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Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...
after
Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
and
Düsseldorf 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 ...
, and the eighth-largest city of
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the largest city (by area and population) of the Ruhr, Germany's largest urban area with some 5.1 million inhabitants, as well as the largest city of
Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regio ...
. On the
Emscher The Emscher () is a river, a tributary of the Rhine, that flows through the Ruhr area in North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany. Its overall length is with an mean outflow near the mouth into the lower Rhine of . Description The Emsche ...
and Ruhr rivers (
tributaries 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 drain ...
of the
Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , source ...
), it lies in the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Region and is considered the administrative, commercial, and cultural center of the eastern Ruhr. Dortmund is the second-largest city in the Low German dialect area after
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...
. Founded around 882, Wikimedia Commons: First documentary reference to Dortmund-Bövinghausen from 882, contribution-list of the Werden Abbey (near Essen), North-Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Dortmund became an Imperial Free City. Throughout the 13th to 14th centuries, it was the "chief city" of the Rhine, Westphalia, and the Netherlands Circle of the
Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label= Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German to ...
. During the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of batt ...
, the city was destroyed and decreased in significance until the onset of industrialization. The city then became one of Germany's most important coal, steel and beer centres. Dortmund consequently was one of the most heavily bombed cities in Germany during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. The devastating bombing raids of 12 March 1945 destroyed 98% of buildings in the inner city center. These bombing raids, with more than 1,110 aircraft, hold the record to a single target in World War II. The region has adapted since the collapse of its century-long steel and coal industries and shifted to high-technology biomedical technology, micro systems technology, and also services. Dortmund was classified as a ''Node city'' in the Innovation Cities Index published by 2thinknow, ranked among the twelve innovation cities in
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...
and is the most sustainable and digital city in
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
. Other key sectors include
retail Retail is the sale of goods and Service (economics), services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturing, manufacturers, dire ...
,
leisure Leisure has often been defined as a quality of experience or as free time. Free time is time spent away from business, work, job hunting, domestic chores, and education, as well as necessary activities such as eating and sleeping. Lei ...
and the visitor economy, creative industries, and
logistics Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...
. With its central station and
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 surfa ...
, the third-busiest airport in
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...
, Dortmund is an important transport junction, especially for the surrounding Ruhr area as well as
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 ...
(
Benelux The Benelux Union ( nl, Benelux Unie; french: Union Benelux; lb, Benelux-Unioun), also known as simply Benelux, is a politico- economic union and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighboring states in western Europe ...
countries), and with the largest canal
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...
in Europe it has a connection to important seaports on the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian ...
. Dortmund is home to many cultural and educational institutions, including the
Technical University of Dortmund TU Dortmund University (german: Technische Universität Dortmund) is a technical university in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany with over 35,000 students, and over 6,000 staff including 300 professors, offering around 80 Bachelor's ...
and
Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts Fachhochschule Dortmund - University of Applied Sciences and Arts (german: Fachhochschule Dortmund) is a university of applied sciences (German: ''Fachhochschule'') in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany with 14,057 students, and 894 staff ...
, International School of Management and other educational, cultural and administrative facilities with over 49,000 students, many museums, such as
Museum Ostwall The Museum Ostwall (known as Museum am Ostwall until 2010) is a museum of modern and contemporary art in Dortmund, Germany. It was founded in the late 1940s, and has been located in the Dortmund U-Tower since 2010. The collection includ ...
, Museum of Art and Cultural History, German Football Museum, as well as theatres and music venues like the Konzerthaus or the Opera House of Dortmund. Nearly half the municipal territory consists of waterways, woodland, agriculture and green spaces with spacious parks such as Westfalenpark and Rombergpark. This stands in a stark contrast with nearly a hundred years of extensive coal mining and steel milling in the past.
Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional fo ...
is one of the most successful German football clubs.


History


Etymology

] Dortmund was first mentioned in the
Werden Abbey Werden Abbey (german: Kloster Werden) was a Benedictine monastery in Essen-Werden ( Germany), situated on the Ruhr. The foundation of the abbey Near Essen Saint Ludger founded a monastery in 799 and became its first abbot. The little churc ...
, which was built between 880 and
884 __NOTOC__ Year 884 ( DCCCLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * March 1 – Diego Rodríguez Porcelos, count of Castile, founds and repo ...
. The Latin entry reads: ''In Throtmanni liber homo Arnold viii den nob solvit.'' (German: ''In Throtmanni zahlt uns der freie Mann Arnold 8 Pfennige'' and English: ''In Throtmanni the free man Arnold pays us 8 pfennigs'')).Norbert Reimann: I. Das Werden der Stadt. Die Anfänge. Der Königshof Karls des Großen. In: Stadtarchiv Dortmund (Hrsg.): Geschichte der Stadt Dortmund. Harenberg, Dortmund 1994, , S. 24–25 (Reihe Dortmunder Leistungen, Band 2) According to this, there are a large number of different names, but they all go back to the same phoneme stem. Their respective use in the sources appears arbitrary and random. In the course of time the name changed many times: ''trut munia''
899 __NOTOC__ Year 899 ( DCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – King Arnulf of Carinthia enlists the support of the Magyars, to ra ...
, ''Thortmanni, Trutmania, Trotmunni''
939 Year 939 ( CMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Hugh the Great, count of Paris, rebels against King Louis IV ("d'Outremer") and gains su ...
, ''Tremonia''
1152 Year 1152 ( MCLII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Levant * Spring – King Baldwin III and his mother, Queen Melisende, are called to intervene ...
. From the 13th century on, the ''Dortmunde'' appeared for the first time, but it was not until a few centuries later that it became generally accepted. In the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
1389, when the city had withstood the siege of 1200 knights under the leadership of the Archbishop of
Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
, it chose as its motto a saying that is still upheld today by traditional societies: ''So fast as Düörpm''. ( High German: As firm as Dortmund). In the past, the city was called ''Dortmond'' in Dutch, ''Tremonia'' in Spanish and ''Trémoigne'' in
Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intel ...
. However, these exonyms have fallen into disuse and the city is now internationally known by its German name of ''Dortmund''. The common abbreviation for the name of the city is "DTM", the IATA code for
Dortmund Airport Dortmund Airport is a minor international airport located east of Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It serves the eastern Rhine-Ruhr area, the largest urban agglomeration in Germany, and is mainly used for low-cost and leisure charter fligh ...
.


Early history

The
Sigiburg The Sigiburg was a Saxon hillfort in Western Germany, overlooking the River Ruhr near its confluence with the River Lenne. The ruins of the later Hohensyburg castle now stand on the site, which is in Syburg, a neighbourhood in the Hörde distri ...
was a hillfort in the South of present-day Dortmund, overlooking the River Ruhr near its confluence with the River Lenne. The ruins of the later Hohensyburg castle now stand on the site of the Sigiburg. The hillfort is presumably of Saxon origin, but there are no archeological or documentary proofs. During the Saxon Wars, it was taken by the
Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools ...
under
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first E ...
in 772, retaken by the Saxons (possibly under Widukind) in 774, and taken again and refortified by Charlemagne in 775.
Archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
evidence suggests the Sigiburg site was also occupied in the
Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several pa ...
era. The first time Dortmund was mentioned in official documents was around 882 as Throtmanni – In throtmanni liber homo arnold sviii den riosnob ssoluit olvit In 1005 the "Ecclesiastical council" and in 1016 the"Imperial diet" met in Dortmund.


Middle Ages and early modern period

After it was destroyed by a fire, the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I (Barbarossa) had the town rebuilt in 1152 and resided there (among other places) for two years. In 1267 St. Mary's Church, Dortmund, and three years later in 1270 St. Reinold's Church first mentioned. The combination of crossroad, market place, administrative centre – town hall, made Dortmund an important centre in Westphalia. It became an Imperial Free City and one of the first cities in Europe with an official Brewing right in 1293. Throughout the 13th to 14th centuries, it was the "chief city" of the Rhine, Westphalia, the Netherlands Circle of the
Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label= Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German to ...
. After 1320, the city appeared in writing as "Dorpmunde". In the years leading up to 1344, the English King even borrowed money from well-heeled Dortmund merchant families Berswordt and Klepping, offering the regal crown as security. In 1388, the
Count of Mark The County of Mark (german: Grafschaft Mark, links=no, french: Comté de La Marck, links=no colloquially known as ) was a county and state of the Holy Roman Empire in the Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle. It lay on both sides of the Ruhr River ...
joined forces with the Archbishop of
Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
and issued declarations of a feud against the town. Following a major siege lasting 18 months, peace negotiations took place and Dortmund emerged victorious. In 1400 the seat of the first Vehmic court (german: Freistuhl) was in Dortmund, in a square between two linden trees, one of which was known as the '' Femelinde''. With the growing influence of
Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
during the 15th century, the seat was moved to
Arnsberg Arnsberg (; wep, Arensperg) is a town in the Hochsauerland county, in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the location of the Regierungsbezirk Arnsberg administration and one of the three local administration offices of the Hochs ...
in 1437. After Cologne was excluded after the
Anglo-Hanseatic War The Anglo-Hanseatic War was a conflict fought between England and the Hanseatic League, led by the cities of Gdańsk and Lübeck, that lasted from 1469 to 1474. Causes of the war include increasing English pressure against the trade of the Han ...
(1470–74), Dortmund was made capital of the Rhine-Westphalian and Netherlands Circle. This favors the founding of one of the oldest schools in Europe in 1543 – . In 1661 an earthquake made the
Reinoldikirche The Lutheran Protestant Church of St. Reinold (german: Reinoldikirche) is, according to its foundation date, the oldest extant church in Dortmund, Germany; it is dedicated to Reinold, also known as Renaud de Montauban, the patron of the city ...
collapse.


18th, 19th and early 20th centuries

With the '' Reichsdeputationshauptschluss'' resolution in 1803, Dortmund was added to the Principality of Nassau-Orange-Fulda, with as a result that it was no longer a
free imperial city In the Holy Roman Empire, the collective term free and imperial cities (german: Freie und Reichsstädte), briefly worded free imperial city (', la, urbs imperialis libera), was used from the fifteenth century to denote a self-ruling city that ...
. William V, Prince of Orange-Nassau did not want stolen areas and therefore let his son Prince Willem Frederik (the later King William I of the Netherlands) take possession of the city and the principality. This prince held its entry on 30 June 1806, and as such the County of Dortmund then became part of the principality. On 12 July 1806, most of the Nassau principalities were deprived of their sovereign rights by means of the Rhine treaty. In October of the same year, the County of Dortmund was occupied by French troops and was added to the
Grand Duchy of Berg The Grand Duchy of Berg (german: Großherzogtum Berg), also known as the Grand Duchy of Berg and Cleves, was a territorial grand duchy established in 1806 by Emperor Napoleon after his victory at the Battle of Austerlitz (1805) on territories b ...
on 1 March 1808. It is the capital of the Ruhr department. In 1808 Dortmund becomes capital of French satellite Ruhr (department). At the
Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon ...
in 1815, the entire Grand Duchy of Berg, including Dortmund, was added 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''. ...
. The state mining authority of the
Ruhr area 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 ...
was founded in 1815 and moved from Bochum to Dortmund. Within the Prussian Province of Westphalia, Dortmund was a district seat within
Regierungsbezirk Arnsberg Arnsberg () is one of the five Regierungsbezirke of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the west-central part of the country. It covers the Sauerland hills as well as the east part of the Ruhr area. The region was founded in 1815 as a s ...
until 1875, when it became an urban district within the region. During the industrialisation of Prussia, Dortmund became a major centre for
coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when ...
and
steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistan ...
. The town expanded into a city, with the population rising from 57,742 in 1875 to 379,950 in 1905. Sprawling residential areas like the North, East, Union and Kreuz district sprang up in less than 10 years. In 1920, Dortmund was one of the centres for resistance to the
Kapp Putsch The Kapp Putsch (), also known as the Kapp–Lüttwitz Putsch (), was an attempted coup against the German national government in Berlin on 13 March 1920. Named after its leaders Wolfgang Kapp and Walther von Lüttwitz, its goal was to undo th ...
– a right-wing military coup launched against the Social Democratic-led government. Radical workers formed a
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...
who fought 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, rega ...
units involved in the coup. On 11 January 1923, the Occupation of the Ruhr was carried out by the invasion of
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
and Belgian troops into the Ruhr. The French Prime Minister Raymond Poincaré was convinced that Germany failed to comply the demands of the Treaty of Versailles. On the morning of 31 March 1923, it came to the sad culmination of this French-German confrontation.


World War II

Under
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
, the Old Synagogue, which had opened in 1900, was destroyed in 1938. With a capacity of 1,300 seats, it was one of the largest Jewish houses of worship in Germany. Also, the
Aplerbeck Hospital Aplerbeck is a borough (''Stadtbezirk'') of the city of Dortmund in the Ruhr district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Since 1929, it has been a suburb of Dortmund, located in the city's south-east. The river Emscher, a tributary of the Ru ...
in Dortmund transferred mentally and/or physically disabled patients to the Hadamar Killing Facility as part of '' Aktion T4'', where they were murdered. An additional 229 children were murdered in the "Children's Specialist Department", which was transferred from Marburg in 1941. Bombing targets of the Oil Campaign of World War II in Dortmund included Hoesch-Westfalenhütte AG, the " Hoesch-Benzin GmbH" synthetic oil plant, and the ''Zeche Hansa''. The bombings destroyed about 66% of Dortmund homes. The devastating bombing raids of 12 March 1945 with 1,108 aircraft (748 Lancasters, 292 Halifaxes, 68 Mosquitos) destroyed 98% of buildings in the inner city center, and 4,851 tonnes of bombs were dropped on Dortmund city centre and the south of the city; this was a record for a single target in the whole of World War II. The Allied ground advance into Germany reached Dortmund in April 1945. The US 95th Infantry Division attacked the city on 12 April 1945 against a stubborn German defense. The division, assisted by close air support, advanced through the ruins in urban combat and completed its capture on 13 April 1945.


Postwar period

Post-war, most of the ancient buildings were not restored, and large parts of the city area were completely rebuilt in the style of the 1950s. A few historic buildings such as the main churches
Reinoldikirche The Lutheran Protestant Church of St. Reinold (german: Reinoldikirche) is, according to its foundation date, the oldest extant church in Dortmund, Germany; it is dedicated to Reinold, also known as Renaud de Montauban, the patron of the city ...
and Marienkirche were restored or rebuilt, and extensive parks and gardens were laid out. The simple but successful postwar rebuilding has resulted in a very mixed and unique cityscape. Dortmund was in the British zone of occupation of Germany, and became part of the new state (Land) 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 state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...
in 1946. The LWL-Industriemuseum was founded in 1969. In 1987 the pit Minister Stein closed, marking the end of more than 150 years of coal mining. Dortmund has since adapted, with its century-long steel and coal industries having been replaced by high-technology areas, including biomedical technology, micro systems technology, and services. This has led Dortmund to become a regional centre for hi-tech industry. In 2001 a new era began for the district Hörde in Dortmund, 160 years of industrial history ended with the beginning of the Phoenix See. The development of the Phoenix See area was carried out by a subsidiary of the Stadtwerke AG. In 2005 the first cornerstone was laid on the Phoenix area. The work started with full speed to manage the work with over 2.5 million meters of ground motion and 420.000 cubic meters of ferroconcrete. On 1 October 2010, the largest and most highly anticipated milestone could be celebrated: the launch of the flooding of the Phoenix See. Since 9 May 2011, the fences disappeared and the Phoenix See has been completed. In 2009, Dortmund was classified as a ''Node city'' in the Innovation Cities Index published by 2thinknow and is the most sustainable city in
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
. On 3 November 2013, more than 20,000 people were evacuated after a 4,000-pound bomb from
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
was found. German authorities safely defused the bomb. The bomb was found after analysing old
aerial photograph Aerial photography (or airborne imagery) is the taking of photographs from an aircraft or other airborne platforms. When taking motion pictures, it is also known as aerial videography. Platforms for aerial photography include fixed-wing air ...
s while searching for unexploded bombs dropped by Allied aircraft over Germany's industrial Ruhr region.


Geography


Location

Dortmund is an independent city located in the east of the Ruhr area, one of the largest
urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities ...
s in Europe (see also: megalopolis), comprising eleven
independent cities An independent city or independent town is a city or town that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity (such as a province). Historical precursors In the Holy Roman Empire, and to a degree in its successor state ...
and four
district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...
s with some 5.3million inhabitants. The city limits of Dortmund itself are long and border twelve cities, two independent and ten ''kreisangehörig'' (i.e., belonging to a district), with a total population of approximately 2.4million. The following cities border Dortmund (clockwise starting from west):
Bochum Bochum ( , also , ; wep, Baukem) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 364,920 (2016), is the sixth largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) of the most populous German federal state of N ...
, Castrop-Rauxel, Waltrop, Lünen, Kamen, Unna,
Holzwickede Holzwickede () is a municipality in the district of Unna in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is twinned with Weymouth, Louviers and Colditz Colditz () is a small town in the district of Leipzig, in Saxony, Germany. It is best known for ...
,
Schwerte Schwerte ( Westphalian: ''Schweierte'') is a town in the district of Unna, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Schwerte is situated in the Ruhr valley, at the south-east border of the Ruhr Area. South of Schwerte begins the mountain ...
,
Hagen Hagen () is the 41st-largest city in Germany. The municipality is located in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the south eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne and Volme (me ...
, Herdecke and Witten. Historically speaking, Dortmund is a part of
Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regio ...
which is situated in the Bundesland North Rhine-Westphalia. Moreover, Dortmund is part of Westphalian Lowland and adjoins with the Ardey Hills in the south of the city to the Sauerland. The Ruhr forms the
reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contr ...
on the Hengsteysee next to the borough of Syburg in the south of Dortmund between the cities of
Hagen Hagen () is the 41st-largest city in Germany. The municipality is located in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the south eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne and Volme (me ...
and Herdecke,
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
. The Klusenberg, a hill that is part of the Ardey range, is located just north of the Hengsteysee and the highest point of Dortmund . There is also a pumped-storage plant on this reservoir, named Koepchenwerk. The lowest point can be found in the northern borough of Brechten at . The
Emscher The Emscher () is a river, a tributary of the Rhine, that flows through the Ruhr area in North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany. Its overall length is with an mean outflow near the mouth into the lower Rhine of . Description The Emsche ...
is a small river and has its wellspring in
Holzwickede Holzwickede () is a municipality in the district of Unna in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is twinned with Weymouth, Louviers and Colditz Colditz () is a small town in the district of Leipzig, in Saxony, Germany. It is best known for ...
, east of the city of Dortmund, and flows west through Dortmund. Towns along the Emscher take in Dortmund, Castrop-Rauxel, Herne, Recklinghausen, Gelsenkirchen, Essen, Bottrop, Oberhausen and
Dinslaken Dinslaken is a town in the district of Wesel, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is known for its harness racing track, its now closed coal mine in Lohberg and its wealthy neighborhoods ''Hiesfeld'' and ''Eppinghoven''. Geography Dinslake ...
, where it flows into the Rhine.


Boroughs

Dortmund comprises 62 neighbourhoods which in turn are grouped into twelve boroughs (called ''Stadtbezirke''), often named after the most important neighbourhood. Three boroughs cover the area of the inner city (Innenstadt-West (City centre West), Innenstadt-Nord (City centre North), Innenstadt-Ost (City centre East)) and the remaining nine boroughs make up the surrounding area ( Eving, Scharnhorst,
Brackel Brackel () is a municipality in the district of Harburg, in Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land ar ...
,
Aplerbeck Aplerbeck is a borough (''Stadtbezirk'') of the city of Dortmund in the Ruhr district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Since 1929, it has been a suburb of Dortmund, located in the city's south-east. The river Emscher, a tributary of the Ruhr, ...
, Hörde, Hombruch, Lütgendortmund, Huckarde, Mengede). Each '' Stadtbezirk'' is assigned a Roman numeral and has a local governing body of nineteen members with limited authority. Most of the boroughs were originally independent municipalities but were gradually annexed from 1905 to 1975. This long-lasting process of annexation has led to a strong identification of the population with "their" boroughs or districts and to a rare peculiarity: The borough of Hörde, located in the south of Dortmund and independent until 1928, has its own coat of arms. The centre can be subdivided into historically evolved city districts whose borders are not always strictly defined, such as *Stadtzentrum ''(City centre)'' *Hafenviertel ''(Harbour Quarter)'' *Nordmarkt ''(Northern market)'' *Borsigplatz *Kaiserviertel ''(Emperor Quarter)'' *Kronenviertel ''(Crown Quarter)'' *Kreuzviertel ''(Cross Quarter)'' *Klinikviertel ''(Clinical Quarter)'' *Saarlandstraßenviertel ''(Saarland street Quarter)'' *Unionviertel ''(Union Quarter)'' *Gartenstadt ''(Garden Town)''


Climate

Dortmund is situated in the temperate climate zone with oceanic climate ( Köppen: ''Cfb''). Winters are cool; summers are warm. The average annual temperature lies at approximately , the total average annual amount of precipitation lies at approximately . Precipitation evenly falls throughout the year; steady rain (with some snow), prevails in the wintertime, isolated showers dominate the summer season. Dortmund features characteristics of densely populated areas as for example the occurrence of urban heat islands is typical.


Demographics

Dortmund's population grew rapidly in the time of the 19th century industrialisation when coal mining and steel processing in the city began. 1904 marks the year when Dortmund saw a population of more than 100,000 for the first time in its history. During the 19th century the area around Dortmund called Ruhr attracted up to 500,000 ethnic
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 ...
, Masurians and Silesians from East Prussia and
Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. S ...
in a migration known as '' Ostflucht'' (flight from the east). Most of the new inhabitants came from Eastern Europe, but immigrants also came from France, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Almost all their descendants today speak German as a mother tongue, and for various reasons they do not identify with their Polish roots and traditions, often only their Polish family names remaining as a sign of their past. Not taking the fluctuation of war years into account, the population figures rose constantly to 657,804 in 1965. As a result of the city's post-industrial decline, the population fell to just under 580,000 in 2011. Today with a population of 601.402 (2017) the City of Dortmund is the eighth largest city in Germany after
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...
,
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...
,
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...
,
Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
,
Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...
,
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the Sw ...
and
Düsseldorf 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 ...
. It is also the largest city in the Ruhr agglomeration. Contrary to earlier projections, population figures have been on the rise in recent years due to net migration gains. Dortmund has seen a moderate influx of younger people (18 to 25 years of age) mainly because of its universities. Data of the EU-wide 2011 census revealed massive inaccuracies with regard to German population figures. Consequently, respective figures have been corrected, which resulted in a statistical "loss" of 9,000 inhabitants in Dortmund. In 2016 it was announced that the population was back above 600,000. , Dortmund had a population of 571,403 of whom about 177,000 (roughly 30%) were of non-German origin. The table shows the number of first and second generation immigrants in Dortmund by nationality as of 31 December 2014.http://dev.statistik.dortmund.de/project/assets/template1.jsp?col=2&content=me&smi=10.2.4&tid=66334 As with much of the Ruhr area, Dortmund has sizable Turkish and South European communities (particularly Spanish), and had one of Germany's most visible Slavic populations.


Religion

the largest Christian denominations were Protestantism (49.9%) and
Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
(27.4% of the population). Furthermore, in Dortmund the Greek Orthodox Church, the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Macedonian Orthodox Church are represented. The Church of the Holy Apostles (gre. I.N. Αγίων Αποστόλων Ντόρτμουντ – I.N. Agíon Apostólon Dortmund) was the first Greek church in Germany to be founded due to the influx of "guest workers". Also Dortmund is home of the New Apostolic Church in
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...
with more than 84,944 community members. The Jewish community has a history dating back to Medieval times and has always ranked among the largest in
Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regio ...
. Dortmund is home to the National Association of Jewish Communities of Westfalen-Lippe. The synagogues operate there in City center, Hörde and Dorstfeld. Due to the growing immigration of people from Muslim countries beginning in the 1960s. Dortmund has a large Muslim community with more than 30 mosques. In June 2019 Dortmund hosted the 37th Evangelischer Kirchentag – German Evangelical Church Assembly.


Government and politics

Dortmund is one of nineteen Independent city, independent district-free cities (''Urban districts of Germany, kreisfreie Städte'') in
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...
, which means that it does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity, in this case it is not part of a List of rural districts of Germany, Landkreis. Since 1975, Dortmund is divided into twelve administrative districts. Each district (''Bezirk'') has its own elected district council (Bezirksvertretung) and its own district mayor (Bezirksbürgermeister). The district councils are advisory only. Dortmund is often called the ''Herzkammer der Social Democratic Party of Germany, SPD'' (roughly translated as "heartland of the Social democrats") after the politically dominant party in the city. During the Nazi era (1933–1945), mayors were installed by the Nazi Party. After World War II, the military government of the British occupation zone installed a new mayor and a municipal constitution modeled on that of British cities. The first major elected by the population of Dortmund was Fritz Henßler. Since the end of the war, the SPD has held a plurality in the city council, except for the period from 1999 to 2004.


Mayor

The current Mayor of Dortmund is Thomas Westphal of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party (SPD), 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, Thomas Westphal , align=left, Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party , 75,565 , 35.9 , 75,884 , 52.1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Andreas Hollstein , align=left, Christian Democratic Union of Germany, Christian Democratic Union , 54,505 , 25.9 , 69,876 , 47.9 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Daniela Schneckenburger , align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens , 46,015 , 21.8 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Utz Kowalewski , align=left, The Left (Germany), The Left , 9,351 , 4.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Michael Kauch , align=left, Free Democratic Party (Germany), Free Democratic Party , 6,538 , 3.1 , - , style="background:#553a26;", , align=left, Bernd Schreyner , align=left, The Right (Germany), The Right , 6,274 , 3.0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Judith Storb , align=left, Die PARTEI , 5,019 , 2.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Carl Hendri Draub , align=left, Independent politician, Independent , 2,552 , 1.2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Gebel , align=left, Pirate Party Germany , 1,897 , 0.9 , - , , align=left, Detlef Münch , align=left, Free Citizens' Initiative , 1,512 , 0.7 , - , , align=left, Günther Ziethoff , align=left, Grassroots Democracy Now , 1,016 , 0.5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Dave Varghese , align=left, German Communist Party , 415 , 0.2 , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 210,659 ! 99.1 ! 145,760 ! 99.0 , - ! colspan=3, Invalid votes ! 1,950 ! 0.9 ! 1,529 ! 1.0 , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 212,609 ! 100.0 ! 147,289 ! 100.0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 451,925 ! 47.0 ! 451,710 ! 32.6 , - , colspan=7, Source
State Returning Officer


City council

The Dortmund city council (''Dortmunder 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, Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party (SPD) , 63,096 , 30.0 , 8.2 , 27 , 9 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) , 52,241 , 24.8 , 9.4 , 22 , 7 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Democratic Union of Germany, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) , 47,405 , 22.5 , 4.7 , 20 , 6 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Germany), The Left (Die Linke) , 11,825 , 5.6 , 1.2 , 5 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Alternative for Germany (AfD) , 11,547 , 5.5 , 2.1 , 5 , 2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Free Democratic Party (Germany), Free Democratic Party (FDP) , 7,345 , 3.5 , 1.0 , 3 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Die PARTEI (PARTEI) , 5,851 , 2.8 , 2.6 , 3 , 3 , - , style="background:#553a26;", , align=left, The Right (Germany), The Right (Die Rechte) , 2,369 , 1.1 , 0.1 , 1 , ±0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Human Environment Animal Protection (Tierschutz) , 1,995 , 0.9 , New , 1 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Pirate Party Germany (Piraten) , 1,848 , 0.9 , 1.5 , 1 , 1 , - , , align=left, Alliance for Diversity and Tolerance (BVT) , 1,737 , 0.8 , New , 1 , New , - , , align=left, Citizens' List (Bürgerliste) , 1,359 , 0.6 , New , 1 , New , - , colspan="7" style="background:lightgrey;", , - , , align=left, Free Citizens' Initiative (FBI) , 1,087 , 0.5 , New , 0 , New , - , , align=left, Grassroots Democracy Now , 560 , 0.3 , New , 0 , New , - , , align=left, Digital Ecological Social (DOS) , 219 , 0.1 , New , 0 , New , - , , align=left, Heinz Augat – Together , 53 , 0.0 , New , 0 , New , - , , align=left, We in Dortmund , 39 , 0.0 , New , 0 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, German Communist Party (DKP) , 16 , 0.0 , 0.1 , 0 , ±0 , - ! colspan=2, Valid votes ! 210,592 ! 99.0 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Invalid votes ! 2,047 ! 1.0 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Total ! 212,639 ! 100.0 ! ! 90 ! 4 , - ! colspan=2, Electorate/voter turnout ! 451,925 ! 47.1 ! 2.2 ! ! , - , colspan=7, Source
State Returning Officer


Twin towns – sister cities

Dortmund is Sister city, twinned with: * Leeds, United Kingdom (1949) * Amiens, France (1960) * Rostov-on-Don, Russia (1973) * Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, United States (1977) * Netanya, Israel (1980) * Novi Sad, Serbia (1981) * Zwickau, Germany (1989) * Xi'an, China (1991) * Trabzon, Turkey (2014)


Cityscape

Dortmund's city centre offers a picture full of contrasts. Historic buildings like Altes Stadthaus, Dortmund, Altes Stadthaus or the Krügerpassage rub shoulders with post-war architecture like Gesundheitshaus and concrete constructions with Romanesque churches like the
Reinoldikirche The Lutheran Protestant Church of St. Reinold (german: Reinoldikirche) is, according to its foundation date, the oldest extant church in Dortmund, Germany; it is dedicated to Reinold, also known as Renaud de Montauban, the patron of the city ...
and the Marienkirche. The near-complete destruction of Dortmund's city centre during World War II (98%) has resulted in a varied architectural landscape. The reconstruction of the city followed the style of the 1950s, while respecting the old layout and naming of the streets. The downtown of Dortmund still retains the outline of the medieval city. A ring road marks the former city wall, and the Hellweg, Westen-/Ostenhellweg, part of a medieval salt trading route, is still the major (pedestrian) street bisecting the city centre. Thus, the city today is characterized by simple and modest post-war buildings, with a few interspersed pre-war buildings which were reconstructed due to their historical importance. Some buildings of the "Wiederaufbauzeit" (era of reconstruction), for example the opera house are nowadays regarded as classics of modern architecture.


Urban districts

Unlike the Dortmund city centre, much of the inner districts around the old medieval centre escaped damage in the second world war and post war redevelopment.


Kreuzviertel

The Kreuzviertel is characterised by old buildings, the majority of which come from the turn of the 20th century (1884 to 1908). Over 80% of all housing in this area was constructed before 1948, with the oldest building the Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts still standing being from 1896. In the second World War, relatively few buildings were destroyed in comparison to other areas of the city. Today, Kreuzviertel forms a nearly homogeneous historic building area. Over 100 buildings remain protected as historic monuments, like the Kreuzkirche at Kreuzstraße and the first Concrete Church in Germany St.-Nicolai. Nowadays the Kreuzviertel is a trendy district with pubs, restaurants, cafés, galleries and little shops. Moreover, local efforts to beautify and invigorate the neighbourhood have reinforced a budding sense of community and artistic expression. The West park is the green lung of the Kreuzviertel and in the months between May and October a centre of the student urban life. The district has the highest real estate prices in Dortmund. Even today many artists choose Kreuzviertel as their residence: Sascha Schmitz, Christina Hammer and players of
Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional fo ...
.


Nordstadt

The northern downtown part of Dortmund called Nordstadt, situated in a territory of is shaped by a colorful variety of cultures. As the largest homogeneous old building area in Ruhr the Nordstadt is a melting pot of different people of different countries and habits just a few steps from the city center. The Nordstadt is an industrial
urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities ...
that was mainly developed in the 19th Century to serve the Westfalenhütte steelworks, port and rail freight depot. All of the residents live in a densely populated 300 hectare area (the most densely populated residential area in the state 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 state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...
with steelworks, port and railway lines acting as physical barriers cutting off the area from the city centre and other residential districts). The area has been badly affected by the deindustrialisation of these heavy industries, with the target area developing a role as the home for growing numbers of immigrants and socially disadvantaged groups partly because of the availability of cheaper (although poor quality) accommodation. Nevertheless, two parks – Fredenbaumpark and Hoeschpark – are situated there. There is also much equipment for children to spend their free time. For example, the 35 meters high Big Tipi, which was brought in from the Expo 2000 in Hanover. All of that should attract families to settle in, but low prices of apartments and a variety of renting offers speak for the contrary. This developed into the youngest population of Dortmund is living and created a district with art house cinemas to ethnic stores, from exotic restaurants to student pubs. The Borsigplatz is probably one of the best known squares in Germany. Ballspielverein
Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional fo ...
was founded nearby, north-east of the main railway station. The streets radiating outward to form a star shape, the sycamore in the middle of the square and the tramline running diagonally across the square give Borsigplatz its very own flair.


Kaiserviertel

The Kaiserstraßen District is located east of the former ramparts of Dortmund and follows the course of the Westenhellweg. In this district numerous magnificent buildings from the 1900s and new buildings from the 1950s are located next to the heritage-protected State Mining Office Dortmund, several Courts, Consulate and the East Cemetery. The district is characterize by the employee of the Amtsgericht, Landgericht (the first and second instances of ordinary jurisdiction) and the Prison. Today the historical Kaiserbrunnen and the entrance sign for Kaiserstraße are important starting points for a tour to the popular shopping district. The Moltkestreet also known as the Cherry Blossom Avenue, became famous after photographers started posting pictures of blooming trees. Every spring, usually in April, the street in the Kaiserstraßen district is booming with pink blossoms and attracts tourists.


Unionviertel

The Union District is located west of the former ramparts of Dortmund and follows the course of the Westenhellweg. For a long time, the neighbourhood at the Dortmunder U and along the Rheinische Straße was marked by vacancy and social distortion due to structural change. Today it is developing an inspiring young artist scene, with more and more students thanks to cheaper apartments near the university and a vibrant gastronomy. This development benefits strongly from the new, widely visible beacon, the art and creative centre Dortmunder U, opened in 2010. Yet, for a time, it was mainly the Union Gewerbehof activists and other single stakeholders who initiated change.


Hörde on Lake Phoenix

Hörde is borough in the south of the city of Dortmund. Originally Hörde was a separate town (until 1929) and was founded by the Counts of Mark in opposition to their principal enemy, the town of Dortmund. In 1388, the "Großen Dortmunder Fehde" (great feud of Dortmund) took place, where the city of Dortmund battled against the alliance of surrounding towns. The struggle ended in 1390, with defeat for Hörde and its allies of Herdecke, Witten,
Bochum Bochum ( , also , ; wep, Baukem) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 364,920 (2016), is the sixth largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) of the most populous German federal state of N ...
, Castrop, Lünen, Unna und
Schwerte Schwerte ( Westphalian: ''Schweierte'') is a town in the district of Unna, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Schwerte is situated in the Ruhr valley, at the south-east border of the Ruhr Area. South of Schwerte begins the mountain ...
. Today Hörde is a part of Dortmund with restored old buildings combined with modern architecture. The Hörder Burg (Hörde castle) was built in the 12th century and is located in the east of the town, close to the
Emscher The Emscher () is a river, a tributary of the Rhine, that flows through the Ruhr area in North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany. Its overall length is with an mean outflow near the mouth into the lower Rhine of . Description The Emsche ...
and Lake Phoenix. Lake Phoenix was one of the largest urban redevelopment projects in
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 ...
. On the area of the former blast furnace and steel plant site of ThyssenKrupp newly formed and developed a new urban resident and recreational area from the city centre of Dortmund. The development of the Phoenix See area cost €;170 million. The lake is 1.2 km long directed to east–west and 320 meters wide in north–south direction. The water surface area of 24 acres is larger than the
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...
Alster. Lake Phoenix is a shallow water lake with a depth of 3 to 4 meters and a capacity of around 600,000 cubic meters. Attractive high priced residential areas were thus created on the southern and northern sides of the Lake. On the western lakeside, the existing district centre of Hörde is enlarged by a city port and a mixed functional urban area. Companies with agencies and offices on the lakefront include: *Zalando *HSBC Trinkaus *German Handball Association *Handball-Bundesliga, Handball-Bundesliga (HBL) *, a training organization of the Sparkasse (Germany), Sparkassen *Mircosonic The finished sole is primarily fed by groundwater and unpolluted rainwater from the new building sites. The River
Emscher The Emscher () is a river, a tributary of the Rhine, that flows through the Ruhr area in North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany. Its overall length is with an mean outflow near the mouth into the lower Rhine of . Description The Emsche ...
flows through an embanked riverbed without direct link to the Lake. Together with the renatured Emscher, the Lake forms a water landscape of 33 hectares, which, as a linking area, is an important element of the Emscher landscape park. The renaturation of the Emscher River is managed by the public water board Emschergenossenschaft. The financial frame is 4.5 billion Euro and the aim is to finish the main work by 2020. Marktplatz Hoerde.jpg, Oldtown Hörde Dortmund - PO-Phoenix-See + Hörde 01 ies.jpg, Lake Phoenix Dortmund - PO-Hafenpromenade+Hafen 01 ies.jpg, Port Promenade Dortmund - PO-Phoenix-See + Kaiserberg (Kulturinsel) 01 ies.jpg, Kaiser Hill


Churches

*
Reinoldikirche The Lutheran Protestant Church of St. Reinold (german: Reinoldikirche) is, according to its foundation date, the oldest extant church in Dortmund, Germany; it is dedicated to Reinold, also known as Renaud de Montauban, the patron of the city ...
, a Protestant church (built in 1233–1450) * , a now Protestant church (start of construction 1322). It is famous for the huge carved altar (known as "Golden Miracle of Dortmund"), from 1521. It consists of 633 gilt carved oak figures depicting 30 scenes about Easter. * Marienkirche, a now Protestant church originally built in 1170–1200 but rebuilt after World War II. The altar is from 1420. * Propsteikirche, Dortmund, Propsteikirche, Monastery of the Dominican Order in the city center (built in 1331–1353) * St. Georg, Aplerbeck, the only Romanesque cross basilica of Dortmund * Große Kirche Aplerbeck, a Gothic revival church * St. Peter, Syburg, St. Peter in Syburg suburb, the oldest church building in the city limits * Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche, a Protestant church (start of construction 1911) * St.-Margareta Chapel, a Protestant chapel built in 1348 File:Dortmund-100706-15131-Reinoldi.jpg,
Reinoldikirche The Lutheran Protestant Church of St. Reinold (german: Reinoldikirche) is, according to its foundation date, the oldest extant church in Dortmund, Germany; it is dedicated to Reinold, also known as Renaud de Montauban, the patron of the city ...
File:NRW, Dortmund, Altstadt - Evangelische Marienkirche 01.jpg, Marienkirche File:Propsteikirche, Dortmund 2006.jpg, St. Johannes Baptist File:St Peter Syburg Seite.jpg, St. Peter, Syburg, St. Peter in Syburg suburb


Castles

* Haus Bodelschwingh (13th century), a moated castle * Haus Dellwig (13th century), a moated castle partly rebuilt in the 17th century. The façade and the steep tower, and two half-timbered buildings, are original. * Haus Rodenberg (13th century), a moated castle * Altes Stadthaus, Dortmund, Altes Stadthaus, built in 1899 by Friedrich Kullrich * Romberg Park Gatehouse (17th century), once a gatehouse to a moated castle. Now it houses an art gallery. * Husen Castle (Syburg), Husen Castle, the tower house of a former castle, in the borough of Syburg. File:Wasserschloss Bodelschwingh Dortmund.jpg, Moated castle Bodelschwingh File:Bodelschwingh Castle.jpg, Bodelschwingh garden File:Schlossbrücke Bodelschwingh.jpg, Bodelschwingh bridge


Industrial buildings

The most industrial building in Dortmund are part of the Industrial Heritage Trail (german: Route der Industriekultur). The trail links tourist attractions related to the industrial heritage in the whole
Ruhr area 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 ...
in
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
. It is a part of the European Route of Industrial Heritage. * Dortmund U-Tower, U-Tower, former Dortmunder Union brewery, now a museum * Zollern II/IV Colliery, now part of the Westphalian Industrial Museum and an Anchor Point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH) * Hansa Coking Plant File:Zeche_Zollern_Dortmund.jpg, Zollern II/IV Colliery File:Union-Brauerei Dortmund.jpg, Dortmund U-Tower, U-Tower File:Hochofenwerk Phoenix-West Sommer.jpg, Phoenix-West coking plant File:IMG 7667Hafen-Dortmund-.jpg, Port Authority


Cultural buildings

* Konzerthaus Dortmund * Opernhaus Dortmund, opera house built in 1966 on the site of the Old Synagogue (Dortmund), old synagogue which was destroyed by the Nazis in 1938. * The major art museums include the Museum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte and the more recent
Museum Ostwall The Museum Ostwall (known as Museum am Ostwall until 2010) is a museum of modern and contemporary art in Dortmund, Germany. It was founded in the late 1940s, and has been located in the Dortmund U-Tower since 2010. The collection includ ...
. * DASA, Germany Occupational Health and Safety Exhibition (German: Deutsche Arbeitsschutzausstellung) * Brewery Museum Dortmund * Museum of Art and Cultural History * German Football Museum File:Dortmund-Oper 2269.JPG, Opernhaus Dortmund File:Dortmund Museum KuKG.jpg, Museum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte File:Architektur DFB Museum Dortmund.jpg, German Football Museum File:Dasa4.jpg, DASA, Germany Occupational Health and Safety Exhibition


Other important buildings

* Florianturm, (television tower Florian) * Westfalenstadion: Football ground of
Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional fo ...
, licensed until 2021 under the name Signal Iduna Park * Close to Westfalenstadion are the Westfalenhallen, a large convention centre, the site of several major conventions, trade fairs, ice-skating competitions, concerts and other major events since the 1950s. *Steinwache memorial


High-rise structures

Dortmund tallest structure is the Florianturm telecommunication tower at . Other tall buildings are the churches around the city centre. A selection of the tallest office buildings in Dortmund is listed below. * RWE Tower (100 metre-high skyscraper) * Westnetz Hochhaus Dortmund (100 metre-high skyscraper) * Westfalentower (88 metre-high skyscraper) * Harenberg City-Center (86 metre-high skyscraper) * Sparkassen-Hochhaus (70 metre-high skyscraper) * IWO-Hochhaus(70 metre-high skyscraper) * Ellipson (66 metre-high skyscraper) * Volkswohl Bund Hochhaus (60 metre-high skyscraper) File:RWE -Tower Dortmund.jpg, RWE Tower File:Harenberg City Center IV.jpg, HCC File:Dortmund IWO Hochhaus IMGP8248.jpg, IWO Tower File:Dortmund Ellipson.jpg, Ellipson


Transportation


Road transport

Dortmund also serves as a major European and German crossroads for the Autobahnsystem. The Bundesautobahn 40, Ruhrschnellweg follows old Hanseatic trade routes to connect the city with the other metropolises of the Ruhr Area. It crosses the Netherlands, Dutch-German border as a continuation of the Dutch A67 motorway (Netherlands), A67 and crosses the
Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , source ...
, leads through the Ruhr valley toward
Bochum Bochum ( , also , ; wep, Baukem) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 364,920 (2016), is the sixth largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) of the most populous German federal state of N ...
, becoming B 1 (Bundesstraße 1, Bundesstraße 1) at the Kreuz Dortmund West and eventually merging into the A 44 near
Holzwickede Holzwickede () is a municipality in the district of Unna in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is twinned with Weymouth, Louviers and Colditz Colditz () is a small town in the district of Leipzig, in Saxony, Germany. It is best known for ...
. It has officially been named Ruhrschnellweg (Ruhr Fast Way), but locals usually call it Ruhrschleichweg (Ruhr Crawling Way) or "the Ruhr area's longest parking lot". According to ''Der Spiegel'', it is the most congested motorway in Germany. Connections to more distant parts of Germany are maintained by Autobahn routes Bundesautobahn 1, A1 and Bundesautobahn 2, A2, which traverse the north and east city limits and meet at the Kamener Kreuz interchange north-east of Dortmund. In combination with the Autobahn Bundesautobahn 45, A45 to the west these form the Dortmund Beltway (''Dortmunder Autobahnring'').


Cycling

Cycling in Dortmund is supported by urban planners – an extensive network of cycle paths exists which had its beginnings in the 1980s. Dortmund was admitted to the German "Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle-Friendly Cities and Municipalities in NRW" (AGFS) on August 8, 2007. Dortumund is connected to a number of long-distance cycle paths and a Bike freeway called the ''Radschnellweg Ruhr'' (Ruhr Area Fast Cycle Path).


Rail transport

As with most communes in the Ruhr area, local transport is carried out by a local, publicly owned company for transport within the city, the DB Regio subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn for regional transport and Deutsche Bahn itself for long-distance journeys. The local carrier, Dortmunder Stadtwerke (DSW21), is a member of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR) association of public transport companies in the Ruhr area, which provides a uniform fare structure in the whole region. Within the VRR region, tickets are valid on lines of all members as well as DB's railway lines (except the high-speed InterCity and Intercity-Express networks) and can be bought at ticket machines and service centres of DSW21, all other members of VRR, and DB. The central train station (Dortmund Hauptbahnhof) is the third largest long-distance traffic junction in Germany. Dortmund has a railway service with Deutsche Bahn InterCity and InterCityExpress, ICE-trains stopping at ''Dortmund Hauptbahnhof'' (Dortmund Main Station). ICE and Thalys, TGV Thalys high-speed trains link Dortmund with Amsterdam, Brussels (in 2h 30) and Paris (in 3h 50). There are frequent ICE trains to other German cities, including Frankfurt am Main,
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...
and other cities in the Rhein-Ruhr Region.


Public transportation

For public transportation, the city has an extensive Dortmund Stadtbahn, Stadtbahn and bus system. The Stadtbahn has eight lines (U41 to U47 and U49) serving Dortmund and the large suburb of Lünen in the north. The trains that run on the line are in fact lightrails as many lines travel along a track in the middle of the street instead of underground further from the city centre. The minimum service interval is 2.5 minutes, although the usual pattern is that each line runs at 5 to 10 minute intervals. On Sundays the trains run at a 15 minute interval. In April 2008, the newly constructed east–west underground light rail line was opened, completing the underground service in the city centre and replacing the last trams on the surface. A number of bus lines complete the Dortmund public transport system. Night service (public transport), Night buses replace Stadtbahn services between 1:30 am and 7:30 am on weekends and public holidays. The central junction for the night bus service is Reinoldikirche in the city centre, where all night bus lines start and end. The H-Bahn at Dortmund University of Technology is a hanging monorail built specifically to shuttle passengers between the university's two campuses, which are now also flanked by research laboratories and other high-tech corporations and startups. A nearly identical monorail system transfers passengers at Düsseldorf Airport.


Air transport

Dortmund Airport Dortmund Airport is a minor international airport located east of Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It serves the eastern Rhine-Ruhr area, the largest urban agglomeration in Germany, and is mainly used for low-cost and leisure charter fligh ...
is a medium-sized, but fast growing airport east of the city centre at the city limit to
Holzwickede Holzwickede () is a municipality in the district of Unna in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is twinned with Weymouth, Louviers and Colditz Colditz () is a small town in the district of Leipzig, in Saxony, Germany. It is best known for ...
. The airport serves the area of the Ruhrgebiet, Sauerland,
Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regio ...
and parts of the Netherlands and features flights to Munich, London, Vienna, Porto and a lot of eastern European city and leisure destinations. The airport is served by an express bus to Dortmund Hauptbahnhof, Dortmund main station, a shuttle bus to the nearby railway station ''Holzwickede station, Holzwickede/Dortmund Flughafen'', a bus to the city's metro line ''U47'', as well as a bus to the city of Unna. In 2019, the airport served 2,719,563 passengers mainly used for low-cost and leisure charter flights. The closest intercontinental airport is Düsseldorf Airport.


Water transport

Dortmund Harbour (''Hafen'') is the largest canal harbour in Europe and the 11th fluvial harbour in Germany. File:Dortmund Möllerbrücke HDR.jpg, Interchange station Möllerbrücke File:DB 403 01 Dortmund Hbf.jpg, Intercity Express, ICE 3 on the Dortmund Hauptbahnhof Einfahrt Stadtbahn U46 in U-Bahnhof Saarlandstraße.JPG, Stadtbahnwagen B Light Rail Vehicle File:DSW21 nr 8 U44 Dortmund-Dorstfeld Betriebshof.jpg, Bombardier Flexity Classic tram File:Metropolrad.jpg, Metropolrad Ruhr, City Bike File:062 Blick von der Hörder Brückenstraße auf die Hörder Bahnhofstraße (Panorama).jpg, Dortmund-Hörde station, Hörde Bahnhof – second biggest in Dortmund File:West side of dortmund airport terminal.jpg,
Dortmund Airport Dortmund Airport is a minor international airport located east of Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It serves the eastern Rhine-Ruhr area, the largest urban agglomeration in Germany, and is mainly used for low-cost and leisure charter fligh ...
– Main Terminal (T2)


Economy

Dortmund has adapted since the collapse of its century long steel, coal and beer industries. The region has shifted to high technology, robotics, biomedical technology, micro systems technology, engineering, tourism, finance, education, services and is thus one of the most dynamic new-economy cities in Germany. In 2009, Dortmund was classified as a ''Node city'' in the ''Innovation Cities Index'' published by 2thinknow. Hundreds of Small and medium enterprises, SMEs are still based in and around Dortmund (often termed ''Mittelstand''). Dortmund is also home to a number of medium-sized information technology companies, many linked to the local university TU Dortmund at the first technology center in
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
named "Technologiepark Dortmund" opened in the 1980s. With around 280 companies like Boehringer Ingelheim and Verizon Communications and more than 8,500 employees, TechnologiePark Dortmund is one of the most successful technology parks in Europe. The city works closely with research institutes, private universities, and companies to collaborate on the commercialisation of science initiatives. Furthermore, 680 IT and software companies with 12,000 employees are based in Dortmund, making the city one of Germany's biggest software locations. Two of the top 10 IT service provider in Germany are based in Dortmund – adesso SE and Materna Group. Dortmund is home to many insurance companies e.g. Signal Iduna, Continentale Krankenversicherung, Bundesinnungskrankenkasse Gesundheit (BIG direkt) and Volkswohl Bund. In recent years a service sector and high-tech industry have grown up. Some of its most prominent companies of these sectors include Amprion and RWE, RWE-Westnetz (Electricity), Rhenus (company), Rhenus Logistics (Logistics), Wilo SE, Wilo, KHS GmbH, Elmos Semiconductor, ABP Induction Systems, Nordwest Handel AG – all of whom have their headquarters here. Companies with operations in or around Dortmund include Zalando, Daimler AG: EvoBus, RapidMiner, Gap Inc. and ThyssenKrupp. Dortmund is also the headquarter of Century Media Records, a heavy metal music, heavy metal record label with offices in the United States and London. In August 2015, Century Media was acquired by Sony Music for US$17 million.


Tourism

Tourism in Dortmund is a fast-growing economic factor every year: new overnight records can be announced, new hotels open and new visitor magnets are added. Starting in the mid-1990s, Dortmund, formerly an industrial centre, saw rapid development that expanded its cultural and tourism possibilities, and transformed it into a newly vibrant city. An important strategic step was the start of construction the new Konzerthaus Dortmund, the reuse of vacant old industrial buildings like the Zollern II/IV Colliery, Kokerei Hansa, Dortmund U-Tower and the strategic reorientation of the Dortmund Christmas market with over 300 stalls packed around a gigantic Christmas tree creation that stands 45 metres tall – reputed to be the biggest in the world. A new Tourist Information center right next to the U-Tower, gives visitors a quick overview of the tourist attractions in the City and Ruhr Area. Today Dortmund is with more than 1.450.528 (2017) overnight stays one of the most popular destinations in
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...
. The majority of tourists are domestic visitors, coming from Germany. International travellers arrive from the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Austria and Schwitzerland, Switzerland. Dortmund also draws business tourism, having been equipped with facilities like WILO, Amprion next to Westfalenhallen and football tourism with Fans of
Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional fo ...
. The top 5 most visited attractions were the Christmas market, with more than three and a half million visitors, Signal Iduna Park, Deutsches Fußballmuseum, Dortmund U-Tower, Zollern II/IV Colliery and Westfalenpark.


Shopping

The Westenhellweg is a popular shopping destination and with nearly 13,000 visitors per hour it was Germany's most frequented shopping street in 2013. During the Middle Ages, Dortmund was the only free imperial city in Westphalia, having already been regarded as an important centre of trade. Today some of the most reputed shops, department stores have stores here. It is a pedestrian-only area and is bordered by the
Reinoldikirche The Lutheran Protestant Church of St. Reinold (german: Reinoldikirche) is, according to its foundation date, the oldest extant church in Dortmund, Germany; it is dedicated to Reinold, also known as Renaud de Montauban, the patron of the city ...
in the east and Dortmund U-Tower, U-Tower in the west. The Westenhellweg has one of the highest rents for retail and office space in
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...
. 85 percent of the shops are retail chains such as H&M, Saturn (store), Saturn, Esprit Holdings, Esprit, Zara (retailer), Zara or NewYorker. In 2009 a new shopping mall named Thier-Galerie opened, with nearly 100 stores and chains, including; Armani, Adidas, Diesel (brand), Diesel and Hollister Co., Hollister. Three more shopping malls occupy the Thier-Galerie; Metro AG, Galeria Kaufhof and Arcandor, Karstadt, as well as large fashion retail clothing stores from Peek & Cloppenburg and C&A. During the month before Christmas, the extended pedestrian-only zone is host to Dortmund Christmas Market, one of the largest and oldest Christmas markets in Germany. With more than 3.5 million visitors and 300 stalls around a gigantic Christmas tree that stands 45 metres tall, it is one of the most visited and popular market in the world. In close proximity to the Dortmund concert hall lies the Brückstraßenviertel – a quarter hub especially for young people. The "Rue de Pommes Frites", which is what the Dortmund citizens have called the Brückstraße, has turned into a modern shopping promenade, geared towards a younger market. For a long time, the Kampstraße had a shadowy existence as a parallel street to the Westenhellweg and Ostenhellweg, but it has become a grand boulevard containing specialist stores. Right next to the Kampstraße is the Kleppingstraße – a shopping street with a high concentration of gastronomy and expensive, prestigious shops like van Laack, Lindner Fashion, Marc Cain. It is located between the Ostenhellweg and Neutor to Wallring.


Port and logistics

Dortmund is one of the most important logistics, logistic hubs in Germany, more than 900 companies working in logistics, as well as nationally and internationally recognised scientific institutes. Dortmund Port which terminates the Dortmund-Ems Canal connecting Dortmund to the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian ...
is the biggest European canal port with 10 docks and a pier length of 11 km. The variety of different activities taking place at the Fraunhofer Institute Material Flow and Logistics (Fraunhofer Society) has, over the past few years, led to a bundling of skills in the areas of logistics and digitalisation in the city. Industry-based initiatives and pilot projects, such as the Hybrid Services in Logistics innovation lab, the efficiency cluster LogistikRuhr, Industrial Data Space, the Dortmund Mittelstand 4.0 Centre of Excellence, and the enterprise labs. The Digital Hub for Logistics of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action is based in Dortmund and twinned with
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...
. Companies with big logistic hubs for Germany and Europe in Dortmund include: *Amazon.com, Amazon *IKEA *Decathlon *Rhenus (company), Rhenus Logistics *Schenker AG *TEDi GmbH & Co. KG


Fairs

Dortmund is home to Germany's twelve biggest exhibition centre, Westfalenhallen, Halls of Westphalia which lies near the city center next to
Dortmund Airport Dortmund Airport is a minor international airport located east of Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It serves the eastern Rhine-Ruhr area, the largest urban agglomeration in Germany, and is mainly used for low-cost and leisure charter fligh ...
. With around 77.000 visitors each year, Jagd & Hund is by far the largest event held there. Other important fairs open to consumers include "Intermodelbau", the world's biggest consumer fair for model making, and one of the leading fairs for youth culture "YOU". Important fairs restricted to professionals include "D.I.M" (Deutsche Immobilienmesse, German property fair), Creativa (Hobby) and InterTabac (Tabaco). Westfalenhallen Dortmund logo.svg, Messe-Dortmund-Logo Westfalenhalle-Dortmu 2213.JPG, Main Hall Westfalenhalle-Rosenterassen-0008.JPG, Rosenterassen south entrance Westfalenhalle-Verwaltung-0004.JPG, Headquarter


Federal Agency and public organisations

Dortmund is home of the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the National Material Testing Office of North Rhine-Westphalia material and the main customs office.


Consulates

As a profoundly international city, Dortmund hosts diplomatic missions (consulates and Consulate- general, consulates-general) of Italy, Greece, Bangladesh, Ghana, South Africa, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia.


Courts

Several courts are located in Dortmund, including: * Landgericht Dortmund (Regional Court Dortmund) * Amtsgericht Dortmund (Local Court Dortmund) * Sozialgericht Dortmund (Social Court Dortmund) * Arbeitsgericht Dortmund (Employment Court Dortmund)


Media


Newspapers

Two important daily newspapers are published in and around Dortmund. The conservative ''Ruhr Nachrichten'', also known as ''RN'', was founded in 1949. The RN has a circulation of over 225,000 copies daily. The other important newspaper, the ''Westfälische Rundschau'', was first published in 1945 and has a daily circulation of over 181,000. The WR is published by Germany's third largest newspaper and magazine publisher ''Funke Mediengruppe''.


Magazines

Several magazines also originate from Dortmund. The Rock ''Rock hard (magazine)'' is a heavy metal music, metal and hard rock magazine, with subsidiaries in various countries worldwide, including France, Spain, Brazil/Portugal, Italy and Greece.''Visions'' is a German music magazine with a circulation of approximately 35,000.


Radio and TV

The Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR, West German Broadcasting Cologne has a big studio in Dortmund, which is responsible for the east Ruhr area. Each day, it produces a 30-minute regional evening news magazine (called ''Lokalzeit Ruhr''), a 5-minute afternoon news programme, and several radio news programmes. A local broadcasting station called Radio 91.2 went "on-the-air" in the early 1990s. Sat.1 have a regional studio in Dortmund. The City stands alongside London and Paris as one of the three head offices of Global Tamil Vision and GTV-Deutschland. Two big Radio Channels of Westdeutscher Rundfunk are sending from Dortmund. * WDR 2, featuring adult-oriented popular music, focuses strongly on national and regional news, current affairs, and sport. * WDR 4 (motto: ''Meine Lieblingshits'', "my favourite hits") is a channel aimed chiefly towards an older audience. Its focus is on tuneful music – in particular, oldies and classic hits: popular music of the 1960s to the 1980s or later – with more specialized programming (operetta, country, folk) in the evenings. Around 30–40% of WDR 4's musical output is made up of German-language songs. Other radio broadcasters include Radio NRW and eldoradio*.


Film

The films ''Trains'n'Roses'', ''Bang Boom Bang'', ''Oi! Warning'', ''Do Fish Do It?'', ''If It Don't Fit, Use a Bigger Hammer'', ''Guys and Balls'', ''Goldene Zeiten'', ''Marija (film), Marija'' and television series ''Tatort'', ''Balko'', ''Helden der Kreisklasse'' and more German movies like ', ''Die Libelle und das Nashorn'', ''Ein Schnitzel für alle'', ' and ''Radio Heimat'' were filmed in the city.


Education

Dortmund has 160 schools and 17 business, technical colleges teach more than 85,000 pupils. The city has a 4-year primary education program. After completing primary school, students continue to the Hauptschule, Realschule, Gesamtschule or Gymnasium (college preparatory school). The Stadtgymnasium Dortmund which was founded in 1543 as Archigymnasium is one of the List of oldest schools, oldest schools in Europe.Rostra, ''Sonderausgabe vom 27. Oktober 1979'' The Leibniz Gymnasium, a bilingual public school located in the Kreuzviertel district, is particularly popular with children of the English-speaking expatriate community. The school is an International Baccalaureate school. The Goethe-Gymnasium, Dortmund, Goethe-Gymnasium was founded in 1867 as the first school offering higher education to girls in the city. It has been a NRW Sportschule, focused on sports, from 2009.


Higher education

TU Dortmund (Technical University of Dortmund) is founded in 1968 and located in the southern part of the city. It has about 30,000 students and a wide range of subjects in of physics, electrical engineering, chemistry, spatial planning and economics. The university has its own train station at the campus's main gate which is only seven minutes away from the city center. The university is highly ranked in terms of its research performance in the areas of physics, electrical engineering, chemistry and economics. The university's most noticeable landmark is the H-Bahn, a monorail train which connects the north and south campuses.
Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts Fachhochschule Dortmund - University of Applied Sciences and Arts (german: Fachhochschule Dortmund) is a university of applied sciences (German: ''Fachhochschule'') in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany with 14,057 students, and 894 staff ...
is a Fachhochschule with 12,300 students, and 669 staff, 232 of which are professors. The Fachhochschule was created by a merger of several institutions of higher learning in 1971. Owing to its history as separate institutions, it consists of three campuses in different parts of Dortmund. The departments of mechanical and electrical engineering are located at Sonnenstraße near the city center. The department of design has its own campus at Max-Ophüls-Platz while the departments of social work, economics, computer science and architecture are housed in several buildings next to the
Technical University of Dortmund TU Dortmund University (german: Technische Universität Dortmund) is a technical university in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany with over 35,000 students, and over 6,000 staff including 300 professors, offering around 80 Bachelor's ...
campus in the suburb of Eichlinghofen. Additional offices in the city centre are used for administrative purposes. The city is the site of several other universities, colleges and academies, which attract about 45,000 students. Among them there are: * ''FOM Hochschule für Oekonomie & Management, Standort Dortmund'': Academy for management, founded in 1993. * ''Fachhochschule für öffentliche Verwaltung Nordrhein-Westfalen'': Academy for public administration. * ''International School of Management'': Private academy focussing on management and economics, founded in 1990. * ''IT-Center Dortmund'': Private college founded in 2000. * ''International University of Applied Sciences Bad Honnef – Bonn'': is a private, state-recognised university of business and management TU-Dortmund-Mathetower-Mensa-Emil-Figge-50-2013.jpg, Technical University of Dortmund, TU Dortmund Fachhochschule Dortmund historische Ansicht.jpg,
Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts Fachhochschule Dortmund - University of Applied Sciences and Arts (german: Fachhochschule Dortmund) is a university of applied sciences (German: ''Fachhochschule'') in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany with 14,057 students, and 894 staff ...
FH-Design-Dortmu 2190.JPG, Department of at Design Max-Ophüls-Platz Fachbereich Architektur Fachhochschule Dortmund.jpg, Department of Architecture


Research

The city has a high density of internationally renowned research institutions, such as the Fraunhofer Society, the Leibniz Association and the Max Planck Society, which are independent of, or only loosely connected to its universities.


Livability and quality of life

In November 2017, according to a study by data of the German National Statistics Office, the National Employment Agency, Mercer (consulting firm), Mercer, Handelsblatt, Numbeo and Immowelt, Dortmund was ranked on position seven of the ''most livable cities in Germany for expats''. In September 2017, ''The New York Times'' praised the city of Dortmund, which has been adapting since the collapse of its century-old steel and coal industries and has shifted to high technology biomedical technology, micro systems technology and other services, as the ''hidden star of structural change'' providing a good quality of life for employees. According to ''the 2017 Global Least & Most Stressful Cities Ranking'' Dortmund is one of the least stressful cities in the world. It's ranked 27th out of 150, between Copenhagen and Vancouver, and is highly ranked in the categories traffic & public transport, gender equality and debt per capital. ''Like a Phoenix Rising from the Ashes'' and exemplary for structural transformation – This was the title of an article in the online version on ''Neue Zürcher Zeitung'' of the urban livability and new exceptional architecture in Dortmund. In a 2015/2016 survey centred on ''student life in Germany'', Dortmund ranked as seventh-best. In a 2012 study of the ''most livable biggest cities in Germany'', Dortmund ranked on position ten between Nuremberg and
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the Sw ...
and first of all large cities in Germany due to sport, gastronomy and shopping opportunities. In 2009, Dortmund was classified as a ''Node city'' in the Innovation Cities Index published by 2thinknow and in 2014 acclaimed as the most sustainable city in
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
.


Culture

The city has a long tradition of music and theatre. The orchestra was founded in 1887 and is now called Dortmunder Philharmoniker. The first opera house was built in 1904, destroyed in World War II and opened again in 1966 as Opernhaus Dortmund. It is operated by Theater Dortmund together with other locations, including (since 2002) the Konzerthaus Dortmund. The Konzerthaus Dortmund is listed in the ECHO list as one of the 21 most outstanding concert halls in Europe. The Domicil Jazz Club is one of the "100 best jazz venues world wide" according to the American jazz magazine ''DownBeat''. The Dortmund U-Tower, which was once a brewery, is now European centre for creative economy and the Museum am Ostwall. The area around the U-Tower called "Union Viertel" is part of the Creative.Quarters Ruhr and are rooted in the European Capital of Culture RUHR.2010. Dortmund leading cabaret-stage is the Cabaret Queue, which is located next to Lake phoenix. Some other famous cabaret-stages are the Fletch Bizzel and the theatre Olpktetal. The most important cabaret event is the RuhrHOCHdeutsch, which is one of the most successful cabaret festivals in Germany. It features artists from around the world. Dortmund is also famous for its Christmas market, which draws well over three and a half million visitors to its 300 stalls around a gigantic Christmas tree creation that stands 45 metres tall. The market is famous for its handmade ornaments and delicacies.


Recreation

The Botanischer Garten Rombergpark, or informally Rombergpark, is an extensive municipal arboretum and botanical garden located in the south of the city center of Dortmund. With its total area of 65 hectares the Rombergpark is one of the largest botanical gardens in the world. The garden was established in 1822 as the Romberg family's English landscape park. In 1927–1929 it was acquired by the city and under city planning director Richard Nose enhanced by a small herb garden. The park and castle were badly damaged in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, but starting in 1950 director Gerd Krüssmann rebuilt it as an arboretum, adding some 4,500 species to the park. Today the garden contains a historic English landscape park with monuments; an arboretum containing thousands of species of woody plants, including some of the largest trees in
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...
; a terrace with palm trees; and four greenhouses (1,000 m2 total area) for cactus and succulents, ferns, tropical plants, and camellias, jasmine, and lemons. The Dortmund Zoo is the zoological garden with 28 hectares next to the Rombergpark and was founded 1953. With 1,800 animals belonging to 250 species, the Dortmund Zoo is the second largest in the Ruhr Valley. It is specialized in the keeping and breeding of South American species and is leading in the breeding of the giant anteater, the tamandua and the giant otter. The Westfalenpark is Dortmunds's most popular inner-city park. The park is 72 hectares in size and is one of the largest urban gardens of Germany. It was first opened in 1959 as the second Bundesgartenschau (Abbreviation, abbr. BUGA) in
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...
. With the National Rosarium with 3,000 different rose varieties, theme gardens, an environmental protection centre, the German Cookbook Museum, a geological garden, cafés and recreation areas, it provides numerous opportunities for a day of diverse activities. Dortmund's Westfalenpark is also a popular location for events in the Ruhr area- with parties, festivals, events, theatre, music, and flea and garden markets. One of the best views across the whole Ruhr valley is offered by the visitors platform and the revolving restaurant in the 209-metre-high Florian tower. Another summer attraction is the chair lift, which opened in 1959 and runs on Sundays between a "Mountain" and "Valley" station 500 metres apart.


Museums

With more than 20 museums, Dortmund has one of the largest variety of museums in the Ruhr Valley. There a some anchor points on the European Route of Industrial Heritage. The Museum am Ostwall (known as Museum am Ostwall until 2010) is a museum of Modern art, modern and contemporary art. It was founded in the late 1940s, and has been located in the Dortmund U-Tower since 2010. The collection includes paintings, sculptures, objects and photographs from the 20th century, plus over 2,500 Graphic art, graphics, spanning Expressionism through classic modern art to the present day. At the heart of the collection are works by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Otto Mueller, Emil Nolde and graphics by Pablo Picasso from the 1940s and '50s, plus others by Joan Miró, Marc Chagall and Salvador Dalí. The German Football Museum (german: Deutsches Fußballmuseum) aka German Football Association, DFB-Museum is the national museum for Football in Germany, German football. It is located close to the Dortmund Hauptbahnhof and is part of an art and culture mile between the creative center Dortmund U-Tower and the Theater Dortmund, founded to preserve, conserve and interpret important collections of football memorabilia. In its permanent exhibition, the Museum presents the history of Germany national football team and the Bundesliga. The Museum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte or MKK (''Museum of Art and Cultural History'') is a municipal museum located in an Art Deco building which was formerly the Dortmund Savings Bank. The collection includes paintings, sculptures, furniture and applied art, illustrating the cultural history of Dortmund from early times to the 20th century. There are regular temporary exhibitions of art and culture, as well as a permanent exhibition on the history of surveying, with rare geodetic instruments. The Steinwache is a memorial museum of the exhibition Widerstand und Verfolgung in Dortmund 1933–1945 ("Resistance and Persecution in Dortmund 1933–1945"), which demonstrates the persecution under National Socialism with many photographs, short texts and sometimes with reports from contemporary witnesses. The museum is located in an old prison and had a reputation as Die Hölle von Westdeutschland ("The hell of western Germany"). Between 1933 and 1945 more than 66,000 people were imprisoned in the Steinwache prison. Other important museums in Dortmund are: * DASA – Arbeitswelt Ausstellung (Germany Occupational Health and Safety Exhibition) * Architecture Archive North Rhine-Westphalia * Borussia Dortmund, Borusseum (Museum of Borussia Dortmund) * Zollern II/IV Colliery (Germany's first technical building monument of international importance) * Museum of natural history Dortmund * Brewery museum * HOESCH Museum Not directly located in Dortmund but important for the city history: * Henrichenburg boat lift (Is a popular destination for cyclists along the canals of the northern Ruhr area.)


Festivals and nightlife

Dortmund offers a variety of restaurants, bars and clubs. Clubs concentrate in and around the city centre (Wallring) and in the Kreuzviertel district. After the Molotov (club), Molotov in Hamburg and the Berghain in Berlin, the FZW (Freizeitzentrum West) in the Union district is one of the three best clubs in Germany. With 307 events in 2015, including concerts, parties, festivals, readings and football public viewings have strengthened the FZW's reputation as an "it club" in the Ruhr region. Furthermore, Dortmund is one of the main centres of the Electronic dance music and techno subculture. With the Mayday (music festival), Mayday and Syndicate festivals, the Westfalenhalle Arena has become one of the most important techno strongholds in
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 ...
. After negotiations with several German cities, it was announced that the Love Parade would move to the Ruhr Area for five years (2007–2012). After Essen in 2007 the festival took 2008 place on the Bundesstraße 1 under the motto ''Highway of Love''. The event was planned as a "Love Weekend", with parties throughout the region. For the first time the Turkish electronic scene was represented by its own float, called "Turkish Delights (music project), Turkish Delights". The official estimate is that 1.6 million visitors attended, making it the largest parade to date. Every year, the Juicy Beats music festival turns the Westfalenpark into a huge festival ground for pop, rap, electro, indie, alternative, reggae and urban beats – most recently with over 50,000 visitors.


Cuisine

Traditional meals in the region are Pfefferpotthast (A form of Goulash, though containing more beef), Balkenbrij, Himmel und erde, Heaven and Earth (Himmel und Äd; black pudding with stewed apples mixed with mashed potatoes), Currywurst and Pumpernickel with Griebenschmalz (German lard with crispy pieces of pork skin). In summer the people like to eat a Dortmunder Salzkuchen (Bread buns with caraway fruits, salt, meat and onions). Also a special meal in the winter is Reibekuchen (fried potato pancake served with apple sauce). Dortmund had more than 550 years of brewing tradition, some of the oldest brewery, breweries in
Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regio ...
are founded around the Old Market in Dortmund. Dortmund is known for its pale lager beer called Dortmunder Export or Dortmunder, it became popular with industrial workers and was responsible for Dortmunder Union becoming Germany's largest brewery and Dortmund having the highest concentration of breweries in Germany. Popular and traditionally beer brands are Dortmunder Actien Brauerei, Bergmann Bier, Kronen, Dortmund U-Tower, Union, Brinkhoff's, Dortmunder Actien Brauerei, Dortmunder Hansa, Hövels, Ritter, Thier and Stifts. "Stösschen" is a beer in a small glass "Stösschen" 0.2 litres and can be drunk in about two draughts. The idea of a Stößchen came about in the 19th century when people would have to wait at the level crossing to cross the Nordstadt Railway Line that divided the city centre from the Nordstadt district. A local innkeeper saw the potential of serving quick drinks to people waiting, and a Dortmund tradition began. The Dortmunder Tropfen Schnaps is a type of liqueur that is flavored with herbs or spices and traditionally drunk neat (bartending), neat as a Apéritif and digestif, digestif.


Sports

Dortmund calls itself ''Sportstadt'' (City of Sports). The city is the home of the biggest handball association in the world the German Handball Association (German: Deutscher Handballbund) (DHB) and the German professional handball league Handball-Bundesliga (HBL). Furthermore, Dortmund is home of the Olympic centre of Westphalia. The city is home of many sports clubs, iconic athletes and annually organises several world-renowned sporting events, such as the Ruhrmarathon and the Dortmund Sparkassen Chess Meeting, Sparkassen Chess-Meeting.


Football

Dortmund is home to the sports club
Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional fo ...
, one of the most successful clubs in German Association football, football history. Borussia Dortmund are former Bundesliga champions most recently in 2011–12. Borussia Dortmund won the UEFA Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup (football), Intercontinental Cup in 1997, as well as the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1966. 'Die Borussen' are eight-time German Champions and have won five DFB-Pokal, German Cups. Borussia Dortmund play at Westfalenstadion, currently known as Signal Iduna Park. It was built for the 1974 FIFA World Cup and also hosted some matches of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. It is Germany's largest football stadium with a maximum capacity of 81,359 spectators.


Handball

Borussia Dortmund has a women's handball team playing in the first Bundesliga (handball), Bundesliga.


Table tennis

Borussia Dortmund also has a table tennis team, playing in the second Bundesliga.


American football

The Dortmund Giants, established on 22 May 1980, is an American football team from Dortmund. The official name of the club is 1. Dortmunder Footballclub Dortmund 1980 "Giants" e.V. The club spent the 1994 season in the 2. Bundesliga before dropping for two seasons to the third tier American football Regionalliga, Regionalliga West. Five more 2. Bundesliga seasons followed from 1997 to 2001, the final one in a combined team with the Bochum Cadets as the Dortmund B1 Giants.Football History
Historic American football tables from Germany, accessed: 28 September 2015
After a five-season spell in the Regionalliga the club finished the 2014 season without a win and had to return to the Oberliga once more.Oberliga tables & results
football-aktueell.de, accessed: 28 September 2015


Ice hockey

EHC Dortmund, Eisadler Dortmund is the city's ice hockey club that plays in Eissportzentrum Westfalenhallen an arena, indoor sporting arena at the Strobelallee. They played in 2016/17 in the Oberliga, the third level of ice hockey in Germany.


Basketball

The city's basketball club is SVD 49 Dortmund basketball team plays in its respective second national divisions.


Baseball

The city's baseball club Dortmund Wanderers plays in the first Bundesliga (baseball), Bundesliga


Other sports

The Dortmund Sparkassen Chess Meeting, Sparkassen Chess-Meeting has been hosted in Dortmund since 1982. Besides, Dortmund owns an all-weather racecourse named Galopprennbahn Dortmund.


Twin towns – sister cities

Dortmund is Sister city, twinned with: * Leeds, United Kingdom (1949) * Amiens, France (1960) * Rostov-on-Don, Russia (1973) * Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, United States (1979) * Netanya, Israel (1980) * Novi Sad, Serbia (1981) * Zwickau, Germany (1989) * Xi'an, China (1991) * Trabzon, Turkey (2014)


Notable people


Born before 1900

* Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus (1772–1823), publisher, founder of the publishing house "F. A. Brockhaus" and editor of ''Brockhaus Encyclopedia'' * William Middendorf (1793–1853), theologian and educator * Emil Anneke (1823–1888), revolutionary and American journalist and lawyer * Wilhelm Lübke (1826–1893), art historian * Henry C. Berghoff (1856–1925), lawyer, businessman, and politician * Adolf Schmal (1872–1919), Austrian sportsman * Wilhelm Canaris (1887–1945), admiral and chief of the military intelligence service * Richard Drauz (1894–1946), executed as a war criminal, headed up the NSDAP in the Heilbronn district * Friedrich Schubert, (1897–1947), World War II Nazi war criminal; executed


Born 1901–1950

* Walter Haenisch (1905–1938), author, communist, victim of Stalinism * Walter Blume (SS officer), Walter Blume (1906–1974), lawyer and SS officer * Fritz Henle (1909–1993), photographer * Albrecht Brandi (1914–1966), naval officer * Heinz Stahlschmidt (1919–2010), sergeant and fire fighter * Dieter Wellershoff (1933–2005), admiral, Inspector General of the Bundeswehr * Gerhard Cyliax (1934–2008), football player * Elga Andersen (1935–1994), actress and singer * Hans Tilkowski (1935–2020), football goalkeeper and coach * Dieter Fenske (born 1942), inorganic chemist * Christine Haidegger (1942–2021), Austrian writer * Annegret Richter (born 1950), sprinter * Hermann Spieckermann (born 1950), Protestant theologian


Born after 1950

* Klaus Niedzwiedz (born 1951), racing driver and television presenter * Beate West-Leuer (born 1951), professor, psychotherapist, consultant and coach * Eve Stratford (born 1953), Playboy Bunny, Playboy Club Bunny and victim of unsolved murder in London in 1975 * Ulla Burchardt (born 1954), politician (SPD) * Klaus Segbers (born 1954), political scientist and professor * Antony Theodore (born 1954), poet, educator and social worker * Susanne Kippenberger (born 1957), journalist and writer * Achim Peters (born 1957), obesity specialist * Barbara Havliza (born 1958), politician (CDU) and judge * Dietmar Bär (born 1961), actor * Stefan Heinig (born 1962), director and shareholder * Martin Zawieja (born 1963), weightlifter * Ralf Husmann (born 1964), writer, producer and author * Vincent Mennie (born 1964), Scottish footballer * Matthias Kohring (born 1965), media and communications scientist * Marco Werner (born 1966), racing driver * André Erkau (born 1968), director and screenwriter * Florian Schwarthoff (born 1968), hurdler, bronze medallist in 110m hurdles at the 1996 Olympic Games * Yasemin Şamdereli (born 1973), film director and screenwriter * Kevin Grosskreutz (born 1988), football player * Marco Reus (born 1989), football player


References


Bibliography


External links

* * * {{Authority control Dortmund, Cities in North Rhine-Westphalia Free imperial cities Oil campaign of World War II Members of the Hanseatic League 882 establishments 9th-century establishments in Germany