Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, 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 and the Düssel, a small tributary. 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''); 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 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 The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...

to the north. It is the largest city in the German Low Franconian dialect area (closely related to Dutch). Mercer's 2012 Quality of Living survey ranked Düsseldorf the sixth most livable city in the world. Düsseldorf Airport is Germany's fourth-busiest airport, serving as the most important international airport for the inhabitants of the densely populated

, 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 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and organizations * DAX, stock market index of the top 40 German companies ** DAX 100, an expanded index of 100 stocks, superseded by the HDAX ** TecDAX, stock index of the top 30 German technology firms * Dax ...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 organises nearly one fifth of premier trade shows. As second largest city of the Rhineland, 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. Th ...

celebrations every year in February/March, the Düsseldorf carnival celebrations being the third most popular in Germany after those held in Cologne and Mainz. There are 22 institutions of higher education in the city including the Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, the university of applied sciences (

Hochschule Düsseldorf The Hochschule Düsseldorf is a Fachhochschule (University of Applied Sciences) with departments for social sciences and cultural studies, technical sciences, architecture, media, design and business education in Düsseldorf. Its foundation was in ...

), the academy of arts ( Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, whose members include Joseph Beuys, Emanuel Leutze,

August Macke August Robert Ludwig Macke (3 January 1887 – 26 September 1914) was a German Expressionist painter. He was one of the leading members of the German Expressionist group Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider). He lived during a particularly act ...

, Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke, and Andreas Gursky), and the university of music ( Robert-Schumann-Musikhochschule Düsseldorf). The city is also known for its influence on electronic/experimental music (

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize the ...

) and its Japanese community. Düsseldorf is classified as a GaWC Beta+ world city.

History

Early development

When the Roman Empire was strengthening its position throughout Europe, a few Germanic tribes clung on in marshy territory off the eastern banks of the Rhine. 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. 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 Meuse-Rhenish (German: ''Rheinmaasländisch'', Dutch: ''Maas-Rijnlands'', and French: ''francique rhéno-mosan'') is the modern term for literature written in the Middle Ages in the greater Meuse-Rhine area, in a literary language that is eff ...

dialect) dates back to 1135. Under Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa the small town of Kaiserswerth 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. 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 granted the village on the banks of the Düssel town privileges. Before this, a bloody struggle for power had taken place between the Archbishop of Cologne and the count of Berg, culminating in the Battle of Worringen. NRW, Dusseldorf, Rheinturm - view to Landtag

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 Berg 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 The market square (or sometimes, the market place) is a Town square, square meant for trading, in which a market is held. It is an important feature of many towns and cities around the world.city walls A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

on all four sides. In 1380, the dukes of Berg 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 Counts of Palatinate-Neuburg, who made Düsseldorf their main domicile, even after they inherited the Electorate of the Palatinate, in 1685, becoming now Prince-electors as Electors Palatine. Under the art-loving Johann Wilhelm II (r. 1690–1716), a vast

art gallery An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The lon ...

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. 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 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 and Düsseldorf its capital. Johann Devaranne, a leader of Solingen's resistance to Napoleon's conscription decrees, was executed here in 1813. After Napoleon's defeat, the whole Rhineland including Berg was given to the Kingdom of Prussia in 1815. The

Rhine Province The Rhine Province (german: Rheinprovinz), also known as Rhenish Prussia () or synonymous with the Rhineland (), was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822 to 1946. It ...

's parliament was established in Düsseldorf. 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.

World War I

During World War I the

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

(RNS) undertook the first

Entente Entente, meaning a diplomatic "understanding", may refer to a number of agreements: History * Entente (alliance), a type of treaty or military alliance where the signatories promise to consult each other or to cooperate with each other in case o ...

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.

World War II

The Rabbi of the Düsseldorf Jewish Community fled to the Netherlands and died in KZ

Auschwitz Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...

in 1943. The city was a target of

strategic bombing during World War II World War II (1939–1945) involved sustained strategic bombing of railways, harbours, cities, workers' and civilian housing, and industrial districts in enemy territory. Strategic bombing as a military strategy is distinct both from close ...

, 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 Aktion Rheinland (German for ''Operation Rhineland'') was an operation carried out by the Anti-Nazi resistance group in Düsseldorf led by . The goal was to surrender the city of Düsseldorf to the advancing Americans without any fighting, there ...

German Federal Republic

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 guided Düsseldorf's economic growth.

Geography

Physical geography

Rheinuferpromenade in Düsseldorf DSCF1161

Düsseldorf lies at the centre of the Lower Rhine basin, where the delta of the Düssel 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, in Finland *Aussersi ...

( Oberkassel,

Niederkassel Niederkassel ( Ripuarian: ''Neddekaaßel'') is a town in the Rhein-Sieg district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of around 37,000 people. It is situated on the right bank of the Rhine, approx. north-east of Bonn and south ...

Heerdt Heerdt is one of the older quarters of the city of Düsseldorf, part of Borough 4. Heerdt and its neighbouring quarters Oberkassel, Niederkassel and Lörick lie on the left side of the river Rhine, opposite to the other districts of Düsseldorf a ...

and Lörick). Across the Rhine, the city of Neuss 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 Cardinal ...

. Düsseldorf lies southwest of the

urban area, and in the middle of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region. Düsseldorf is built entirely on alluvium, 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,

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, Er ...

, Hilden, Langenfeld, and Monheim), and the District of Neuss ( Dormagen, 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: ''Cfb'', mild in relation to East Germany). Like the rest of the lower Rhineland, 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 (81,742). The largest national minorities are Turks, Greeks, and

Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Ce ...

. Düsseldorf and its surroundings have the third-largest Japanese community in Europe and the largest in Germany (about 11,000 people). Düsseldorf has the third-largest Jewish community in Germany, with about 7,000 members.

Government

Boroughs

Since 1975, Düsseldorf is divided into ten administrative boroughs. Each borough (''

Stadtbezirk A ''Stadtbezirk'' (also called ''Ortsbezirk'' in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate) is an administrative division in Germany, which is part of a larger city. It is translated as "borough". In Germany, ''Stadtbezirke'' usually only exist in a metropo ...

'') 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 (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 , 83,425 , 34.1 , 118,308 , 56.0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Thomas Geisel , align=left,

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...

, 64,203 , 26.3 , 92,999 , 44.0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Stefan Engstfeld , align=left,

Alliance 90/The Greens Alliance 90/The Greens (german: Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, ), often simply referred to as the Greens ( ), is a Green politics, green List of political parties in Germany, political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 as the merger of The Greens ...

, 42,463 , 17.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann , align=left,

Free Democratic Party Free Democratic Party is the name of several political parties around the world. It usually designates a party ideologically based on liberalism. Current parties with that name include: *Free Democratic Party (Germany), a liberal political party in ...

, 30,584 , 12.5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Florian Josef Hoffmann , align=left,

Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (german: link=no, Alternative für Deutschland, AfD; ) is a right-wing populist * * * * * * * political party in Germany. AfD is known for its opposition to the European Union, as well as immigration to Germany. I ...

, 6,564 , 2.7 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Udo Adam Bonn , align=left, 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 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 , 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 , 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 (CDU) , 81,833 , 33.4 , 3.3 , 30 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(Grüne) , 58,881 , 24.0 , 10.3 , 22 , 11 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(SPD) , 43,949 , 17.9 , 11.4 , 16 , 8 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(FDP) , 22,453 , 9.2 , 2.2 , 8 , 2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Die Linke) , 9,951 , 4.1 , 1.1 , 4 , ±0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(AfD) , 8,776 , 3.6 , 0.6 , 3 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, 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 (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, D2 Vodafone and

E-Plus E-Plus was a mobile telecommunications operator in Germany. With more than 25 million subscribers, E-Plus was the third largest mobile operator in Germany, until the takeover from Telefónica Germany in October, 2014. Ownership E-Plus was o ...

, Düsseldorf leads the German mobile phone market. There are many foreign information and communication technology companies in Düsseldorf such as Huawei, NTT, Ericsson, Oppo, 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 agencies in Düsseldorf, among them three of the largest in Germany: BBDO Group,

Grey Global Group Grey Group is a global advertising and marketing agency with headquarters in New York City, and 432 offices in 96 countries, operating in 154 cities. It is organized into four geographical units: North America; Europe, Middle East & Africa, Asia ...

and Publicis. A number of affiliates of foreign agencies deserve mention as well, such as Ogilvy & Mather, Dentsu, Hakuhodo, TBWA, and

DDB DDB may refer to: * Dangerous Drugs Board, an agency of the Government of the Philippines * DDB Worldwide, an advertising agency * Digital Dictionary of Buddhism * Dogue de Bordeaux, breed of dog * Dortmund Data Bank, a factual data bank for thermo ...

. There are also about 200

publishing houses Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

in Düsseldorf. Peek & Cloppenburg (fashion);

Uniper Uniper SE �juːnipɚis an energy company based in Düsseldorf, Germany. The name of the company is a portmanteau of "unique" and "performance" given by long-term employee Gregor Recke. Uniper was formed by the separation of E.ON's fossil fuel ...

(electricity generation); L'Oréal Germany (Cosmetics and Beauty);

Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, commonly known as Henkel, is a German multinational chemical and consumer goods company headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. It is active in both the consumer and industrial sectors. Founded in 1876, the DAX company is organi ...

AG & Co. KGaA (Branded Consumer Goods and Industrial technologies);

Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...

(wholesale, retail);

Ceconomy Ceconomy AG is an international retail company headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. Its history goes back to the Metro AG, Metro Group. Ceconomy operates more than 1,000 consumer Consumer electronics, electronics stores in twelve countries. In ...

(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 Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. Many Japanese banks and corporations have their European headquarters in Düsseldorf – so many that Düsseldorf has the third largest 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 A financial centre ( BE), financial center ( AE), or financial hub, is a location with a concentration of participants in banking, asset management, insurance or financial markets with venues and supporting services for these activities to t ...

. More than 30,000 people work for the financial and insurance sector in Düsseldorf. There are around 170 national and

international financial institutions An international financial institution (IFI) is a financial institution that has been established (or chartered) by more than one country, and hence is subject to international law. Its owners or shareholders are generally national governments, al ...

, and about 130 insurance agencies, and one of Germany's eight

stock exchange A stock exchange, securities exchange, or bourse is an exchange where stockbrokers and traders can buy and sell securities, such as shares of stock, bonds and other financial instruments. Stock exchanges may also provide facilities for th ...

HSBC HSBC Holdings plc is a British multinational universal bank and financial services holding company. It is the largest bank in Europe by total assets ahead of BNP Paribas, with US$2.953 trillion as of December 2021. In 2021, HSBC had $10.8 tri ...

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 WestLB in 2002. Today Deutsche Bank and

Commerzbank Commerzbank AG () is a major German bank operating as a universal bank, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. In the 2019 financial year, the bank was the second largest in Germany by the total value of its balance sheet. Founded in 1870 in Hambur ...

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, SMBC and Mizuho have their German headquarters in Düsseldorf. Also

Santander Santander may refer to: Places * Santander, Spain, a port city and capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain * Santander Department, a department of Colombia * Santander State, former state of Colombia * Santander de Quilichao, a m ...

has its German headquarters in the Düsseldorf region. Some major insurance companies like

ERGO Ergo may refer to: * A Latin word meaning "therefore" as in Cogito ergo sum *''Ergo (journal)'', an academic journal * A Greek word έργο meaning "work", used as a prefix ergo-, for example, in ergonomics. * Ergometer (rowing), an indoor rowi ...

, a subsidiary of Munich Re, and

ARAG ARAG may refer to: * Arag, a town in Sangli district in the Indian state of Maharashtra * Advanced Research and Assessment Group * ARAG SE ARAG SE is an European insurance group. ARAG stands for ''Allgemeine Rechtsschutzversicherungs Aktienges ...

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 WDR and

QVC QVC (short for "Quality Value Convenience") is an American free-to-air television network, and flagship shopping channel specializing in televised home shopping, owned by Qurate Retail Group. Founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel in West Chester, Penn ...

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

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 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 people mover. Another station situated under the terminal building carries the S-Bahn line ( 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

commercial airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...

, 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 The (; abbreviated as DB or DB AG) is the national railway company of Germany. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). The Federal Republic of Germany is its single shareholder. describes itself as the se ...

(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 Rhine-Ruhr. Local 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 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 European high-speed systems (Intercity/Eurocity, IC/EC and

InterCityExpress The Intercity Express (commonly known as ICE ()) is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany. It also serves some destinations in Austria, Denmark (ceased in 2017 but planned to resume in 2022), France, Belgium, Switzerla ...

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 One-way carsharing is a type of carsharing that enables users to begin and end their trip at different locations. The pick-up and drop-off locations can be either restricted to traditional rental stations, or can be anywhere within an operational a ...

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 A3, A44, A46, A52, A57, A59 and A524.

Cycling

Düsseldorf is connected to some national and international cycling paths, including

EV15 The Rhine Cycle Route EuroVelo 15 (EV15), named the ''Rhine Cycle Route'', is a EuroVelo long-distance cycling route running 1230km along the Rhine river valley from the headwaters of the Rhine in Andermatt in Switzerland to the river's mouth in Hook of Holland in t ...

. 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

Jan Wellem Johann Wilhelm II, Elector Palatine (''"Jan Wellem"'' in Low German, English: ''"John William"''; 19 April 1658 – 8 June 1716) of the Wittelsbach dynasty was Elector Palatine (1690–1716), Duke of Neuburg (1690–1716), Duke of Jülich an ...

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 Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was a German poet, writer and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of '' Lied ...

, whose 200th birthday was celebrated in 1997 and who originally had a proposed

memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of a ...

in the city dedicated to him; Clara and

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

; and as

Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include sy ...

, are the most prominent artists related to the city, which is home to a distinguished 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 The is a theatre building and company in Düsseldorf. The present building with two major auditoria was designed by the architect and built between 1965 and 1969. It opened in 1970. History The theatre dates back to 1747 when during the ...

(theatre), artistic home of

Gustaf Gründgens Gustaf Gründgens (; 22 December 1899 – 7 October 1963), born Gustav Heinrich Arnold Gründgens, was one of Germany's most famous and influential actors of the 20th century, and artistic director of theatres in Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Hamburg ...

, 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

tyle Tyle may refer to: People * Chris Tyle (born 1955), American musician Places * Tyle Mill, England * Tyle or Tylis Other * 21970 Tyle, minor planet See also * Tile Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from ...

beer'', a reference to the pre- lager brewing method of using a warm

top-fermenting yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitut ...

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 Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...

Music and nightlife

Sensation White 2008 Silvester - LTU Arena, Düsseldorf

Since the 1950s the "

Kom(m)ödchen The Kom(m)ödchen is a cabaret stage in Düsseldorf. The Kom(m)ödchen was created in 1947 as a political-literary cabaret by Kay Lorentz, Kay and Lore Lorentz. Other participants in the initial program ''"Positiv dagegen"'', which had its premiere ...

" 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 band

. Formed by a few Düsseldorf-born musicians,

is internationally known as the most significant band in the history of

post-war In Western usage, the phrase post-war era (or postwar era) usually refers to the time since the end of World War II. More broadly, a post-war period (or postwar period) is the interval immediately following the end of a war. A post-war period c ...

German music and as pioneers in electronic music.Desperately seeking Kraftwerk
"Kraftwerk asso far ahead of tstime 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 Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

. 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 La Düsseldorf was a German band, consisting of onetime Kraftwerk drummer and Neu! multi-instrumentalist Klaus Dinger and occasional Neu! collaborators Thomas Dinger and Hans Lampe. La Düsseldorf was formed after Neu! disbanded following the rel ...

, also formed by Dinger in 1976 shortly after Neu! disbanded. Both groups had a significant influence on a variety of subsequent

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

, post-punk, and electronic music artists. Internationally known power metal band Warlock was formed in Düsseldorf in 1982. Its frontwoman, Doro Pesch, had a successful solo career in Europe and Asia since Warlock ended. The punk band

Die Toten Hosen Die Toten Hosen (literally "The Dead Trousers", figuratively "The Deadbeats") is a German punk rock band from Düsseldorf. History The current members of Die Toten Hosen are Campino (Andreas Frege), Kuddel (Andreas von Holst), Vom (Stephe ...

, which is famous around the world, also the most popular singers in Germany

Westernhagen The von Westernhagen are a German noble family. The Westernhagens are members of an old Thuringian nobility and originated in Lower Saxony. The first reference to the family was made in 1258. The original family name was von Hagen. The family ...

and Heino come from Düsseldorf. The electronic act D.A.F. was formed in the city in 1978, as well as the electronic/industrial pioneers

Die Krupps Die Krupps () ("The Krupps") is a German industrial metal/ EBM band, formed in 1980 by Jürgen Engler and Bernward Malaka in Düsseldorf. The band has had a diverse range of musical influences over time, including the percussive industrial '' ...

in 1980. Another famous formation is

Fehlfarben Fehlfarben is a Neue Deutsche Welle music band from Düsseldorf, Germany, that was formed in 1979. Its founding members were Peter Hein (vocals), former member of the Band ''Mittagspause'' ("lunch break"), Thomas Schwebel (guitar, former Mit ...

. 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 Teleman are an English indie pop band formed in London in 2011. The group consists of Thomas Sanders (vocals, guitar), Pete Cattermoul (bass) and Hiro Amamiya (drums). History Pete Cattermoul and brothers Jonny and Thomas Sanders were previo ...

and ''Wärst du doch in Düsseldorf geblieben'' by Danish singer

Dorthe Kollo Dorthe may refer to: *Dorthe Binkert (born 1949), German novelist and non-fiction writer *Dorthe Dahl-Jensen (born 1958), Danish palaeoclimatology professor and researcher *Dorthe Engelbrechtsdatter (1634–1716), Norwegian author *Dorthe Hansen, ...

Fashion

Düsseldorf has been the

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

capital of Germany 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 special location within the Soviet occupation zone. After the

monetary reform Monetary reform is any movement or theory that proposes a system of supplying money and financing the economy that is different from the current system. Monetary reformers may advocate any of the following, among other proposals: * A return t ...

of June 20, 1948, fashionable clothes trends gained importance.

Igedo Igedo (Igedo Company GmbH & Co. KG) is an organiser of fashion fairs and shows established in 1949 and located in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The acronym abbreviates "Interessengemeinschaft Damenoberbekleidung", in English "Commun ...

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), ''Design Department'', and ''Mode Design College''.

Carnival

One of the biggest cultural events in Düsseldorf is the '' 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 Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and falls on the first day of Lent (the six weeks of penitence before Easter). It is observed by Catholics in the Rom ...

Düsseldorf's cartwheeler

The ''Düsseldorfer Radschläger'' (''boy who does 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 Battle of Worringen. In the battle of 1288, Count Adolf devastatingly defeated the

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

of Cologne. As a consequence of this victory, Düsseldorf obtained town privileges. Inhabitants, especially children, ran joyfully on the streets and performed 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

and Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici or the wedding of Margravine Jakobea of Baden and 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) 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 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 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 Reibekuchen () are German potato pancakes, also known as Kartoffelpuffer (). They are common in many areas of Germany, the name "Reibekuchen" being characteristic to the Rheinland area. Reibekuchen may be served with apple sauce, pumpernickel bre ...

(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-like mustard served in a traditional pot called "Mostertpöttche", which was eternalised in a

still life A still life (plural: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly wikt:inanimate, inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or artificiality, m ...

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 A literary award or literary prize is an award presented in recognition of a particularly lauded literary piece or body of work. It is normally presented to an author. Organizations Most literary awards come with a corresponding award ceremony. Ma ...

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 Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

parades,

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

, ice hockey and beer. People in Cologne prefer 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 German ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and Official language, official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Ita ...

) * Capitol (musicals) * Deutsche Oper am Rhein (Opera; Ballet) *

; the theatre started with theatrical performances in 1585 * Düsseldorfer Marionetten-Theater * Merkur Spiel-Arena (Venue of the Eurovision Song Contest 2011) * FFT – Forum Freies Theater (intimate theatre) * Junges Theater in der Altstadt * Klangraum (20th-century classical music) *

(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 A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats. This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention centres that may ...

for

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

, 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 The NRW Forum Wirtschaft und Kultur (Forum NRW), formerly the Museum für Industrie und Wirtschaft, is a museum in Düsseldorf, the state capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, dealing with the development and the economy of the state of North Rhine ...

* Goethe-Museum * Heinrich-Heine-Institut * Heinrich Heine Birth-house * Hetjens Museum (German museum of ceramics) *

Imai – inter media art institute The imai Foundation was founded in 2006 as ''imai - inter media art institute''. It is an institution dedicated to the preservation, research and distribution of video art and media art and associated activities. The foundation organizes works ...

* Institut Français Düsseldorf * Institut für Kunstdokumentation und Szenografie (Institute for Art Documentation and Scenography) * 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 The Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen is the art collection of the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, in Düsseldorf. United by this institution are three different exhibition venues: the ''K20'' at Grabbeplatz, the ''K21'' in the ...

(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 The Kunstpalast, formerly Kunstmuseum Düsseldorf is an art museum in Düsseldorf. History The roots of the museum go back around 300 years. In 1932, the collection of the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf (Academy of Art) was housed in the Kunstmus ...

* Mahn- und Gedenkstätte für die Opfer des Nationalsozialmus (Memorial museum for victims of

Nationalsocialism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

) * Onomato * Polnisches Institut Düsseldorf * Puppentheater an der Helmholtzstraße * Rathaus * Reinraum e.V. – Verein zur Förderung von Kunst und Kultur * 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 (City history museum) * Statue of

* 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 The PSD Bank Dome is a multi-use indoor arena in Düsseldorf, Germany, it opened in 2006. The arena has a capacity of 15,151 people and 14,282 people for hockey matches. Events It is used mostly for ice hockey matches, as well as concerts. It ...

, 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

team Fortuna Düsseldorf won the 1933 German championship, the

German Cup The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considered ...

in 1979 and 1980, and were finalists in the

European Cup Winners Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...

in 1979. They currently play in the

2. Bundesliga The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...

, 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 The 1974 FIFA World Cup was the tenth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in West Germany (and West Berlin) between 13 June and 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the ...

, and the Rochusclub Düsseldorf has hosted the tennis World Team Cup from 1978 till 2012. Düsseldorf also held the Grand Départ for the Tour de France in July 2017. Other sports in Düsseldorf are ice hockey (the

Düsseldorfer EG Düsseldorfer EG (short DEG) is a German professional ice hockey team in Düsseldorf. It was Germany's most successful hockey club for a long time and had many international players. The famous Eisstadion at the Brehmstrasse was the home venue for ...

which play in the new

) 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 Junior Bowl victories. Rhine Fire Düsseldorf was an established team of the

NFL Europe NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa League) was a professional American football league that functioned as the developmental minor league of the National Football League (NFL). Originally f ...

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

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

(HSG Düsseldorf), basketball (

Düsseldorf Giants Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...

), baseball (Düsseldorf Senators) and dancing (Rot-Weiß Düsseldorf). Düsseldorf also has a

Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

team, the Düsseldorf Blackcaps, who play in the regional NRW league. The city hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2011.

Education

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 science Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatab ...

s, 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 Robert Schumann Hochschule (Robert Schumann University of Music and Media) is a school for music studies at the university level located in Düsseldorf. The University has a student body of some 850 coming from over 40 countries. Forty-seven f ...

* the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf (Academy of

Fine Arts In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...

) which is famous for high-profile artists like Joseph Beuys, Paul Klee, Nam June Paik, Gerhard Richter, the Bechers, and Andreas Gursky * the

(University of

Applied Sciences Applied science is the use of the scientific method and knowledge obtained via conclusions from the method to attain practical goals. It includes a broad range of disciplines such as engineering and medicine. Applied science is often contrasted ...

) * the

AMD Academy of Fashion and Design The AMD Akademie Mode & Design is the design department of the private Fresenius University of Applied Sciences. With locations in Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Wiesbaden (start 2019), Munich and Berlin, AMD is thus part of one of the largest private univer ...

* the

Max Planck Institute for Iron Research The Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung GmbH (MPIE) is a research institute of the Max Planck Society located in Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, ...

* the Goethe Institute * Verwaltungs- und Wirtschafts-Akademie Düsseldorf *

WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management The WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management is a top German business school with campuses in Vallendar and Düsseldorf, Germany. WHU was founded in 1984 by the Koblenz Chamber of Commerce as the Wissenschaftliche Hochschule für Unternehmens ...

(Düsseldorf Campus) International primary and secondary schools: *

International School of Düsseldorf The International School of Düsseldorf e.V. (ISD) is a nonprofit, independent, coeducational day school located in Düsseldorf-Kaiserswerth, Kaiserswerth, Germany, a historic suburb of Düsseldorf. (A)ISD was founded in 1968 as the American Interna ...

Lycée français de Düsseldorf ''Lycée français de Düsseldorf'' is a French international school in Düsseldorf. It serves ''maternelle'' (preschool) through ''lycée'' (senior high school) levels.Japanische Internationale Schule in Düsseldorf is a Japanese international school in Oberkassel, Düsseldorf, Germany. ''Japanische Ergänzungsschule in Düsseldorf'' (デュッセルドルフ日本語補習校 ''Dyusserudorufu Nihongo Hoshūkō''), a Japanese weekend school, is a part of t ...

Notable buildings

* Rheinturm (TV tower) the city's landmark (1982: , since 2004: ), the lights of which comprise the world's largest

digital clock A digital clock is a type of clock that displays the time digitally (i.e. in numerals or other symbols), as opposed to an analogue clock. Digital clocks are often associated with electronic drives, but the "digital" description refers only to ...

. *The

Gehry Frank Owen Gehry, , FAIA (; ; born ) is a Canadian-born American architect and designer. A number of his buildings, including his private residence in Santa Monica, California, have become world-renowned attractions. His works are considered ...

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 Benrather Schloss (Benrath palace). * The

Grupello-Haus The Grupello-Haus (Grupello house) is a three-storey building located at 4 Marktplatz, Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The original size of the building was likely half of its current size. History It is believed to have been design ...

probably designed by the Italian architect in 1706 for Duke Johann Wilhelm. *The

Wilhelm Marx House Wilhelm Marx House (Wilhelm-Marx-Haus) is a historical high-rise building in the central district of Düsseldorf in Germany. It was one of the first highrise buildings in Germany. Wilhelm Marx House was finished in 1924 (beginning of the construct ...

of 1922/24: at twelve storeys high, it was Germany's first

high-rise building A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building, as opposed to a low-rise building and is defined differently in terms of height depending on the jurisdictio ...

. *The Stahlhof of 1906, the administrative centre of Germany's steel economy until 1945. *The Stummhaus of 1925, another early German high-rise building. * Gerresheim Basilica. *. *

Hotel Römischer Kaiser The Hotel Römischer Kaiser (English: Roman Emperor Hotel) is a former hotel at Stresemanstraße 26 in the center of Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, which has more recently been used as an office and commercial building. It was desig ...

, 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 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 The following is a list of spans, either used for overhead line crossings of rivers, sea straits or valleys, as antenna or for aerial tramways. Powerline spans in flat areas with high pylons At these spans the sag of the conductors is less th ...

, an electricity pylon under whose legs runs a rail. *

Johanneskirche, Düsseldorf St John's Church (german: Johanneskirche), with its almost 88 m high tower, is the largest Protestant church in Düsseldorf. It is located at the Martin-Luther-Platz. The church was built from 1875 to 1881 in the Romanesque Revival style. It ...

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 Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on ...

Schloss Heltorf ''Schloss'' (; pl. ''Schlösser''), formerly written ''Schloß'', is the German language, German term for a building similar to a château, palace, or manor house. Related terms appear in several Germanic languages. In the Scandinavian langu ...

, the biggest palace in Düsseldorf, since 1662 homestead of the noble family ''Grafen von Spee'' * Hofgarten, old city park *

Schloss Jägerhof The Schloss Jägerhof, formerly also called ''die Vénerie'' (French for hunting), is located at Jacobistraße 2 in Düsseldorf-Pempelfort, near the city centre. It was built between 1752 and 1763 by order of the Prince-elector Karl Theodor. At ...

, an old hunting lodge at the Hofgarten, today a Goethe Museum

Twin towns – sister cities

Düsseldorf is twinned with: * Reading, England, UK (1988) *

Chemnitz Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt , ) is the third-largest city in the German state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden. It is the 28th largest city of Germany as well as the fourth largest city in the area of former East Germany a ...

, Germany (1988) * Haifa, Israel (1988) * Warsaw, Poland (1989) *

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...

, China (2004) *

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

, Italy (2016) * Chiba Prefecture, Japan (2019) *

Chernivtsi Chernivtsi ( uk, Чернівці́}, ; ro, Cernăuți, ; see also other names) is a city in the historical region of Bukovina, which is now divided along the borders of Romania and Ukraine, including this city, which is situated on the upp ...

, Ukraine (2022) * Moscow, Russia (1992) Suspended due to the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

Friendship and cooperation

Düsseldorf also cooperates with: * Toulouse, France (2003) * Tenerife, Spain (2003) *

Shenyang Shenyang (, ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly known as Fengtian () or by its Manchu language, Manchu name Mukden, is a major China, Chinese sub-provincial city and the List of capitals in China#Province capitals, provincial capital of Lia ...

, 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 François Charles de Velbrück (1719, Chateau de Garath, near Düsseldorf – 1784, Château de Hex, near Tongres) was a German ecclesiastic. He was prince bishop of Liege from 16 February 1772 to 1784. Early life In 1735, Velbrück was made a ...

(1719–1784), Prince-Bishop of

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

Helena Curtens Helena (Hellene Mechthildis) Curtens (1722 in Gerresheim – 19 August 1738 in Gerresheim) was an alleged German witch. She was one of the last people executed for sorcery in Germany and the last person executed for this crime within the Rhine are ...

(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 *

(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 Anton Josef Reiss, also Reiß (30 October 1835Anton Josef Reiss
In H ...

(1835–1900), sculptor * Eugen Richter (1838–1906), politician and publicist * Arnold Forstmann (1842–1914), landscape painter *

Peter Janssen Johann Peter Theodor Janssen (12 December 1844, Düsseldorf – 19 February 1908, Düsseldorf) was a German historical painter. Biography Janssen was born in Düsseldorf, son of the engraver (1817–1894), by whom he was first instructed befo ...

(1844–1908), painter, professor at the Art Academy *

Karl Rudolf Sohn Karl Friedrich Rudolf Sohn (21 July 1845, Düsseldorf – 29 August 1908, Düsseldorf) was a German portrait painter in the Academic style. Biography His father was the landscape painter, Karl Ferdinand Sohn. After graduating from the , he wa ...

(1845–1908), painter * Felix Klein (1849–1925), mathematician

Born 1851–1900

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

Georg Wenker Georg Wenker (January 25, 1852 – July 17, 1911) was a German linguist who began documenting German dialect geography during the late nineteenth century. He is considered a pioneer in this field and contributed several groundbreaking publica ...

(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 :' Leopold Karl Walter Graf von Kalkreuth (15 May 1855 – 1 December 1928) was a German painter, known for portraits and landscapes. Biography A direct descendant of field-marshal Friedrich Adolf Graf von Kalckreuth, Leopold was born at Düsse ...

(1855–1928), painter *

Maria Countess von Kalckreuth Countess Maria von Kalckreuth (1857-1897) was a German painter known for her portraits. Biography Kalckreuth was born in 1857 in Düsseldorf, Germany. Her brother Leopold Graf von Kalckreuth was also a painter. She was taught to paint by her fa ...

(1857–1897), painter *Fritz Reiss (1857–1915), lithographer, illustrator, graphic artist and painter *

Bruno Schmitz Bruno Schmitz (21 November 1858 – 27 April 1916) was a German architect best known for his monuments in the early 20th century. He worked closely with sculptors such as Emil Hundrieser, Nikolaus Geiger and Franz Metzner for integrated arch ...

(1858–1916), architect * Otto Hupp (1859–1949), signature graphic artist, engraver *

Albert Herzfeld Albert Herzfeld (Düsseldorf, 1865 – Theresienstadt, 1943) was a noted German Jewish painter who was deported at the age of 77 to Theresienstadt and died there the following year.Götz Aly, Wolf D. Gruner ''Die Verfolgung und Ermordung der europ ...

(1865–1943), painter and author *

Agnes Elisabeth Overbeck Ella Overbeck, pseudonym ''Baroness Ella Overbeck'' or ''Overbach'', also ''Agnes Elisabeth Overbeck'', ''Elizabeth von Overbe(c)k'', or ''Baroness Jo Overbeck'' (nicknamed ''Jimmy'') (10 October 1870 – 12 November 1919) was an Anglo-Russian com ...

(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 Willy Reetz (27 May 1892 – 24 July 1963) was a German painter. Occasionally his first name is given as Wilhelm, but he never used this name by himself and signed all his work as 'Willy Reetz'. He is not related to the painter Wilhelm Reetz ...

(1892–1963), painter, "Düsseldorf School" *

Hermann Knüfken Hermann Knüfken (9 February 1893 – 8 February 1976) was a German trade unionist, communist activist and anti-fascist. Knüfken was a sailor who was conscripted into the Imperial German Navy in 1914. In 1917 he deserted, going to Denmark. He re ...

(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 (1901–1975), tenor *

Toni Ulmen Anton "Toni" Ulmen (25 January 1906 – 4 November 1976) was a German motorcycle and racing driver from Düsseldorf, Germany. His racing career started in 1925 on a 250 cc Velocette. In 1927 he won the opening race of the Nürburgring on a 350 ...

(1906–1976), motorcycle and car race driver *

Karl Pschigode Karl Pschigode (28 April 1907 in Düsseldorf – 22 July 1971 in Munich) was a German actor and theater manager. Pschigode came to Nuremberg in 1942 as an actor. In 1947 he took over the direction of the Städtische Bühnen Nürnberg (today Staa ...

(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 Ursula Benser, née Ursula Maria Luise Heuser (1915–2001) was a German painter and draftsperson. She worked in pastels, watercolor, and gouache, on paper or canvas. She was born on 1 August 1915 in Düsseldorf, Germany, to parents Mira (née ...

(1915–2001), painter * Fred Beckey (1923–2017), rock climber, mountaineer, author *

Jürgen Habermas Jürgen Habermas (, ; ; born 18 June 1929) is a German social theorist in the tradition of critical theory and pragmatism. His work addresses communicative rationality and the public sphere. Associated with the Frankfurt School, Habermas's wor ...

(born 1929), philosopher and sociologist *

Carl-Ludwig Wagner Carl-Ludwig Wagner (9 January 1930 – 27 July 2012) was a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union. Wagner was born in Düsseldorf, but later lived in Eitelsbach, a part of Trier. After his Abitur 1949 in Trier he studied law at t ...

(1930–2012), politician (CDU) *

Wim Wenders Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (; born 14 August 1945) is a German filmmaker, playwright, author, and photographer. He is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among many honors, he has received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Docum ...

(born 1945), filmmaker, playwright, author *

Carmen Thomas Carmen Thomas (born 7 May 1946) is a German journalist, radio and television presenter, author and lecturer. On television, she was the first woman to present the ZDF's ''das aktuelle Sportstudio''. She worked for public radio, running '' Hallo ...

(born 1946), journalist, radio and television presenter, author and lecturer * Marius Müller-Westernhagen (born 1948), actor and musician *

Heiner Koch Heiner Koch (born 13 June 1954) is a German prelate of the Catholic Church. He has been the Archbishop of Berlin since September 2015. He was an auxiliary bishop in Cologne from 2006 to 2013 and Bishop of Dresden-Meissen from 2013 to 2015. Earl ...

(born 1954), Roman Catholic bishop * Andreas Gursky (born 1955), photographer * Bettina Böttinger (born 1956), TV-presenter *

Birgitt Bender Birgitt "Biggi" Bender (born 28 December 1956 in Düsseldorf) is a German politician and member of Alliance 90/The Greens in the Bundestag. Bender studied law in Cologne, Geneva and in Freiburg and finished her studies 1984. From 1988 to 2001 ...

(born 1956), politician (The Greens), Member of Landtag and Bundestag *

Tommi Stumpff Thomas Peters (born 1 February 1958), known professionally as Tommi Stumpff, is a German musician who played Electronic Body Music in the 1980s. Biography Stumpff spent his childhood with his family in Paris and Brussels before moving back to ...

(born 1958), musician * Bettina Hoffmann (born 1959), musician and musicologist *

Andreas Frege Andreas Frege (born 22 June 1962), known professionally as Campino, is a German-British singer, best known as the lead vocalist of Die Toten Hosen, a German punk rock band. Biography Campino was born in Düsseldorf and is a descendant of t ...

(born 1962), "Campino", singer in the band

René Obermann René Obermann (born 5 March 1963) is a German businessman who currently serves as Co-Head of Warburg Pincus International LLC's European operations, and also serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Airbus SE since 16 April 2020. He was ...

(born 1963), manager, husband of

Maybrit Illner Maybrit Illner (née Klose; born 12 January 1965) is a German journalist and television presenter. Education Born in East Berlin, Illner went to school in the Friedrichshain area of Berlin and studied journalism at the University of Leipzig ...

* Doro Pesch (born 1964), heavy metal musician * Jörg Schmadtke (born 1964), football manager *

André Olbrich André Olbrich (born 3 May 1967) is a German musician, best known as the co-founder and lead guitarist of power metal band Blind Guardian, in which he serves as one of the main composers with other founder Hansi Kürsch. Olbrich was ranked num ...

(born 1967), guitarist in the band Blind Guardian *

Michael Preetz Michael Preetz (born 17 August 1967) is a German former professional footballer who played as a forward. He spent his whole career in Germany, playing for Fortuna Düsseldorf, 1. FC Saarbrücken, MSV Duisburg and SG Wattenscheid 09, but he is m ...

(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 is a Japanese singer, actress and a former member of the Japanese idol girl group Nogizaka46. In addition to her work with Nogizaka46, Ikuta has appeared in multiple television and stage productions, including a Japanese production of ''Les Mis� ...

(born 1997), Japanese actress, a former member of Nogizaka46

Associated with Düsseldorf

William Thomas Mulvany William Thomas Mulvany (11 March 1806 in Dublin, Ireland – 30 October 1885 in Düsseldorf, Germany) was an Irish entrepreneur in Germany. Life Mulvany was one of seven children of Catholic parents in Dublin: his father was the painter Th ...

(1806–1885 in Düsseldorf), entrepreneur *

(1810–1856), composer, 1850–1854 urban music director in Düsseldorf *

Alfred Rethel Alfred Rethel (May 15, 1816December 1, 1859) was a German history painter. Early life and education Rethel was born in Aachen in 1816. He showed an interest in art in his early life, and at the age of thirteen he executed a drawing which procure ...

(1816–1859 in Düsseldorf), history painter *

Christian Eduard Boettcher Christian Eduard Boettcher, or Böttcher ( 9 December 1818 in Imgenbroich – 15 June 1889 in Düsseldorf), was a German painter whose work comprised portraiture and genre painting. Career Boettcher first attended the State Academy of Fine Ar ...

(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 Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...

in Düsseldorf (1850–1854) * Emanuel Leutze (1824–1868), painter, Düsseldorf School * Louise Dumont (1862–1932 in Düsseldorf), actress and 1904 founder of the ''Schauspielhaus Düsseldorf'' * Johanna "Mother" Ey (1864–1947 in Düsseldorf), gallery owner * Peter Behrens (1868–1940), architect and director of the

Düsseldorf Art Academy Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...

Wilhelm Kreis Wilhelm Kreis (17 March 1873 – 13 August 1955) was a prominent German architect and professor of architecture, active through four political systems in German history: the Wilhelmine era, the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, and the founda ...

(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 Adolf Uzarski (April 14, 1885 – July 14, 1970) was a German writer, artist, and illustrator associated with the New Objectivity movement. He was born in Ruhrort bei Duisburg and studied at the Cologne School of Architecture before enrolling in 1 ...

(1885–1970 in Düsseldorf), writer, painter and graphic artist *

Emil Fahrenkamp Emil Fahrenkamp (November 8, 1885, Aachen – May 24, 1966, Ratingen-Breitscheid) was a German architect and professor. One of the most prominent architects of the period between the first and second World Wars, he is best known for his 1931 ...

(1885–1966), architect and director of

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 (born 1932), theatre director, theatre manager and actor in Düsseldorf