neighbouring municipalities. However, since the late 1990s, the city's population has been slowly rising again. A total of 109,883 (18%) of Düsseldorf's population are foreigners (31 December 2008), the majority of whom come from within

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

(81,742). The largest minority group, national minorities are Turks in Germany, Turks, Greeks in Germany, Greeks, and Poles in Germany, Poles. Düsseldorf and its surroundings have the third-largest Japanese community of Düsseldorf, Japanese community in Europe and the largest in Germany (about 11,000 people). Düsseldorf has the third-largest Jews in Germany, Jewish community in Germany, with about 7,000 members.

Government

Boroughs

Since 1975, Düsseldorf is divided into ten administrative boroughs. Each borough (''Stadtbezirk'') has its own elected borough council (Bezirksvertretung) and its own borough mayor (Bezirksvorsteher). The borough councils are advisory only. Each borough is further subdivided into quarters (''Stadtteile''). There are 50 quarters in Düsseldorf.

Mayor

The current Mayor of Düsseldorf is Stephan Keller of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, Christian Democratic Union (CDU), who was elected in 2020. The most recent mayoral election was held on 13 September 2020, with a runoff held on 27 September, and the results were as follows: ! rowspan=2 colspan=2, Candidate ! rowspan=2, Party ! colspan=2, First round ! colspan=2, Second round , - ! Votes ! % ! Votes ! % , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Stephan Keller , align=left, Christian Democratic Union of Germany, Christian Democratic Union , 83,425 , 34.1 , 118,308 , 56.0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Thomas Geisel , align=left, Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party , 64,203 , 26.3 , 92,999 , 44.0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Stefan Engstfeld , align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens , 42,463 , 17.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann , align=left, Free Democratic Party (Germany), Free Democratic Party , 30,584 , 12.5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Florian Josef Hoffmann , align=left, Alternative for Germany , 6,564 , 2.7 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Udo Adam Bonn , align=left, The Left (Germany), The Left , 5,257 , 2.2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Dominique Mirus , align=left, Die PARTEI , 3,039 , 1.2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Mark Schenk , align=left, Volt Europa#Germany, Volt Germany , 2,255 , 0.9 , - , , align=left, Claudia Krüger , align=left, Animal Welfare Here! , 1,939 , 0.8 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Hans-Joachim Grumbach , align=left, Free Voters , 1,192 , 0.5 , - , , align=left, Celine Coldewe , align=left, Climate List Düsseldorf , 954 , 0.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Michael Baumeister , align=left, Independent politician, Independent , 947 , 0.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Marc Olejak , align=left, Pirate Party Germany , 792 , 0.3 , - , , align=left, Markus Brakonier , align=left, German Sport Party , 383 , 0.2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Andre Maniera , align=left, The Republicans (Germany), The Republicans , 325 , 0.1 , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 244,322 ! 98.8 ! 211,307 ! 99.3 , - ! colspan=3, Invalid votes ! 3,008 ! 1.2 ! 1,571 ! 0.7 , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 247,330 ! 100.0 ! 212,878 ! 100.0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 470,511 ! 52.6 ! 470,312 ! 45.3 , - , colspan=7, Source
State Returning Officer

City council

The Düsseldorf city council (''Düsseldorfer Stadtrat'') governs the city alongside the Mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Party ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Democratic Union of Germany, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) , 81,833 , 33.4 , 3.3 , 30 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) , 58,881 , 24.0 , 10.3 , 22 , 11 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party (SPD) , 43,949 , 17.9 , 11.4 , 16 , 8 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Free Democratic Party (Germany), Free Democratic Party (FDP) , 22,453 , 9.2 , 2.2 , 8 , 2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Germany), The Left (Die Linke) , 9,951 , 4.1 , 1.1 , 4 , ±0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Alternative for Germany (AfD) , 8,776 , 3.6 , 0.6 , 3 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Volt Europa#Germany, Volt Germany (Volt) , 4,512 , 1.8 , New , 2 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Die PARTEI (PARTEI) , 4,371 , 1.8 , New , 2 , New , - , , align=left, Animal Welfare Here! (Tierschutz hier!) , 3,437 , 1.4 , New , 1 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Free Voters (FW) , 2,212 , 0.9 , 0.3 , 1 , ±0 , - , , align=left, Climate List Düsseldorf (Klimaliste) , 2,124 , 0.9 , New , 1 , New , - , colspan=7 bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Pirate Party Germany (Piraten) , 1,464 , 0.6 , 1.1 , 0 , 1 , - , , align=left, German Sport Party (DSP) , 642 , 0.3 , New , 0 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Republicans (Germany), The Republicans (REP) , 586 , 0.2 , 0.4 , 0 , 1 , - , , align=left, RESISTANCE 2020 We for Düsseldorf , 76 , 0.0 , New , 0 , New , - ! colspan=2, Valid votes ! 245,271 ! 99.2 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Invalid votes ! 2,085 ! 0.8 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Total ! 247,356 ! 100.0 ! ! 90 ! 8 , - ! colspan=2, Electorate/voter turnout ! 470,511 ! 52.6 ! 3.4 ! ! , - , colspan=7, Source
State Returning Officer

Economy

Duesseldorf Immermannstr bilingual streetname

Düsseldorf has become one of the top telecommunications centres in Germany. With two of the four big German providers of mobile frequencies, Vodafone, D2 Vodafone and E-Plus, Düsseldorf leads the German mobile phone market. There are many foreign information and communication technology companies in Düsseldorf such as Huawei, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone, NTT, Ericsson, Oppo, Vivo (technology company), Vivo and Xiaomi. There are 18 internet service providers located in the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia. There are two airlines with headquarters in the city: Eurowings and formerly independent LTU International. Many of the internet companies in Düsseldorf have their roots in the world of advertising: there are 400 advertising agency, advertising agencies in Düsseldorf, among them three of the largest in Germany: BBDO, BBDO Group, Grey Global Group and Publicis. A number of affiliates of foreign agencies deserve mention as well, such as Ogilvy & Mather, Dentsu, Hakuhodo, TBWA Worldwide, TBWA, and DDB Worldwide, DDB. There are also about 200 publishing, publishing houses in Düsseldorf. Peek & Cloppenburg (fashion); Uniper (electricity generation); L'Oréal Germany (Cosmetics and Beauty); Henkel AG & Co. KGaA (Branded Consumer Goods and Industrial technologies); Metro AG, Metro (wholesale, retail); Ceconomy (retail); Esprit Holdings (fashion, headquarters in Ratingen near Düsseldorf); BASF Personal Care & Nutrition (formerly Cognis – chemicals, headquarter in Monheim near Düsseldorf, but production mainly in Düsseldorf). Daimler AG builds the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter light commercial vehicles 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 of Düsseldorf, Japanese community in Europe, after London and Paris. The "Kö", which stands for Königsallee ("King's Avenue"), is a shopping destination. Some jewellery shops, designer labels, and galleries have their stores here. The Kö has among the highest rents for retail and office space in Germany.

Financial center

The city is an important financial center. More than 30,000 people work for the financial and insurance sector in Düsseldorf. There are around 170 national and global financial system, international financial institutions, and about 130 insurance agencies, and one of Germany's eight stock exchanges. HSBC Trinkaus, HSBC has its German headquarter in Düsseldorf and employs 3.000 people. NRW.BANK is a development bank of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the largest state development bank in Germany. NRW.BANK was spun off from Portigon Financial Services, WestLB in 2002. Today Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank have major branches in Düsseldorf with about 2.000 employees. Düsseldorf is also the most important German financial center for Japanese credit institutions. MUFG Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, SMBC and Mizuho Bank, Mizuho have their German headquarters in Düsseldorf. Also Santander Consumer Bank (Deutschland), Santander has its German headquarters in the Düsseldorf region. Some major insurance companies like ERGO Group, ERGO, a subsidiary of Munich Re, and ARAG SE, ARAG are located in the city. Several other major financial service companies have their headquarters in the city.

Media

Important newspapers and journals such as ''Handelsblatt'', ''Rheinische Post'', ''Wirtschaftswoche'', ''Deutsches Wirtschaftsblatt'' and ''VDI-Nachrichten'' are published in Düsseldorf. Almost all of these papers are available online. Renowned filmmaking companies, such as Germany's biggest cinema enterprise, the Riech Group, and TV channels such as Westdeutscher Rundfunk, WDR and QVC are located in Düsseldorf. The ''Film- und Medienstiftung NRW'' foundation supports the production of film and new media. With regard to movies and movie theatres in Düsseldorf, moviegoers are able to view movies in a range of different languages. Many mainstream movies are shown in English, Spanish, French, and German.

Transport

Düsseldorf Airport

, also referred to as Rhein-Ruhr Airport, is located north of the city centre and can easily be reached by train or the Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn, S-Bahn urban railway. There is a Düsseldorf Airport station, long-distance train station served by regional and national services, which is linked to the airport by the Düsseldorf SkyTrain, SkyTrain, an automatic people mover. Another station situated under the terminal building carries the S-Bahn line (S11 (Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn), S11) to Düsseldorf Central Station, and to Cologne as well as a few selected night services. After those of Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin, Düsseldorf Airport is Germany's third largest airport, commercial airport, with 25.5 million passengers annually (2019). 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.

Railway

The city is a major hub in the Deutsche Bahn (DB) railway network. More than 1,000 trains stop in Düsseldorf daily. Düsseldorf Central Station at Konrad-Adenauer-Platz is located in Düsseldorf-Stadtmitte. Several Rhein-Ruhr S-Bahn lines connect Düsseldorf to other cities of

. Local Trams in Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf Straßenbahn and light rail Düsseldorf Stadtbahn traffic, as well as local bus traffic, is carried out by the city-owned Rheinbahn which operates within the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr, VRR public transport system. The light rail system also serves neighbouring cities and is partially operated underground. The Central Station and the Airport Station (Flughafen-Bahnhof) are connected to the national and High-speed rail in Europe, European high-speed systems (Intercity/Eurocity, IC/EC and InterCityExpress).

Taxi

In Düsseldorf there are 1320 officially licensed Taxis. According to the regulations, the cars are always in ivory colour. On the back window you always find a black number on a yellow patch. Credit card payment has to be accepted at the Taxi stands at Airport of Düsseldorf. The supply of taxis in Düsseldorf is over the German average. Two taxi organisations cover the market. "Taxi-Düsseldorf" offers more than 1180 cabs in different sizes for max. 8 Passengers. The smaller one is "Rhein-Taxi" with more than 120 cabs. It is obligatory to carry out any journeys to destinations in the city and directly neighbouring cities.

Carsharing

In addition to stationary car sharing, where vehicles must be returned to their original location after use, one-way carsharing vehicles have also been available for hire since 2012. These vehicles, which can be parked anywhere where parking is normally allowed within Düsseldorf, can be rented from Car2go, Greenwheels, Stadtmobil and DriveNow.

Autobahn

North Rhine-Westphalia has the densest network of autobahns in Germany and Düsseldorf is directly accessible via the Bundesautobahn 3, A3, Bundesautobahn 44, A44, Bundesautobahn 46, A46, Bundesautobahn 52, A52, Bundesautobahn 57, A57, Bundesautobahn 59, A59 and Bundesautobahn 524, A524.

Cycling

Düsseldorf is connected to some national and international cycling paths, including EV15 The Rhine Cycle Route. The city of Düsseldorf is a member of the German North Rhine-Westphalia District, Municipality and City Friends of Pedestrians and Cyclists Working Group, who bestowed upon Düsseldorf the title of "Friend of Cyclists City" in 2007, although the city still has a few gaps in the network of cycle paths in the eyes of many of its citizens.

Culture and recreation

Elector Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine, Jan Wellem and his wife Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici of Tuscany, were patrons of Düsseldorf's first significant cultural activities in the 17th and 18th centuries. Heinrich Heine, whose 200th birthday was celebrated in 1997 and who originally had a proposed Heinrich Heine Memorial, memorial in the city dedicated to him; Clara and Robert Schumann; and as Felix Mendelssohn, are the most prominent artists related to the city, which is home to a distinguished Düsseldorf Academy of Fine Arts, Academy of Fine Arts. 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 centre of the fine arts.

Beer

Düsseldorf is well known for its Altbier, a hoppy beer which translates as ''old [style] beer'', a reference to the pre-lager brewing method of using a warm top-fermenting yeast like British pale ales. Over time the Alt yeast adjusted to lower temperatures, and the Alt brewers would store or lager the beer after fermentation, leading to a cleaner, crisper beer. The name "altbier" first appeared in the 19th century to differentiate the beers of Düsseldorf from the new pale lager that was gaining a hold on Germany. Brewers in Düsseldorf used the pale malts that were used for the modern pale lagers, but retained the old ("alt") method of using warm fermenting yeasts. The first brewery to use the name Alt was Schumacher which opened in 1838. The founder, Mathias Schumacher, allowed the beer to mature in cool conditions in wooden casks for longer than normal, and laid the foundation for the modern alt – amber coloured and lagered. The result is a pale beer that has some of the lean dryness of a lager but with fruity notes as well. There are five pub-breweries in Düsseldorf which brew Altbier on the premises: Füchschen, Schumacher, Schlüssel, Uerige and Brauerei Kürzer. Four of the five are in the historic centre of Düsseldorf (Altstadt); the other (Schumacher), between the Altstadt and Düsseldorf Central railway station (Hauptbahnhof), also maintains an establishment in the Altstadt, Im Goldenen Kessel, across the street from Schlüssel. Each (except Brauerei Kürzer) produces a special, secret, seasonal "Sticke" version in small quantities, though the names vary: Schlüssel spells it "Stike", without the "c", while Schumacher calls its special beer "Latzenbier", meaning "slat beer", possibly because the kegs from which it was poured had been stored on raised shelves.Horst Dornbusch, ''Altbier'', Boulder, CO: Brewers Publications. Füchschen's seasonal is its Weihnachtsbier (Christmas beer), available in bottles starting mid-November, and served in the brewpub on Christmas Eve.

Music and nightlife

Sensation White 2008 Silvester - LTU Arena, Düsseldorf

Since the 1950s the "Kom(m)ödchen" has been one of the most prominent political cabarets of Germany. The city's best-known contribution to the culture of modern popular music is the influential avant-garde electronic music, electronic band Kraftwerk. Formed by a few Düsseldorf-born musicians, Kraftwerk is internationally known as the most significant band in the history of post-war Music of Germany, German music and as pioneers in electronic music.Desperately seeking Kraftwerk
"Kraftwerk [was] so far ahead of [its] time that the rest of the world...spent 25 years inventing new musical genres in an attempt to catch up. Another famous Synth-pop band to come from the city was Propaganda (band), Propaganda. House, techno, hip-hop, trip-hop, synth-pop, trance, electroclash: Kraftwerk's influence looms over all of them. It's difficult to imagine what rock and pop music would sound like today if Kraftwerk had never existed", ''The Guardian'', 24 July 2003; accessed 8 December 2014. Other influential musical groups originating from Düsseldorf include Neu!, formed in 1971 by Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother, after their split from Kraftwerk, and La Düsseldorf, also formed by Dinger in 1976 shortly after Neu! disbanded. Both groups had a significant influence on a variety of subsequent rock music, rock, post-punk, and electronic music artists. Internationally known power metal band Warlock (band), Warlock was formed in Düsseldorf in 1982. Its frontwoman, Doro (musician), Doro Pesch, had a successful solo career in Europe and Asia since Warlock (band), Warlock ended. The punk rock, punk band Die Toten Hosen, which is famous around the world, also the most popular singers in Germany Westernhagen and Heino come from Düsseldorf. The electronic act Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft, D.A.F. was formed in the city in 1978, as well as the electronic/industrial pioneers Die Krupps in 1980. Another famous formation is Fehlfarben. Founded in the late 1970s by Peter Hein, Frank Fenstermacher, Kurt Dahlke and Michael Kemner. Düsseldorf appears in several songs, including ''Düsseldorf'' by the British indie band Teleman and ''Wärst du doch in Düsseldorf geblieben'' by Danish singer Dorthe Kollo.

Fashion

Düsseldorf has been the fashion capital of Germany History of Germany (1945–1990), for decades (it is also a major cultural center for the art and fashion scenes). Berlin, Germany's 'fashion capital' until 1945, lost its position because of its History of Berlin, special location within the Soviet occupation zone. After the monetary reform of June 20, 1948, fashionable clothes trends gained importance. Igedo organised fashion shows staged in Düsseldorf starting in March 1949. There are a number of schools dedicated to fashion design in Düsseldorf, among them ''Akademie Mode & Design'' (:de:AMD Akademie Mode & Design, de), ''Design Department'', and ''Mode Design College''.

Carnival

One of the biggest cultural events in Düsseldorf is the ''Carnival, 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).

Düsseldorf's cartwheeler

The ''Düsseldorfer Radschläger'' (''boy who does Cartwheel (gymnastics), cartwheels'') is said to be the city's oldest tradition. The symbol of the cartwheeler can be found on souvenirs and various things in Düsseldorf have cartwheelers to thank for their names.

Legends of its origin and history

The tradition cannot be linked to one specific historical event. Instead, there are several stories surrounding the beginnings of the Düsseldorf cartwheelers. Probably the most well known version is the

. In the battle of 1288, Adolf VIII of Berg, Count Adolf devastatingly defeated the Archbishop of Cologne. As a consequence of this victory, Düsseldorf obtained

. Inhabitants, especially children, ran joyfully on the streets and performed Cartwheel (gymnastics), cartwheels. Another story talks about a wedding procession during which one of the wheels of the wedding carriage broke. In order to fend off the threat of bad luck, a boy supposedly jumped up to the carriage, took hold of the wheel and thus became a living part of the wheel. Whether the story is about the marriage of Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine, Jan Wellem and Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici or the wedding of Margravine Jakobea of Baden and John William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg, Johann Wilhelm is debatable. Another story gives an account of the wedding between Margrave Jacobe von Baden and Johann Wilhelm, in 1585. According to legend, she felt miserable about her marriage, but the cartwheelers who displayed their skills next to her carriage were able to make her smile. Numerous travelers were attracted to the city by great exhibitions – the forerunner of today's fairs – between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. During this time the children who did cartwheels found out that it was a profitable source of income. The bourgeoisie accepted this in good humour as a symbolic act of local patriotism. In the beginning the lads shouted ''"för eene Penning schlage ich das Rad“'' (a cartwheel for a penny). The Jan Wellem monument returned to Düsseldorf at the end of the Second World War. The procession was accompanied by torches, fanfares and cartwheeling boys.

=Cartwheelers in the cityscape

= Cartwheelers can be found at several fountains within the city and near many small landmarks. The most famous is Cartwheeler's Fountain in ''Burgplatz'' (:de:Burgplatz (Düsseldorf), de) with an inscription of a quote by Hans Müller-Schlösser: "''Radschläger wolle mer blieve, wie jeck et de Minschen och drieve''" (We will always remain cartwheelers, however crazy it drives people.) The fountain was designed by Alfred Zschorsch in 1954 and donated by ''Heimatverein Düsseldorfer Jonges'', which is a club devoted to the maintenance of local and regional traditions. There are other cartwheelers that decorate storm drains and the door knocker on the Church of Lambertus, designed by Friedrich Becker. He created the cartwheeler in front of the Schadow Arcades. The tradition has been kept alive by the ''Alde Düsseldorfer Bürgergesellschaft von 1920 e. V.'', a society founded in 1920, which organized the first cartwheeler competition on 17 October 1937. This event has been held annually since 1971 in cooperation with the ''Stadtsparkasse'' (a local bank). Formerly held in the ''Königsallee'', it has taken place since 2006 on the ''Rheinwerft'', near the old part of town. This is a fixed date in the city’s calendar of events. About 500 boys regularly participate in the event and girls have also taken part since 1971. In an art project ''Radschläger-Kunst'' (Cartwheeler Art) launched in 2001, over 100 cartwheeler sculptures were designed by various artists. The door knocker on the Church of Lambertus served as a model for the sculptures that are high, wide and deep. They were positioned around the city centre. Some of the sculptures have been auctioned off to companies and private owners.

Christmas market

Every Christmas, the city of Düsseldorf uses the city centre to host one of the largest Christmas gatherings in Germany. The Christmas festival occurs every year from 17 November until 23 December. This Christmas fest brings Düsseldorf a large portion of tourism every year as many people from nearby areas come to the city to drink mulled wine and hot chocolate and watch craftsman Glassblowing, blow glass and create art. The event contains many small wooden buildings all clustered in the middle of the city for all the citizens to enjoy. The event, to many visitors, has an old European feel, but is very lively.

Cuisine

Traditional meals in the region are Rheinischer Sauerbraten (a beef roast and sometimes horse marinated for a few days in vinegar and spices served with gravy and raisins) and Himmel und erde, Heaven and Earth (Himmel und Äd; black pudding with stewed apples mixed with mashed potatoes). In winter the people like to eat Muscheln Rheinischer Art (Rhenish-style mussels) as well as Reibekuchen (fried potato pancake served with apple sauce). Also a special meal: Düsseldorfer Senfrostbraten (Steaks roasted with Düsseldorf mustard on top). Düsseldorf is known for its strong Dijon mustard, Dijon-like Mustard (condiment), mustard served in a traditional pot called "Mostertpöttche", which was eternalised in a still life by Vincent van Gogh in 1884. The Rhine Metropolis is one of the most diverse areas in terms of culinary diversity. Düsseldorf, with the third largest Japanese community in Europe, not only provides a wide range of culinary cuisine but also has a solid foundation of Authentic Asian food in the city. Düsseldorf's exceptional culinary cuisine has been recognized and visited by the Worldwide leading travel guide of Lonely Planet. Along with a broad range of diverse cultural cuisine, Düsseldorf is also home to various Michelin starred restaurants that are world renowned. Halve Hahn – this dish is made from a half a double rye roll, which is another of the specialties of Düsseldorf, buttered, with a thick slice of aged Gouda cheese, onions, mustard, ground paprika and sour pickles. Himmel un Aad – a dish of mashed potatoes and apples along with slices of blutwurst. Caramelized onions are usually served with this meal. Reibekuchen is another famous dish from Düsseldorf; this dish is usually drizzled with Rübensyrup (beet syrup) and is served on pumpernickel slices along with applesauce.

Literature

The ''Förderpreis für Literatur der Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf'' is a German Literary award donated by the City of Düsseldorf in Northrhine-Westphalia. The Prize for Literature in support of the City of Düsseldorf is awarded since 1972 by the Council of the City due to the decisions of the courts. The ''Förderpreis für Literatur der Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf'' is given once a year to artists and groups, especially to the areas of poetry, writing, review and translation.

Rivalry with Cologne

Düsseldorf and Cologne have had a "fierce regional rivalry". The rivalry includes Carnival in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, carnival parades, Association football, football, ice hockey and beer. People in Cologne prefer Kölsch (beer), Kölsch while people in Düsseldorf prefer Altbier. Some Waiters and patrons will "scorn" and make a "mockery" of people who order Alt beer in Cologne and Kölsch in Düsseldorf. The rivalry has been described as a "love-hate relationship".

Theatres

* Apollo (varieté, circus; shows do not require knowledge of German language) * Capitol Theater (Düsseldorf), Capitol (musicals) * Deutsche Oper am Rhein (Opera; Ballet) * Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus; the theatre started with theatrical performances in 1585 * Düsseldorfer Marionetten-Theater * Merkur Spiel-Arena (Venue of the Eurovision Song Contest 2011) * Forum Freies Theater, FFT – Forum Freies Theater (intimate theatre) * Junges Theater in der Altstadt * Klangraum (20th-century classical music) * Kom(m)ödchen (Political cabaret) * Komödie Düsseldorf * Palais Wittgenstein * Puppentheater an der Helmholtzstraße (puppetry) * Robert-Schumann-Saal * Savoy-Theater * Seniorentheater in der Altstadt * Tanzhaus NRW (theatre for dance) * Tonhalle Düsseldorf (concert hall for classical music, jazz, pop, cabaret) * Theater an der Kö * Theater an der Luegallee * Theateratelier Takelgarn * Theater Flin * Theater Glorreich

Museums, arts and history institutes, and other attractions

* Akademie-Galerie (exhibition space of the Art Academy Düsseldorf) * Andreaskirche * Aquazoo-Löbbecke-Museum (aquarium and zoological museum) * TvTower * BRAUSE – Vereinsheim des Metzgerei Schnitzel Kunstvereins e.V. * Film museum * Filmstiftung NRW (NRW Film Foundation) * Forum NRW * Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Goethe-Museum * Heinrich-Heine-Institut * Heinrich Heine Birth-house * :de:Hetjens Museum, Hetjens Museum (German museum of ceramics) * Imai – inter media art institute * Institut Français Düsseldorf * Institut für Kunstdokumentation und Szenografie (Institute for Art Documentation and Scenography) * Julia Stoschek, Julia Stoschek Collection (video art) * KAI 10, Raum für Kunst * Kulturbahnhof Eller * Kunstarchiv Kaiserswerth (works of Bernd and Hilla Becher/Kahmen Collection) * Kunst im Tunnel (KIT) * Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen (Art Collection Northrhine-Westphalia) – K20 (Grabbeplatz) and K21 (Ständehaus) * Kunsthalle Düsseldorf * Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen (Society for the Promotion of the Fine Arts) * Museum Kunstpalast * Mahn- und Gedenkstätte für die Opfer des Nationalsozialmus (Memorial museum for victims of Nazism, Nationalsocialism) * Onomato * Polish Institute, Polnisches Institut Düsseldorf * Puppentheater an der Helmholtzstraße * Rathaus * Reinraum e.V. – Verein zur Förderung von Kunst und Kultur * Rheinturm Düsseldorf, Rheinturm (Rhine Tower; highest building and landmark of Düsseldorf) * * Schiffahrt Museum * Schloss Jägerhof * Schlossturm * Schloss und Park Benrath (Palace and park of Benrath) * Stadtbibliothek * Stadtmuseum Düsseldorf, Stadtmuseum (City history museum) * Statue of Jan Wellem * Theatermuseum, Düsseldorf * Triton Museum * Volkshochschule * Zakk – cultural centre with concerts, readings, debates and party Koenigsallee 2019 -WPWP

Parks and gardens

* Botanischer Garten Düsseldorf, a modern botanical garden * Hofgarten * The Nordpark, with the Aquazoo * The Südfriedhof (The South Cemetery)
Volksgarten adjacent to Südpark

Sports and live events

File:ISS Dome Düsseldorf Straßensicht.jpg, The ISS-Dome, an ice hockey stadium, opened in 2006 File:LTU-Arena Düsseldorf.jpg, The Merkur Spiel-Arena (formerly LTU Arena) File:Eurovisions-Arena bei Nacht P5143553.JPG, Logo during Eurovision Song Contest 2011 ESC File:Rennbahn P4173040.JPG, Racecourse, general view from the east File:Neue Tribüne der Galopprennbahn Düsseldorf.JPG, Main Tribune of the Racecourse for horses/Galopprennbahn Düsseldorf Düsseldorf's main Association football, football team Fortuna Düsseldorf won the 1933 German championship, the German Cup in 1979 and 1980, and were finalists in the European Cup Winners Cup in 1979. They currently play in the 2. Bundesliga, after being relegated from the Bundesliga in 2020. They play their matches in the Merkur Spiel-Arena (formerly known as the 'ESPIRIT arena'), a multi-functional stadium with a capacity of 54,500. Düsseldorf was one of nine host cities for the 1974 FIFA World Cup, and the Rochusclub Düsseldorf has hosted the tennis World Team Cup from 1978 till 2012. Düsseldorf also held the List of Tour de France Grands Départs, Grand Départ for the 2017 Tour de France, Tour de France in July 2017. Other sports in Düsseldorf are ice hockey (the Düsseldorfer EG which play in the new ISS-Dome) and American football. The Düsseldorf Panther are one of the most successful teams in Germany with six German Bowl titles and the Eurobowl victory in 1995. In addition the Junior-Team is the most successful youth department in Germany with fifteen German Junior Bowl, Junior Bowl victories. Rhein Fire (NFL Europe), Rhine Fire Düsseldorf was an established team of the NFL Europa, NFL Europe and won the World Bowl two times in 1998 and 2000. Düsseldorf has a successful rugby union team (Düsseldorf Dragons), who as of 2017/18 play in the western division of the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German rugby. Table tennis is also played (Borussia Düsseldorf – the most successful team in Germany with Timo Boll), as are team handball, handball (HSG Düsseldorf), basketball (Gloria Giants Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf Giants), baseball (Düsseldorf Senators) and dance, dancing (Rot-Weiß Düsseldorf). Düsseldorf also has a Cricket team, the Düsseldorf Blackcaps, who play in the regional NRW league. The city hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2011.

Education

University of Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf is located in the southern part of the city. It has about 30,000 students and a wide range of subjects in natural sciences, mathematics, computer sciences, philosophy, social sciences, arts, languages, medicine, pharmacy, economy and the law. Other academic institutions include * the Clara Schumann Musikschule (music school) * the Robert Schumann Hochschule * the

(Academy of Fine art, Fine Arts) which is famous for high-profile artists like Joseph Beuys, Paul Klee, Nam June Paik, Gerhard Richter, the Bechers, and Andreas Gursky * the Hochschule Düsseldorf (University of Applied science, Applied Sciences) * the AMD Academy of Fashion and Design * the Max Planck Institute for Iron Research GmbH, Max Planck Institute for Iron Research * the Goethe-Institut, Goethe Institute * Verwaltungs- und Wirtschafts-Akademie Düsseldorf * WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management (Düsseldorf Campus) International primary and secondary schools: *International School of Düsseldorf *Lycée français de Düsseldorf *Japanische Internationale Schule in Düsseldorf

Notable buildings

*Rheinturm Düsseldorf, Rheinturm (TV tower) the city's landmark (1982: , since 2004: ), the lights of which comprise the world's largest digital clock. *The Frank Gehry, Gehry buildings in the Düsseldorf media harbour (see picture above). *The Colorium, an 18-storey tower designed by Alsop and Partners, also in the Düsseldorf media harbour. *The Schloss Benrath, Benrather Schloss (Benrath palace). * The Grupello-Haus probably designed by the Italian architect in 1706 for Duke Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine, Johann Wilhelm. *The Wilhelm Marx House of 1922/24: at twelve storeys high, it was Germany's first Skyscraper, high-rise building. *The Stahlhof of 1906, the administrative centre of Germany's steel economy until 1945. *The Stummhaus of 1925, another early German high-rise building. *Düsseldorf-Gerresheim, Gerresheim Basilica. *. *Hotel Römischer Kaiser, built in 1903-04 *DRV Tower, tower constructed in 1978. *GAP 15, an building constructed in 2005 near Königsallee. *ARAG-Tower, at in height, it is Düsseldorf's highest office, office building; designed by Sir Norman Foster. *Eight bridges span the Rhine at Düsseldorf; they, too, are city landmarks. *Eastern pylon of Reisholz Rhine Powerline Crossing, an electricity pylon under whose legs runs a rail. * Johanneskirche, Düsseldorf

Notable places

Königsallee, a shopping street with luxuries shops *Schloss Benrath, rococo castle *Altstadt (Düsseldorf), literally "old town", the historic town centre with the town hall ''Altes Rathaus'' from 1573. Nowadays Düsseldorf's entertainment district with hundreds of pubs and restaurants, and proverbially known by Germans as "the longest bar in the world". *Düsseldorf-Hafen, the harbour is a modern build district *Kaiserswerth, historical district with the ruined castle of Barbarossa Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor *Schloss Heltorf, the biggest palace in Düsseldorf, since 1662 homestead of the noble family ''Grafen von Spee'' *Hofgarten, Düsseldorf, Hofgarten, old city park *Schloss Jägerhof, an old hunting lodge at the Hofgarten, today a Goethe Museum

Twin towns – sister cities

Düsseldorf is Sister city, twinned with: * Reading, Berkshire, Reading, England, UK (1988) * Chemnitz, Germany (1988) * Haifa, Israel (1988) * Warsaw, Poland (1989) * Chongqing, China (2004) * Palermo, Italy (2016) * Chiba Prefecture, Japan (2019) * Chernivtsi, Ukraine (2022) * Moscow, Russia (1992) Suspended due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

Friendship and cooperation

Düsseldorf also cooperates with: * Toulouse, France (2003) * Tenerife, Spain (2003) * Shenyang, China (2004) * Guangzhou, China (2006) * Montreal, Canada (2015)

Notable people

Born before 1850

*Anne Of Cleves (1515–1557), Married to Henry VIII *François-Charles de Velbrück (1719–1784), Prince-Bishop of Liège *Helena Curtens (1722–1738), last victim of the witch trials in the Lower Rhine *Johann Georg Jacobi (1740–1814), writer *Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi (1743–1819), philosopher and writer *Peter von Cornelius (1783–1867), painter *Heinrich Heine (1797–1856), poet and writer *Lorenz Clasen (1812–1899), painter *Wilhelm Camphausen (1818–1885), painter *Louise Strantz (1823–1909), composer and singer *Paul von Hatzfeldt (1831–1901), diplomat *Anton Josef Reiss (1835–1900), sculptor *Eugen Richter (1838–1906), politician and publicist *Arnold Forstmann (1842–1914), landscape painter *Peter Janssen (1844–1908), painter, professor at the Art Academy *Karl Rudolf Sohn (1845–1908), painter *Felix Klein (1849–1925), mathematician

Born 1851–1900

Georg Wenker Georg Wenker (1852-1911) (Alter Fritz)

*Georg Wenker (1852–1911), linguist, founder of linguistic atlas of the German Reich (Wenkeratlas) *Karl Janssen (1855–1927), sculptor, professor at the Art Academy *Leopold Graf von Kalckreuth (1855–1928), painter *Maria Countess von Kalckreuth (1857–1897), painter *Fritz Reiss (1857–1915), lithographer, illustrator, graphic artist and painter *Bruno Schmitz (1858–1916), architect *Otto Hupp (1859–1949), signature graphic artist, engraver *Albert Herzfeld (1865–1943), painter and author *Agnes Elisabeth Overbeck (1870–1919), composer and pianist *Hanns Heinz Ewers (1871–1943), writer and filmmaker *Wilhelm Levison (1876–1947), historian *Elly Ney (1882–1968), world-famous concert pianist *Carl Maria Weber (1890–1953), writer *Willy Reetz (1892–1963), painter, "Düsseldorf School" *Hermann Knüfken (1893–1976), marine soldier, revolutionary, union activist, resistance fighter and secret agent *Ludwig Gehre (1895–1945), officer and resistance fighter *Hans Globke (1898–1973), jurist, National Socialist, from 1949 Assistant Secretary, then Secretary of State in the Federal Chancellery (1953–1963) *Karl von Appen (1900–1981), stage designer

Born after 1900

Filmregisseur Helmut Kautne in Nederland, Bestanddeelnr 910-9501

*Max Lorenz (tenor), Max Lorenz (1901–1975), tenor *Toni Ulmen (1906–1976), motorcycle and car race driver *Karl Pschigode (1907–1971), actor and theatre director *Helmut Käutner (1908–1980), film director and actor *Hilarius Gilges (1909–1933), Afro-German actor, victim of Nazism *Ernst Klusen (1909–1988), musicologist *Luise Rainer (1910–2014), actress *Ursula Benser (1915–2001), painter *Fred Beckey (1923–2017), rock climber, mountaineer, author *Jürgen Habermas (born 1929), philosopher and sociologist *Carl-Ludwig Wagner (1930–2012), politician (CDU) *Wim Wenders (born 1945), filmmaker, playwright, author *Carmen Thomas (born 1946), journalist, radio and television presenter, author and lecturer *Marius Müller-Westernhagen (born 1948), actor and musician *Heiner Koch (born 1954), Roman Catholic bishop *

(born 1955), photographer *Bettina Böttinger (born 1956), TV-presenter *Birgitt Bender (born 1956), politician (The Greens), Member of Landtag and Bundestag *Tommi Stumpff (born 1958), musician *Bettina Hoffmann (musician), Bettina Hoffmann (born 1959), musician and musicologist *Andreas Frege (born 1962), "Campino", singer in the band Die Toten Hosen *René Obermann (born 1963), manager, husband of Maybrit Illner *Doro (musician), Doro Pesch (born 1964), heavy metal musician *Jörg Schmadtke (born 1964), football manager *André Olbrich (born 1967), guitarist in the band Blind Guardian *Michael Preetz (born 1967), footballer *Svenja Schulze (born 1968), politician (SPD) *Heike Makatsch (born 1971), actress and singer *Tetsuya Kakihara (born 1982), voice actor and singer *Erika Ikuta (born 1997), Japanese actress, a former member of Nogizaka46

Associated with Düsseldorf

*William Thomas Mulvany (1806–1885 in Düsseldorf), entrepreneur *Robert Schumann (1810–1856), composer, 1850–1854 urban music director in Düsseldorf *Alfred Rethel (1816–1859 in Düsseldorf), history painter *Christian Eduard Boettcher (1818–1889), painter who lived, worked and died in Düsseldorf *Clara Schumann (1819–1896), pianist and composer, wife of Robert Schumann, frequent host of Johannes Brahms in Düsseldorf (1850–1854) *

(1824–1868), painter, Düsseldorf School *Louise Dumont (1862–1932 in Düsseldorf), actress and 1904 founder of the ''Schauspielhaus Düsseldorf'' *Johanna Ey, Johanna "Mother" Ey (1864–1947 in Düsseldorf), gallery owner *Peter Behrens (1868–1940), architect and director of the Düsseldorf Art Academy *Wilhelm Kreis (1873–1955), architect and director of the School of Applied Arts Düsseldorf *Peter Kürten (1883–1931), called "The Vampire of Düsseldorf", committed in Düsseldorf during the period between February and November 1929 series of sexual homicide *Adolf Uzarski (1885–1970 in Düsseldorf), writer, painter and graphic artist *Emil Fahrenkamp (1885–1966), architect and director of Düsseldorf Art Academy 1937–1945 *Betty Knox (1906–1963), dancer with variety act Wilson, Keppel and Betty and war correspondent lived in the city during her later years and died there. *Ernest Martin (theatre director and manager), Ernest Martin (born 1932), theatre director, theatre manager and actor in Düsseldorf