Düsseldorf is the capital city of

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

, the most populous

state of Germany The Federal Republic of Germany is a federation and consists of sixteen partly sovereign ''states''. Of the sixteen states, thirteen are so-called area-states ('Flächenländer'); in these, below the level of the state government, there is a ...

. It is the second-largest city in the state after

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

and the seventh-largest city in Germany, with a 2022 population of 629,047. The

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

, from which the city and the borough of

Düsseltal Düsseltal is a quarter of Düsseldorf within Borough 2 (Düsseldorf), Borough 2, it is known for its relatively well-off population and developed around an old convent. It is also known as Düsseldorf-Zoo (after Düsseltal's Düsseldorf Zoo stati ...

take their name, divides into four separate branches within the city, each with its own mouth into the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

(

Lower Rhine Lower Rhine (, ; kilometres 660 to 1,033 of the Rhine) is the section of the Rhine between Bonn in Germany and the North Sea at Hook of Holland in the Netherlands, including the '' Nederrijn'' () within the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta; alternat ...

). Most of Düsseldorf lies on the right bank of the Rhine, and the city has grown together with

Neuss Neuss (; written ''Neuß'' until 1968; ; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is on the west bank of the Rhine opposite Düsseldorf. Neuss is the largest city within the Rhein-Kreis Neuss district. It is primarily known for its ...

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

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

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

and

Monheim am Rhein Monheim am Rhein (, ; ) is a town on the right (eastern) bank of the river Rhine in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Monheim belongs to the district of Mettmann – with the southern suburbs of Düsseldorf to the north, and the Bergisches Land to ...

. Düsseldorf is the central city of the metropolitan region

Rhine-Ruhr The Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region () is the Metropolitan regions in Germany, largest metropolitan region in Germany, with over ten million inhabitants. A wikt:polycentric, polycentric conurbation with several major urban concentrations, the reg ...

, the second biggest metropolitan region by GDP in the European Union, that stretches from

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

via

and Düsseldorf to the

Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; , 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 1,160/km2 and a populati ...

(from

Duisburg Duisburg (; , ) is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine (Lower Rhine) and the Ruhr (river), Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruh ...

via

Essen Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...

Dortmund Dortmund (; ; ) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the List of cities in Germany by population, ninth-largest city in Germany. With a population of 614,495 inhabitants, it is the largest city ...

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

cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymological ancestor in a common parent language. Because language change can have radical effects on both the s ...

: ''

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

''); its use is unusual for a settlement as large as Düsseldorf. Linguistically, Düsseldorf is the largest city in the German part of the

Low Franconian In historical linguistics, historical and comparative linguistics, Low Franconian is a linguistic category used to classify a number of historical and contemporary West Germanic languages, West Germanic Variety (linguistics), varieties closely r ...

area, dialects that are closely related to

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

. Düsseldorf is an international business and financial centre, renowned for its fashion and trade fairs, and is headquarters to one

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

and two

DAX The DAX (''Deutscher Aktienindex'' (German stock index); ) is a stock market index consisting of the 40 major German blue chip companies trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. It is a total return index. Prices are taken from the Xetra t ...

companies.

Messe Düsseldorf Messe Düsseldorf GmbH is a German Trade show, trade fair company based in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia. The company operates one of the largest exhibition grounds in the world and is one of the leading international organizers of trade ...

organises nearly one fifth of premier trade shows.

Düsseldorf Airport Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the seventh-largest city in Germany, with a 2022 population of 629,047. The Düsse ...

is Germany's fourth-busiest airport, serving as the most important international airport for the population of the densely populated

, Germany's largest urban area. As second largest city of the

Rhineland The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...

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

and

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

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

Hochschule Düsseldorf ' (, plural: ') is the generic term in German for institutions of higher education, corresponding to ''universities'' and ''colleges'' in English. The term ''Universität'' (plural: ''Universitäten'') is reserved for institutions with the right t ...

), the academy of arts (

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

, whose members include

Joseph Beuys Joseph Heinrich Beuys ( ; ; 12 May 1921 – 23 January 1986) was a German artist, teacher, performance artist, and Aesthetics, art theorist whose work reflected concepts of humanism and sociology. With Heinrich Böll, , Caroline Tisdall, Rober ...

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

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

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

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

, and

Andreas Gursky Andreas Gursky (born 15 January 1955) is a German photographer and professor at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Germany. He is known for his Large format (photography), large format architecture and Landscape photography, landscape colour photog ...

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

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, ) is a Germany, German Electronic music, electronic band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk was among the first successful a ...

) and its Japanese community. Düsseldorf is classified as a

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

Beta+

world city A global city (also known as a power city, world city, alpha city, or world center) is a city that serves as a primary node in the global economic network. The concept originates from geography and urban studies, based on the thesis that glo ...

. Mercer's 2023 Quality of Living survey ranked Düsseldorf the tenth most livable city in the world.

History

Early development

When the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

was strengthening its position throughout Europe, a few

Germanic tribes The Germanic peoples were tribal groups who lived in Northern Europe in Classical antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. In modern scholarship, they typically include not only the Roman-era ''Germani'' who lived in both ''Germania'' and parts ...

clung on in

marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...

y territory off the eastern banks of the

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

farming Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

settlement could be found at the point where the small river

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

The first written mention of Düsseldorf (then called ''Dusseldorp'' in the local

Low Rhenish In historical and comparative linguistics, Low Franconian is a linguistic category used to classify a number of historical and contemporary West Germanic varieties closely related to, and including, the Dutch language. Most dialects and languag ...

dialect) dates back to 1135. Under Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa the small town of

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

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

Berg Berg may refer to: People *Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * General Berg (disambiguation) * Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor * Berg (footballer, born 1963), Ninimbergue dos Santos Guerra, Brazilian footba ...

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

Adolf VIII of Berg Adolf VIII of Berg (also referred to as Adolf V) (c. 1240 – 28 September 1296) was the eldest son of Count Adolf VII of Berg and Margaret of Hochstaden.Walther Möller, ''Stammtafeln westdeutscher Adelsgeschlechter im Mittelalter'' (Darmstadt, 1 ...

granted

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

to the village on the banks of the Düssel. Before this, a bloody struggle for power had taken place between the

Archbishop of Cologne The Archbishop of Cologne governs the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne in western North Rhine-Westphalia. Historically, the archbishop was ''ex officio'' one of the prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire and ruled the Electorate of Cologne ...

and his allies arrayed against the count of

and other local powers, culminating in the

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

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

, who were supported by citizens and farmers of Cologne and Düsseldorf, paving the way for Düsseldorf's elevation to city status, which is commemorated today by a monument on the Burgplatz. After this battle the relationship between Cologne and Düsseldorf deteriorated, because they were commercial rivals; it is often said that there is a kind of hostility between the citizens of Cologne and Düsseldorf. Today, it finds its expression mainly in a humorous form (especially during the Rhineland '' Karneval'') and in sports. The custom of turning cartwheels is credited to the children of Düsseldorf. There are variations of the origin of the cartwheeling children. Today the symbol (Der Radschläger) represents the story and every year the Düsseldorfers celebrate by having a cartwheeling contest. A

market square A market square (also known as a market place) is an urban square meant for trading, in which a market is held. It is an important feature of many towns and cities around the world. A market square is an open area where market stalls are tradit ...

sprang up on the banks of the Rhine and the square was protected by

city walls A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as curtain walls with to ...

on all four sides. In 1380, the dukes of

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

United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg The United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg was a territory in the Holy Roman Empire between 1521 and 1614, formed from the personal union of the duchies of Jülich, Cleves and Berg. The name was resurrected after the Congress of Vienna for ...

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

Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a former Bavarian dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including the Electorate of Bavaria, the Electoral Palatinate, the Electorate of Cologne, County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, ...

Counts of

Palatinate-Neuburg Palatinate-Neuburg () was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire, founded in 1505 by a branch of the House of Wittelsbach. Its capital was Neuburg an der Donau. Its area was about 2,750 km2, with a population of some 100,000. History The Du ...

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

Electorate of the Palatinate The Electoral Palatinate was a Imperial State, constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire until it was annexed by the Electorate of Baden in 1803. From the end of the 13th century, its ruler was one of the Prince-electors who elected the Holy ...

, in 1685, becoming now

Prince-elector The prince-electors ( pl. , , ) were the members of the Electoral College of the Holy Roman Empire, which elected the Holy Roman Emperor. Usually, half of the electors were archbishops. From the 13th century onwards, a small group of prince- ...

s as Electors Palatine. Under the art-loving Johann Wilhelm II (r. 1690–1716), a vast

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

, with a huge selection of paintings and sculptures, was housed in the ''Stadtschloss'' (city castle). After his death, the city fell on hard times again, especially after Elector Charles Theodore inherited Bavaria and moved the electoral court to

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. With him he took the

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

, which became part of what is now the

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

in Munich. Destruction and poverty struck Düsseldorf after the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

made Berg a

Grand Duchy A grand duchy is a country or territory whose official head of state or ruler is a monarch bearing the title of grand duke or grand duchess. Prior to the early 1800s, the only Grand duchy in Europe was located in what is now Italy: Tuscany ( ...

and Düsseldorf its capital. Johann Devaranne, a leader of

Solingen Solingen (; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, 25 km east of Düsseldorf along the northern edge of the Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr. After Wuppertal, it is the second-largest city in the Bergisches Land, and a member of ...

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

including Berg was given to the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

in 1815. The

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

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

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

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

World War I

During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

the

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty (United Kingdom), Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British ...

(RNS) undertook the first

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

strategic bombing missions on 22 September 1914, when it bombed the Zeppelin bases in Düsseldorf.

Weimar Republic

In 1920, Düsseldorf became the centre of the

General Strike A general strike is a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coalitions ...

that grew out of the resistance to the

Kapp Putsch The Kapp Putsch (), also known as the Kapp–Lüttwitz Putsch (), was an abortive coup d'état 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 ...

. On 15 April 1920, 45 delegates of the German Miners Union were murdered by the

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

World War II

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Düsseldorf was the location of a Nazi prison with several

forced labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, or violence, including death or other forms of ...

subcamps, five subcamps of the

Buchenwald concentration camp Buchenwald (; 'beech forest') was a German Nazi concentration camp established on Ettersberg hill near Weimar, Nazi Germany, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within the Altreich (pre-1938 ...

for mostly Polish and Soviet prisoners, but also French, Dutch, Belgian, Czech, Italian, Yugoslav, and a camp for

Sinti The Sinti (masc. sing. ''Sinto''; fem. sing. ''Sintetsa, Sinta'') are a subgroup of the Romani people. They are found mostly in Germany, France, Italy and Central Europe, numbering some 200,000 people. They were traditionally Itinerant groups i ...

and Romani people (see ''

Romani Holocaust The Romani Holocaust was the genocide of European Roma and Sinti people during World War II. Beginning in 1933, Nazi Germany systematically persecuted the European Roma, Sinti and other peoples pejoratively labeled 'Gypsy' through forcible ...

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

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

in 1943. The city was a target of

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

, particularly during the RAF bombing campaign in 1943 when over 700 bombers were used in a single night. Raids continued late into the war. As part of the campaign against German oil facilities, the RAF raid of 20–21 February 1945 on the Rhenania Ossag refinery in the Reisholz district of the city halted oil production there. The Allied ground advance into Germany reached Düsseldorf in mid-April 1945. The United States 97th Infantry Division easily captured the city on 18 April 1945, after the local German Resistance group launched

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

German Federal Republic

In 1946, Düsseldorf was made capital of the new

federal state A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governing status of the c ...

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

Geography

Physical geography

Düsseldorf lies at the centre of the

basin, where the delta of the

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

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

( Oberkassel,

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

Heerdt Heerdt is one of the older quarters of the city of Düsseldorf, part of Borough 4 (Düsseldorf), Borough 4. Heerdt and its neighbouring quarters Düsseldorf-Oberkassel, Oberkassel, Düsseldorf-Niederkassel, Niederkassel and Düsseldorf-Lörick, Lö ...

and Lörick). Across the Rhine, the city of

stands on the delta of the

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

. Düsseldorf lies southwest of the

urban area, and in the middle of the

metropolitan region. Düsseldorf is built entirely on

alluvium Alluvium (, ) is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...

, mud, sand, clay and occasionally gravel. The highest point in Düsseldorf is the top of Sandberg in the far eastern part of the city ( Hubbelrath borough) at . The lowest point is at the far northern end in Wittlaer borough where the Schwarzbach enters the Rhine, with an average elevation of .

Adjacent cities and districts

The following districts and cities border Düsseldorf (clockwise starting from the north): the City of Duisburg, the District of Mettmann (

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

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

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

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

, Neuss, and

Climate

The city has an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Cfb'', mild in relation to

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

). Like the rest of the lower

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

Demographics

With a population of 653,253 within the city boundaries (31 December 2022), Düsseldorf is Germany's sixth largest city. Its population surpassed the threshold of 100,000 inhabitants during the height of industrialisation in 1882, and peaked at just over 705,000 in 1962. The city then began to lose residents, with many moving into neighbouring municipalities. However, since the late 1990s, the city's population has been slowly rising again. A total of 109,883 (18%) of Düsseldorf's population are foreigners (as of 31 December 2008), the majority of whom come from within

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

(81,742). The largest

national minorities The term "minority group" has different meanings, depending on the context. According to common usage, it can be defined simply as a group in society with the least number of individuals, or less than half of a population. Usually a minority g ...

are

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Turkey * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic lang ...

Greeks Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...

, and

Poles Pole or poles may refer to: People *Poles (people), another term for Polish people, from the country of Poland * Pole (surname), including a list of people with the name * Pole (musician) (Stefan Betke, born 1967), German electronic music artist ...

. Düsseldorf and its surroundings have the third-largest Japanese community in Europe and the largest in Germany (about 11,000 people). By 2019, the foreign population of Düsseldorf would grow to 152,255, or 23.6% of the population. As of 2019, 272,982 people, or 42.6% of residents had a

migration background In the Germanosphere, ''migration background'' () is a term used to describe people on the basis of Identity politics, identity and ancestry. Migration background is a variably defined Social structure, socio-demographic characteristic that desc ...

. Düsseldorf has the third-largest

Jewish community Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

in Germany, with about 7,000 members.

Government

Boroughs

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

Stadtbezirk A (; also called ''Ortsbezirk'' in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate) is an administrative division in Germany, which is part of a larger city. It is translated as "borough". In Germany, usually only exist in a metropolis with more than 150,000 in ...

'') has its own elected borough council (Bezirksvertretung) and its own borough mayor (Bezirksvorsteher). The borough councils are advisory only. Each borough is further subdivided into quarters (''

Stadtteil A quarter is a part of an urban area, urban settlement. A quarter can be administratively defined and its borders officially designated, and it may have its own administrative structure (subordinate to that of the city, town or other urban area ...

e''). There are 50 quarters in Düsseldorf.

Mayor

The current mayor of Düsseldorf is Stephan Keller of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), who was elected in 2020. The most recent mayoral election was held on 13 September 2020, with a runoff held on 27 September, and the results were as follows: ! rowspan=2 colspan=2, Candidate ! rowspan=2, Party ! colspan=2, First round ! colspan=2, Second round , - ! Votes ! % ! Votes ! % , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Stephan Keller , align=left, Christian Democratic Union , 83,425 , 34.1 , 118,308 , 56.0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Thomas Geisel , align=left,

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

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

Alliance 90/The Greens Alliance 90/The Greens (, ), often simply referred to as Greens (, ), is a Green (politics), green political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of the Greens (formed in West Germany in 1980) and Alliance 90 (formed in East Ger ...

, 42,463 , 17.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann , align=left, Free Democratic Party , 30,584 , 12.5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Florian Josef Hoffmann , align=left,

Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (, AfD, ) is a Far-right politics in Germany (1945–present), far-right,Far-right: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative p ...

, 6,564 , 2.7 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Udo Adam Bonn , align=left, The Left , 5,257 , 2.2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Dominique Mirus , align=left,

Die PARTEI (''Party for Labour, Rule of Law, Animal Protection, Promotion of Elites and Grassroots Democratic Initiative''), or Die PARTEI (''The PARTY''), is a German political party. It was founded in 2004 by the editors of the German satirical magazine ...

, 3,039 , 1.2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Mark Schenk , align=left,

Volt Germany Volt Germany (, mostly known by the abbreviated name Volt) is a social-liberal pro-European, eurofederalist political party in Germany. It is the German branch of Volt Europa, a political movement that operates on a European level. Italian A ...

, 2,255 , 0.9 , - , , align=left, Claudia Krüger , align=left, Animal Welfare Here! , 1,939 , 0.8 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Hans-Joachim Grumbach , align=left,

Free Voters Free Voters (, FW) is a political party in Germany. It originates as an umbrella organisation of several Free Voters Associations (), associations of people which participate in an election without having the status of a registered party. These a ...

, 1,192 , 0.5 , - , , align=left, Celine Coldewe , align=left, Climate List Düsseldorf , 954 , 0.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Michael Baumeister , align=left,

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

, 947 , 0.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Marc Olejak , align=left,

Pirate Party Germany The Pirate Party Germany (), commonly known as Pirates (), is a political party in Germany founded in September 2006 at c-base. It states general agreement with the Swedish Piratpartiet as a party of the information society; it is part of the i ...

, 792 , 0.3 , - , , align=left, Markus Brakonier , align=left, German Sport Party , 383 , 0.2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Andre Maniera , align=left, The Republicans , 325 , 0.1 , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 244,322 ! 98.8 ! 211,307 ! 99.3 , - ! colspan=3, Invalid votes ! 3,008 ! 1.2 ! 1,571 ! 0.7 , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 247,330 ! 100.0 ! 212,878 ! 100.0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 470,511 ! 52.6 ! 470,312 ! 45.3 , - , colspan=7, Source: State Returning Officer

City council

The Düsseldorf city council (''Düsseldorfer Stadtrat'') governs the city alongside the mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Party ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) , 81,833 , 33.4 , 3.3 , 30 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

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

(SPD) , 43,949 , 17.9 , 11.4 , 16 , 8 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Free Democratic Party (FDP) , 22,453 , 9.2 , 2.2 , 8 , 2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Die Linke) , 9,951 , 4.1 , 1.1 , 4 , ±0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

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

(Volt) , 4,512 , 1.8 , New , 2 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(PARTEI) , 4,371 , 1.8 , New , 2 , New , - , , align=left,

Animal Welfare Here! (Tierschutz hier!) The Action Party for Animal Welfare (, abbreviated APT) is a minor political party in Germany. On 28 February 2017, the party was formed by independent candidates in the state of Düsseldorf under the name "Animal Protection List". The party l ...

, 3,437 , 1.4 , New , 1 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(FW) , 2,212 , 0.9 , 0.3 , 1 , ±0 , - , , align=left, Climate List Düsseldorf (Klimaliste) , 2,124 , 0.9 , New , 1 , New , - , colspan=7 bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(Piraten) , 1,464 , 0.6 , 1.1 , 0 , 1 , - , , align=left, German Sport Party (DSP) , 642 , 0.3 , New , 0 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Republicans (REP) , 586 , 0.2 , 0.4 , 0 , 1 , - , , align=left, RESISTANCE 2020 We for Düsseldorf , 76 , 0.0 , New , 0 , New , - ! colspan=2, Valid votes ! 245,271 ! 99.2 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Invalid votes ! 2,085 ! 0.8 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Total ! 247,356 ! 100.0 ! ! 90 ! 8 , - ! colspan=2, Electorate/voter turnout ! 470,511 ! 52.6 ! 3.4 ! ! , - , colspan=7, Source: State Returning Officer

Economy

Düsseldorf has become one of the top

telecommunications Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...

centres in Germany. With two of the four big German providers of mobile frequencies, D2 Vodafone and

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

, Düsseldorf leads the German

mobile phone A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This rad ...

market. There are many foreign information and communication technology companies in Düsseldorf such as

Huawei Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. ("Huawei" sometimes stylized as "HUAWEI"; ; zh, c=华为, p= ) is a Chinese multinational corporationtechnology company in Longgang, Shenzhen, Longgang, Shenzhen, Guangdong. Its main product lines include teleco ...

, NTT,

Ericsson (), commonly known as Ericsson (), is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Ericsson has been a major contributor to the development of the telecommunications industry and is one ...

Oppo Oppo (sometimes stylized as OPPO) is a private company, private China, Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong. Founded in 2004, its major product lines include Oppo phones, smartphones, Smart device, sm ...

, Vivo and

Xiaomi Xiaomi (; ) is a Chinese multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Beijing, China. It is best known for consumer electronics software electric vehicles. It is the second-largest manufacturer of smartphones in the worl ...

. There are 18

internet service provider An Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides a myriad of services related to accessing, using, managing, or participating in the Internet. ISPs can be organized in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, no ...

s located in the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia. There are two airlines with headquarters in the city:

Eurowings Eurowings GmbH is a Germany, German low-cost carrier headquartered in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. Founded in 1996, it serves a network of domestic and European destinations and main ...

and formerly independent

LTU International LTU International Airways,ch-aviation.com - LTU International Airways
r ...

. Many of the internet companies in Düsseldorf have their roots in the world of advertising: there are 400

advertising agencies An advertising agency, often referred to as a creative agency or an ad agency, is a business dedicated to creating, planning, and handling advertising and sometimes other forms of promotion and marketing for its clients. An ad agency is generall ...

in Düsseldorf, among them four of the largest in Germany:

BBDO Worldwide BBDO is a worldwide advertising agency network, with its headquarters in New York City. The agency originated in 1891 with the George Batten Company, and in 1928, through a merger with Barton, Durstine & Osborn (BDO), the agency became Batten, B ...

Havas Worldwide Havas Creative, formerly known as Havas Worldwide and Euro RSCG, is a French advertising agency. It is one of the largest integrated marketing communications agencies in the world, made up of 316 offices located in 75 countries. The firm provide ...

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

and

Publicis Publicis Groupe S.A. is a French multinational advertising and public relations company. As of 2024, the company is the largest advertising company in the world by revenue. Based in Paris, it is one of the 'Big Four' advertising commpanies, al ...

. A number of affiliates of foreign agencies deserve mention as well, such as

Ogilvy & Mather Ogilvy is a New York City-based British advertising, marketing, and public relations agency. It was founded in 1850 by Edmund Mather as a London-based agency. In 1964, the firm became known as Ogilvy & Mather after merging with a New York City a ...

Dentsu , simply known as , stylized as dentsu, is a Japanese international advertising and public relations joint stock company headquartered in Tokyo. Dentsu is the largest advertising agency in Japan and the fifth largest advertising agency network in ...

Hakuhodo is a Japanese advertising and public relations company owned by Hakuhodo DY Holdings. It is headquartered at Akasaka Biz Tower in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo. History Hakuhodo is one of the oldest advertising agencies in Japan and was founded ...

TBWA TBWA Worldwide is an international advertising agency whose main headquarters are in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States. Since 1993, the agency has been a unit of Omnicom Group, the world's second largest advertising agency holding ...

, and DDB. There are also about 200

publishing houses Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...

in Düsseldorf. Businesses operating in Düsseldorf include

Peek & Cloppenburg Peek & Cloppenburg is a German fast fashion retail chain based in Düsseldorf and Hamburg. The chain is operated by two separate and independent companies, Peek & Cloppenburg KG Düsseldorf (known as P&C West) and Peek & Cloppenburg KG H ...

(fashion);

Uniper Uniper SE is a German multinational energy company based in Düsseldorf, Germany, which has been a state-owned enterprise since late 2022. It is one of the biggest energy companies by revenue in Europe. The name of the company is a portmanteau o ...

(electricity generation);

L'Oréal L'Oréal S.A. () is a French multinational personal care corporation registered in Paris

Germany (Cosmetics and Beauty);

Net mobile AG The net mobile AG is a publicly traded business-to-business service provider. Its principal activities are in the fields of mobile payment, mobile content and other value-added services, which it offers to mobile network operators, digital media ...

(business-to-business service provider in mobile telecommunications);

Henkel Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, commonly known as Henkel, is a German multinational chemical and consumer goods company headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. Founded in 1876, the DAX company is organized into two globally operating business units (Cons ...

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

tea bag A tea bag (or teabag) is a small, porous, sealed bag or Packet (container), packet typically containing tea leaves (''Camellia sinensis'') or the leaves of other herbs, which is immersed in water to steeping, steep and make an infusion. Origina ...

s and

iced tea Iced tea (or ice tea) is a form of cold tea. Though it is usually served in a glass with ice, it can refer to any tea that has been chilled or cooled. It may be sweetened with sugar or syrup, or remain unsweetened. Iced tea is also a popular pac ...

s products);

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

(wholesale, retail);

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

(retail);

Esprit Holdings Esprit Holdings Limited ( zh, t=思捷環球控股有限公司) is a global publicly traded retail company incorporated in Bermuda, with headquarters in North Point, Hong Kong, and further major locations in Ratingen, Germany; Amsterdam, Netherl ...

(fashion, headquarters in Ratingen near Düsseldorf);

BASF BASF SE (), an initialism of its original name , is a European Multinational corporation, multinational company and the List of largest chemical producers, largest chemical producer in the world. Its headquarters are located in Ludwigshafen, Ge ...

Personal Care & Nutrition (formerly

Cognis Cognis was a worldwide supplier of specialty chemicals and nutritional ingredients, headquartered in Monheim am Rhein, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The company employs about 5,600 people and operates production or service centers in almost 3 ...

– chemicals, headquarters in Monheim near Düsseldorf, but production mainly in Düsseldorf).

Daimler AG Mercedes-Benz Group AG (formerly Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler, and Daimler) is a German multinational automotive company headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is one of the world's leading car manufacturers. Daimler-B ...

builds the

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is a light commercial vehicle (van) built by Mercedes-Benz Group AG of Stuttgart, Germany as a large van, chassis cab, minibus, and pickup truck. In the past, the Sprinter had been sold under the Mercedes-Benz, Dodge, ...

light commercial vehicles in Düsseldorf. Since the 1960s, there has been a strong relationship between the city and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. Many Japanese banks and corporations have their European headquarters in Düsseldorf – so many that Düsseldorf has the third largest Japanese community in Europe, after

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. The "Kö", which stands for Königsallee ("King's Avenue"), is a shopping destination. Many jewellery shops, designer labels, and galleries have store locations here. The Kö has among the highest rents for retail and office space in Germany.

Financial center

The city is an important

financial center A financial centre (financial center in American English) or financial hub is a location with a significant concentration of commerce in financial services. The commercial activity that takes place in a financial centre may include banking, ...

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

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

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

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

HSBC HSBC Holdings plc ( zh, t_hk=滙豐; initialism from its founding member The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) is a British universal bank and financial services group headquartered in London, England, with historical and business li ...

has its German headquarters in Düsseldorf and employs 3,000 people. NRW.BANK is a development bank of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the largest state development bank in Germany. NRW.BANK was spun off from

WestLB Westdeutsche Landesbank (, abbreviated as WestLB) was a major German bank based in Düsseldorf, mainly controlled by the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It was created in 1969 by the merger of two predecessor entities respectively for th ...

in 2002. Today

Deutsche Bank Deutsche Bank AG (, ) is a Germany, German multinational Investment banking, investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange. ...

and

Commerzbank The Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft (shortly known as Commerzbank AG or Commerzbank ) is a European Financial institution, banking institution headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany. It offers services to private and entrepreneurial c ...

have major branches in Düsseldorf with about 2,000 employees. Düsseldorf is also the most important German financial center for Japanese credit institutions.

MUFG Bank is a Japanese bank and the core banking subsidiary of the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG). It was established on January 1, 2006 through the merger of the and , two major banking groups that themselves were the product of recent banking ...

SMBC SMBC may refer to: Companies and organizations * SMBC Aviation Capital, an aircraft leasing company associated with the bank * Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, a bank based in Japan * Sydney Missionary and Bible College Government and politics ...

and

Mizuho Mizuho () literally means "abundant rice" in Japanese and "harvest" in the figurative sense. It was also an Names of Japan#Other names, ancient name of Japan. It might refer to: Places * Mizuho, Gifu, a city in Gifu * Mizuho, Tokyo, a town in To ...

have offices in Düsseldorf. Also the German retail banking division of Santander (known as Santander Consumer Bank) has its headquarters in the Düsseldorf region. Some major insurance companies such as

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

, a subsidiary of

Munich Re Munich Re Group or Munich Reinsurance Company () is a German Multinational corporation, multinational insurance company based in Munich, Germany. It is the world's largest reinsurance, reinsurer. ERGO Insurance Group, ERGO, a subsidiary of Munich ...

, and

ARAG ARAG may refer to: * Arag, a town in Sangli district in the Indian state of Maharashtra * Advanced Research and Assessment Group The Advanced Research and Assessment Group (ARAG) was a department of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom conc ...

are located in the city. Several other major financial service companies have their headquarters in the city.

Media

Important newspapers and journals such as ''

Handelsblatt The ''Handelsblatt'' (literally "commerce paper" in English) is a German-language business newspaper published in Düsseldorf by Handelsblatt Media Group, formerly known as Verlagsgruppe Handelsblatt. History and profile ''Handelsblatt'' was es ...

'', ''

Rheinische Post ''Rheinische Post'' () is a major German regional daily newspaper published since 1946 by the ''Rheinische Post Verlagsgesellschaft GmbH'' company, and headquartered in Düsseldorf. The Post is especially dominant in the western part of North Rhi ...

'', ''Wirtschaftswoche'', ''Deutsches Wirtschaftsblatt'' and ''VDI-Nachrichten'' are published in Düsseldorf. Almost all of these papers are available online. Renowned filmmaking companies, such as Germany's biggest cinema enterprise, the Riech Group, and TV channels such as

WDR WDR may refer to: * Waddell & Reed (stock ticker: WDR), an American asset management and financial planning company * Walt Disney Records, an American record label of the Disney Music Group * WDR neuron, a type of neuron involved in pain signalli ...

and

QVC QVC (short for "Quality Value Convenience") is an American free-to-air television network and a flagship shopping channel specializing in televised Shopping channel, home shopping, owned by QVC Group (formerly Qurate Retail Group). Founded in 19 ...

are located in Düsseldorf. The ''Film- und Medienstiftung NRW'' foundation supports the production of film and new media. With regard to movies and movie theatres in Düsseldorf, moviegoers are able to view movies in a range of different languages. Many mainstream movies are shown in English, Spanish, French, and German.

Transport

Düsseldorf Airport

, also referred to as Rhein-Ruhr Airport, is located north of the city centre and can easily be reached by train or the

S-Bahn The S-Bahn ( , ), , is a hybrid urban rail, urban–suburban rail system serving a metropolitan region predominantly in German language, German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit syst ...

urban railway. There is a long-distance train station served by regional and national services, which is linked to the airport by the SkyTrain, an automatic

people mover A people mover or automated people mover (APM) is a type of small-scale automated guideway transit system. The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks ...

. Another station situated under the terminal building carries the S-Bahn line ( S11) to

Düsseldorf Central Station Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

, and to

as well as a few selected night services. After those of Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin, Düsseldorf Airport is Germany's fourth largest

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

, with 25.5 million passengers annually (2019). The airport offers 180 destinations on four continents, and is served by 70 airlines. The airport buildings were partly destroyed by a devastating fire caused by welding works in 1996, killing 17 people. Following this event, it was completely rebuilt and the Skytrain was installed.

Railway

The city is a major hub in the

Deutsche Bahn (, ; abbreviated as DB or DB AG ) is the national railway company of Germany, and a state-owned enterprise under the control of the German government. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). DB was fou ...

(DB) railway network. More than 1,000 trains stop in Düsseldorf daily.

at Konrad-Adenauer-Platz is located in

Düsseldorf-Stadtmitte Stadtmitte (meaning: ''city centre'') is an urban quarter in the central Borough 1 (Düsseldorf), Borough 1 of Düsseldorf, Germany. Stadtmitte borders with Düsseldorf-Carlstadt, Carlstadt, Pempelfort, Oberbilk and the old town of Düsseldorf: ...

. Several

Rhein-Ruhr S-Bahn The Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn () is a Metropolitan area, polycentric S-bahn network covering the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan regions in Germany, Metropolitan Region in the Germany, German States of Germany, federated state of North Rhine-Westphalia. This inc ...

lines connect Düsseldorf to other cities of

. Local Düsseldorf Straßenbahn and

light rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...

Düsseldorf Stadtbahn __NOTOC__ The Düsseldorf Stadtbahn () is a ''Stadtbahn'' ("city train", i.e. urban light rail system) serving Düsseldorf and surrounding areas in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region of the Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Togeth ...

traffic, as well as local bus traffic, is carried out by the city-owned

Rheinbahn Rheinbahn is a German public transport operator operating in Düsseldorf, Meerbusch and Kreis Mettmann. Its network consists of the Düsseldorf Stadtbahn, a network of 11 Stadtbahn (light rail) lines which are integrated in the Rhine-Ruhr St ...

which operates within the VRR

public transport Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whic ...

system. The light rail system also serves neighbouring cities and is partially operated underground. The Central Station and the Airport Station (Flughafen-Bahnhof) are connected to the national and European high-speed systems (Intercity/Eurocity, IC/EC and

InterCityExpress Intercity Express (commonly known as ICE () and running under this category) is a high-speed rail system in Germany. It also serves destinations in Austria, France, Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands as part of cross-border services. It ...

Taxi

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

Carsharing

In addition to stationary car sharing, where vehicles must be returned to their original location after use,

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

vehicles have also been available for hire since 2012. These vehicles, which can be parked anywhere where parking is normally allowed within Düsseldorf, can be rented from Car2go, Greenwheels, Stadtmobil and DriveNow.

Highway

has the densest network of

highways A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It includes not just major roads, but also other public roads and rights of way. In the United States, it is also used as an equivalent term to controlled-access highway, or ...

in Germany and Düsseldorf is directly accessible via the A3, A44, A46, A52, A57, A59 and A524.

Cycling

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

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

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

Culture and recreation

Elector

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

and his wife

Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici (11 August 1667 – 18 February 1743) was an Italian noblewoman who was the last lineal descendant of the main branch of the House of Medici. A patron of the arts, she bequeathed the Medicis' large art collection, in ...

of Tuscany, were patrons of Düsseldorf's first significant cultural activities in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Heinrich Heine Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; ; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was an outstanding poet, writer, and literary criticism, literary critic of 19th-century German Romanticism. He is best known outside Germany for his ...

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

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

in the city dedicated to him; Clara and

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

; and

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

, are the most prominent artists related to the city, which is home to a distinguished

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute ...

. The Düsseldorf cultural scene comprises traditional and

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

, classical and popular. The world-famous state art collection of North Rhine-Westphalia, the highly acclaimed

Deutsche Oper am Rhein The Deutsche Oper am Rhein (German Opera on the Rhine) is an opera company based in Düsseldorf and Duisburg. The opera also has an associated classical ballet company. Axel Kober has been its music director since 2009. The resident orchestra, t ...

(opera), and the

Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus The is a theatre building and company in Düsseldorf. The present building with two major auditoria was designed by the architect and built between 1965 and 1969. It opened in 1970. History The theatre dates back to 1747 when during the ...

(theatre), artistic home of

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

, are major elements of Düsseldorf's reputation as a centre of the fine arts.

Beer

Düsseldorf is well known for its

Altbier Altbier (, ) is a style of beer brewed in the Rhineland, especially around the city of Düsseldorf, Germany. It is a copper coloured beer whose name comes from it being top-fermented, an older method than the bottom fermentation of lagers. ...

, a hoppy beer which translates as ''old

tyle Tyle may refer to: * Chris Tyle (born 1955), American musician * Tyle Mill, a mill near Sulhamstead, England * Tyle or Tylis, the 3rd century capital of a Balkan Celtic state * 21970 Tyle, a minor planet See also * Tile * Tyler (disambigu ...

beer'', a reference to the pre-

lager Lager (; ) is a Type of beer, style of beer brewed and Brewing#Conditioning, conditioned at low temperature. Lagers can be Pale lager, pale, Amber lager, amber, or Dark lager, dark. Pale lager is the most widely consumed and commercially availab ...

brewing method of using a warm

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

like British pale ales. Over time the Alt yeast adjusted to lower temperatures, and the Alt brewers would store or lager the beer after fermentation, leading to a cleaner, crisper beer. The name "altbier" first appeared in the 19th century to differentiate the beers of Düsseldorf from the new

pale lager Pale lager is a pale-to- golden lager beer with a well- attenuated body and a varying degree of noble hop bitterness. In the mid-19th century, Gabriel Sedlmayr took British pale ale brewing and malt making techniques back to the Spaten Bre ...

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

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...

Music and nightlife

Düsseldorf has been home to a number of influential music artists and bands, particularly in the

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductors * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic c ...

and

krautrock Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock that developed in Germany in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It originated among artists who blended elements of psychedelic rock, avant-garde composition, and electron ...

genres, with

being the most prominent example. As one source describes, "This is the place where

Neu! Neu! (; German for "New!"; styled in block capitals) were a West German krautrock band formed in Düsseldorf in 1971 by Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother following their departure from Kraftwerk. The group's albums were produced by Conny Plank, w ...

conceived the motorik beat,

Harmonia In Greek mythology, Harmonia (; /Ancient Greek phonology, harmoˈnia/, "harmony", "agreement") is the goddess of harmony and concord. Her Greek opposite is Eris (mythology), Eris and her Roman mythology, Roman counterpart is Concordia (mythol ...

dreamed up ambient,

Die Krupps Die Krupps () ("The Krupps") is a German industrial metal/electronic body music, EBM band, formed in 1980 by Jürgen Engler, Ralf Dörper, and Bernward Malaka in Düsseldorf. The band has had a diverse range of musical influences over time, i ...

expanded the idea of industrial, and where those brilliant mensch-maschines Kraftwerk, declared: 'We are the robots'." Since the 1950s the "

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

" has been one of the most prominent political cabarets of Germany. The city's best-known contribution to the culture of modern

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

is the influential avant-garde

band

. Formed by two Düsseldorf-born musicians,

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

post-war A post-war or postwar period is the interval immediately following the end of a war. The term usually refers to a varying period of time after World War II, which ended in 1945. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum, ...

German music and as pioneers in electronic music.Desperately seeking Kraftwerk
; "Kraftwerk asso far ahead of tstime that the rest of the world...spent 25 years inventing new musical genres in an attempt to catch up. Another famous Synth-pop band to come from the city was

Propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...

. House, techno, hip-hop, trip-hop, synth-pop, trance, electroclash: Kraftwerk's influence looms over all of them. It's difficult to imagine what rock and pop music would sound like today if Kraftwerk had never existed", ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', 24 July 2003; accessed 8 December 2014. Other influential musical groups originating from Düsseldorf include

, formed in 1971 by

Klaus Dinger Klaus Dinger (24 March 1946 – 21 March 2008) was a German musician and songwriter most famous for his contributions to the seminal krautrock band Neu!. He was also the guitarist and chief songwriter of New wave music, new wave group La Düsse ...

and

Michael Rother Michael Rother (; born 2 September 1950) is a German experimental musician, best known for being a founding member of the influential bands Neu! and Harmonia (band), Harmonia, and an early member of the band Kraftwerk. Early life and educat ...

, after their split from Kraftwerk, and

La Düsseldorf La Düsseldorf was a German band formed by the former member of Neu!, multi-instrumentalist Klaus Dinger, his brother Thomas Dinger, and Hans Lampe. La Düsseldorf released a string of successful albums (with sales totaling over a million) durin ...

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

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

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

, and

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

artists. Internationally known

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within a symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in co ...

band

Warlock A warlock is a male practitioner of witchcraft. Etymology and terminology The most commonly accepted etymology derives '' warlock'' from the Old English '' wǣrloga'', which meant "breaker of oaths" or "deceiver". The term came to apply special ...

was formed in Düsseldorf in 1982. Its frontwoman,

Doro Pesch Dorothee Pesch (born 3 June 1964), known professionally as Doro Pesch or simply Doro, is a German heavy metal singer and the former frontwoman of heavy metal band Warlock. Doro's contributions to music and culture made her a global figure in ...

, has had a successful solo career in Europe and Asia since

ended. The

punk band Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid ...

Die Toten Hosen Die Toten Hosen are a German punk rock band from Düsseldorf. The name is taken from the German slang idiom ''tote Hose'' (literally "dead trousers"), which means "nothing happening"; "boring". The band has had an important success through th ...

, the electronic act D.A.F., as well as the electronic/industrial pioneers

, all originated in Düsseldorf. Düsseldorf appears in several songs, including ''Düsseldorf'' by the British indie band

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

and ''Wärst du doch in Düsseldorf geblieben'' by Danish singer Dorthe Kollo.

Fashion

Düsseldorf has been the

fashion Fashion is a term used interchangeably to describe the creation of clothing, footwear, Fashion accessory, accessories, cosmetics, and jewellery of different cultural aesthetics and their mix and match into Clothing, outfits that depict distinct ...

capital of Germany for decades; it is also a major cultural center for the art scene. Berlin, Germany's 'fashion capital' until 1945, lost its position because of its special location within the

Soviet occupation zone The Soviet occupation zone in Germany ( or , ; ) was an area of Germany that was occupied by the Soviet Union as a communist area, established as a result of the Potsdam Agreement on 2 August 1945. On 7 October 1949 the German Democratic Republ ...

. After the

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

of 20 June 1948, fashionable clothes trends gained importance. Igedo organised fashion shows staged in Düsseldorf starting in March 1949. There are a number of schools dedicated to fashion design in Düsseldorf, among them ''Akademie Mode & Design'' ( de), ''Design Department'', and ''Mode Design College''.

Carnival

One of the biggest cultural events in Düsseldorf is the '' Karneval'' (also referred to as the "fifth season") which starts every year on 11 November at 11:11 a.m., and reaches its climax on ''

Rosenmontag (, ) is the highlight of the German (carnival), and takes place on the Shrove Monday before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Mardi Gras, though celebrated on Fat Tuesday, is a similar event. is celebrated in German-speaking countries, in ...

'' (Rose Monday), featuring a huge parade through the streets of Düsseldorf. ''Karneval'' ends on ''Aschermittwoch'' (

Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and marks the first day of Lent: the seven weeks of Christian prayer, prayer, Religious fasting#Christianity, fasting and ...

Düsseldorf's cartwheeler

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

Legends of its origin and history

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

. In the battle of 1288, Count Adolf devastatingly defeated the

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

. As a consequence of this victory, Düsseldorf obtained

. Inhabitants, especially children, ran joyfully on the streets and performed cartwheels. Another story talks about a wedding procession during which one of the wheels of the wedding carriage broke. In order to fend off the threat of bad luck, a boy supposedly jumped up to the carriage, took hold of the wheel and thus became a living part of the wheel. Whether the story is about the marriage of

and

or the wedding of Margravine

Jakobea of Baden Princess Jakobea of Baden (16 January 1558 – 3 September 1597 in Düsseldorf, buried in the St. Lambert Church in Düsseldorf) was daughter of the Margrave Philibert of Baden-Baden and Mechthild of Bavaria. Life Jakobea of Baden-Baden b ...

and Johann Wilhelm is debatable. Another story gives an account of the wedding between Margrave Jacobe von Baden and Johann Wilhelm in 1585. According to legend, she felt miserable about her marriage, but the cartwheelers who displayed their skills next to her carriage were able to make her smile. Numerous travelers were attracted to the city by great exhibitions – the forerunner of today's fairs – between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. During this time the children who did cartwheels found out that it was a profitable source of income. The bourgeoisie accepted this in good humour as a symbolic act of local patriotism. In the beginning the lads shouted ''"för eene Penning schlage ich das Rad"'' (a cartwheel for a penny). The Jan Wellem monument returned to Düsseldorf at the end of the Second World War. The procession was accompanied by torches, fanfares and cartwheeling boys.

=Cartwheelers in the cityscape

= Cartwheelers can be found at several fountains within the city and near many small landmarks. The most famous is Cartwheeler's Fountain in ''Burgplatz'' ( de) with an inscription of a quote by Hans Müller-Schlösser: "''Radschläger wolle mer blieve, wie jeck et de Minschen och drieve''" (We will always remain cartwheelers, however crazy it drives people.) The fountain was designed by Alfred Zschorsch in 1954 and donated by ''Heimatverein Düsseldorfer Jonges'', which is a club devoted to the maintenance of local and regional traditions. There are other cartwheelers that decorate storm drains and the

door knocker A door knocker is an item of door furniture that allows people outside a house or other dwelling or building to alert those inside to their presence. A door knocker has a part fixed to the door, and a part (usually metal) which is attached to ...

on the Church of Lambertus, designed by Friedrich Becker. He created the cartwheeler in front of the Schadow Arcades. The tradition has been kept alive by the ''Alde Düsseldorfer Bürgergesellschaft von 1920 e. V.'', a society founded in 1920, which organized the first cartwheeler competition on 17 October 1937. This event has been held annually since 1971 in cooperation with the ''Stadtsparkasse'' (a local bank). Formerly held in the '' Königsallee'', it has taken place since 2006 on the ''Rheinwerft'', near the old part of town. This is a fixed date in the city's calendar of events. About 500 boys regularly participate in the event and girls have also taken part since 1971. In an art project ''Radschläger-Kunst'' (Cartwheeler Art) launched in 2001, over 100 cartwheeler sculptures were designed by various artists. The door knocker on the Church of Lambertus served as a model for the sculptures that are high, wide and deep. They were positioned around the city centre. Some of the sculptures have been auctioned off to companies and private owners.

Christmas market

Every

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

, the city of Düsseldorf uses the city centre to host one of the largest Christmas gatherings in Germany. The Christmas festival occurs every year from 17 November until 23 December. This Christmas festival is responsible for a large portion of tourism every year as many people from nearby areas come to the city to drink

mulled wine Mulled wine, also known as spiced wine, is an alcoholic drink usually made with red wine, along with various mulling spices and sometimes raisins, served hot or warm. It is a traditional drink during winter, especially around Christmas. It is ...

and hot chocolate and watch craftsmen blow glass and create art. The event takes place among many small wooden buildings all clustered in the middle of the city for all the citizens to enjoy. The event, to many visitors, has an old European feel, but is very lively.

Cuisine

Traditional meals in the region are Rheinischer

Sauerbraten Sauerbraten () is a traditional German roast of heavily marinated meat. It is regarded as a national dish of Cuisine of Germany, Germany, and is frequently served in German-style restaurants internationally. It can be cooked from a variety of me ...

(a beef roast and sometimes horse marinated for a few days in vinegar and spices served with gravy and raisins) and Heaven and Earth (Himmel und Äd;

black pudding Black pudding is a distinct national type of blood sausage originating in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is made from pork or occasionally beef Blood as food, blood, with Lard, pork fat or Suet, beef suet, and a cereal, usually oatmeal, oat ...

with stewed apples mixed with

mashed potato Mashed potato or mashed potatoes ( American, Canadian, and Australian English), colloquially known as mash (British English), is a dish made by mashing boiled or steamed potatoes, usually with added milk, butter, salt, and pepper. It is general ...

es). In winter the people like to eat Muscheln Rheinischer Art (Rhenish-style mussels) as well as

Reibekuchen Reibekuchen () are German potato pancakes, also known as Kartoffelpuffer (). They are common in many areas of Germany, the name "Reibekuchen" being characteristic to the Rheinland area. Reibekuchen may be served with apple sauce, pumpernickel ...

which is a fried potato pancake served with apple sauce. Düsseldorf is known for its strong

Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

-like

mustard Mustard may refer to: Food and plants * Mustard (condiment), a paste or sauce made from mustard seeds used as a condiment * Mustard plant, one of several plants, having seeds that are used for the condiment ** Mustard seed, small, round seeds of ...

served in a traditional pot called "Mostertpöttche", which was immortalised in a

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

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artworks ...

in 1884. Therefore, also among the local dishes is the Düsseldorfer Senfrostbraten, including medium rare steaks roasted with Düsseldorf mustard and onion crust. Sides may include roast potatoes and a small salad in a restaurant, making this local dish a menu staple where upscale cuisine is served. Düsseldorf's Old Town has over 250 pubs and bars, often serving Altbier in a 0.25-liter glass. Düsseldorf Altbier is top-fermented beer of spicy aroma. The Rhine Metropolis is one of the most diverse areas in terms of culinary diversity. Düsseldorf, with the third largest Japanese community in Europe, not only provides a wide range of cuisine but also has a solid foundation of authentic Asian food in the city. Düsseldorf's exceptional cuisine has been recognized by the worldwide leading travel guide Lonely Planet. Along with a broad range of diverse cultural cuisine, Düsseldorf is also home to various Michelin starred restaurants that are world renowned. Local specialties include: Halve Hahn – this dish is made from a half a double rye roll, which is another of the specialties of Düsseldorf, buttered, with a thick slice of aged Gouda cheese, onions, mustard, ground paprika and sour pickles. Himmel un Aad – a dish of mashed potatoes and apples along with slices of blutwurst. Caramelized onions are usually served with this meal. Reibekuchen is another famous dish from Düsseldorf; this dish is usually drizzled with Rübensyrup (beet syrup) and is served on pumpernickel slices along with applesauce.

Literature

The ''

Förderpreis für Literatur der Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf The Förderpreis für Literatur der Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf is a German literary award donated by the City of Düsseldorf in North Rhine-Westphalia. The Prize for Literature in support of the City of Düsseldorf has been awarded since 1972 by ...

'' is a German

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

donated by the City of Düsseldorf in

Northrhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a state () in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the most populous state in Germany. Apart from the city-states (Berlin, Hamburg and Br ...

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

Rivalry with Cologne

Düsseldorf and

have had a "fierce regional rivalry". The rivalry includes

carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

parades,

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

and

beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...

. People in Cologne prefer Kölsch while people in Düsseldorf prefer

. Some Waiters and patrons will "scorn" and make a "mockery" of people who order Alt beer in Cologne and Kölsch in Düsseldorf. The rivalry has been described as a "love-hate relationship".

Theatres

* Apollo (varieté, circus; shows do not require knowledge of

German language German (, ) is a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family, mainly spoken in Western Europe, Western and Central Europe. It is the majority and Official language, official (or co-official) language in Germany, Austria, Switze ...

) *

Capitol Capitol, capitols or The Capitol may refer to: Places and buildings Legislative building * United States Capitol, in Washington, D.C. * National Capitol of Colombia, in Bogotá * Palacio Federal Legislativo, in Caracas, Venezuela * National Ca ...

(musicals) *

(Opera; Ballet) *

; the theatre started with theatrical performances in 1585 * Düsseldorfer Marionetten-Theater *

Merkur Spiel-Arena Merkur Spiel-Arena (stylized in all caps), previously known as the Esprit Arena (until 2 August 2018), the LTU Arena (until June 2009), and also called the Düsseldorf Arena (during the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest and the UEFA Euro 2024), is a ...

(Venue of the

Eurovision Song Contest 2011 The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the 56th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Düsseldorf, Germany, following the country's victory at the with the song "Satellite" by Lena. Organised by the European Broadcasting Uni ...

) * FFT – Forum Freies Theater (intimate theatre) * Junges Theater in der Altstadt * Klangraum (20th-century classical music) *

(Political cabaret) * Komödie Düsseldorf * Palais Wittgenstein * Puppentheater an der Helmholtzstraße (puppetry) * Robert-Schumann-Saal * Savoy-Theater * Seniorentheater in der Altstadt * Tanzhaus NRW (theatre for dance) *

Tonhalle Düsseldorf Tonhalle Düsseldorf is a concert hall in Düsseldorf. It was built by the architect Wilhelm Kreis. The resident orchestra, the ''Düsseldorfer Symphoniker'', play symphonic repertoire at the Tonhalle as well as opera at the Deutsche Oper am Rhei ...

(

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

for

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

, jazz, pop, cabaret) * Theater an der Kö * Theater an der Luegallee * Theateratelier Takelgarn * Theater Flin * Theater Glorreich

Museums, arts and history institutes, and other attractions

* Akademie-Galerie (exhibition space of the Art Academy Düsseldorf) * Andreaskirche * Aquazoo-Löbbecke-Museum (aquarium and zoological museum) * TvTower * BRAUSE – Vereinsheim des Metzgerei Schnitzel Kunstvereins e.V. * Film museum * Filmstiftung NRW (NRW Film Foundation) *

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

Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

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

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

Institut Français The Institut Français (; French capitalization, Institut français; "French institute") is a French public industrial and commercial organization (EPIC). Started in 1907 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for promoting French, francophone as ...

Düsseldorf * Institut für Kunstdokumentation und Szenografie (Institute for Art Documentation and Scenography) * Julia Stoschek Collection (video art) * KAI 10, Raum für Kunst * Kulturbahnhof Eller * Kunstarchiv Kaiserswerth (works of

Bernd and Hilla Becher Bernhard "Bernd" Becher (; 20 August 1931 – 22 June 2007), and Hilla Becher, née Wobeser (2 September 1934 – 10 October 2015), were German conceptual artists and photographers working as a collaborative duo. They are best known for their e ...

/Kahmen Collection) *

Kunst im Tunnel Kunst im Tunnel or KIT is a contemporary art museum in Düsseldorf. It is the new exhibition space of Kunsthalle Düsseldorf Kunsthalle Düsseldorf is an exhibition hall for contemporary art in Düsseldorf. Building The present art centre was ...

(KIT) *

Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen The Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen is the art collection of the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, in Düsseldorf. United by this institution are three different exhibition venues: the ''K20'' at Grabbeplatz, the ''K21'' in th ...

(Art Collection Northrhine-Westphalia) – K20 (Grabbeplatz) and K21 (Ständehaus) *

Kunsthalle Düsseldorf Kunsthalle Düsseldorf is an exhibition hall for contemporary art in Düsseldorf. Building The present art centre was built in 1967 in Brutalist architecture by the architects Konrad Beckmann and Brockes. They used commercially available preca ...

* Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen (Society for the Promotion of the Fine Arts) *

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

* Mahn- und Gedenkstätte für die Opfer des Nationalsozialmus (Memorial museum for victims of Nationalsocialism) * Onomato * Polnisches Institut Düsseldorf * Puppentheater an der Helmholtzstraße * Rathaus * Reinraum e.V. – Verein zur Förderung von Kunst und Kultur * (Rhine Tower; highest building and landmark of Düsseldorf) * * Schiffahrt Museum * Schloss Jägerhof * Schlossturm * Schloss und Park Benrath (palace and park of Benrath) * Stadtbibliothek * Stadtmuseum (City history museum) * Statue of

* Theatermuseum, Düsseldorf * Triton Museum * Volkshochschule * Zakk – cultural centre with concerts, readings, debates and party Koenigsallee 2019 -WPWP

Parks and gardens

* Botanischer Garten Düsseldorf, a modern

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...

* Hofgarten * The Nordpark, with the Aquazoo * The Südfriedhof (The South Cemetery)
Volksgarten adjacent to Südpark

Sports and live events

Düsseldorf's main

team

Fortuna Düsseldorf Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna 1895 e.V., commonly known as Fortuna Düsseldorf (), is a Football in Germany, German football club based in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, that competes in the 2. Bundesliga. Founded in 1895, Fo ...

won the 1933 German championship, the

German Cup The DFB-Pokal (), also known as the German Cup in English, is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundes ...

in 1979 and 1980, and were finalists in the

European Cup Winners Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renamed the UEFA Cup Winne ...

in 1979. They currently play in the 2. Bundesliga, after being relegated from the

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...

in 2020. They play their matches in the

(formerly known as the "ESPIRIT Arena" from 2009-2018 and as the "LTU Arena" before 2009), a multi-functional stadium with a capacity of 54,500 people. Düsseldorf was one of nine host cities for the

1974 FIFA World Cup The 1974 FIFA World Cup was the 10th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in West Germany (and West Berlin) between 13 June and 7 July. The tournament marked the ...

, and is one of ten venues staging the 2024 UEFA European Championship. The Rochusclub Düsseldorf has hosted the tennis

World Team Cup The World Team Cup was the international men's team championship of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). The inaugural edition of the tournament was contested in 1975 in Kingston, Jamaica and was called the Nations Cup. No tourname ...

from 1978 until 2012. Düsseldorf also hosted the Grand Départ for the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

in July 2017. Other sports in Düsseldorf are

(the

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

which play in the PSD Bank Dome) and American football. The Düsseldorf Panther are one of the most successful teams in Germany with six German Bowl titles and the Eurobowl victory in 1995. In addition the Junior Team are the most successful youth department in Germany with fifteen German Junior Bowl, Junior Bowl victories. Rhein Fire (NFL Europe), Rhine Fire Düsseldorf were an established team of the NFL Europa, NFL Europe and won the World Bowl two times in 1998 and 2000. Düsseldorf has a successful rugby union team (Düsseldorf Dragons), who as of 2017/18 play in the western division of the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German rugby. Table tennis is also played (Borussia Düsseldorf – the most successful team in Germany with Timo Boll), as are team handball, handball (HSG Düsseldorf), basketball (Düsseldorf Giants), baseball (Düsseldorf Senators) and dance, dancing (Rot-Weiß Düsseldorf). Düsseldorf also has a Cricket team, the Düsseldorf Blackcaps, who play in the regional NRW league. The city hosted the

Education

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

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

(University of Applied science, Applied Sciences) * the AMD Academy of Fashion and Design * the Max Planck Institute for Iron Research GmbH, Max Planck Institute for Iron Research * the Goethe-Institut, Goethe Institute * Verwaltungs- und Wirtschafts-Akademie Düsseldorf * WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management (Düsseldorf Campus) International primary and secondary schools: * International School of Düsseldorf * Lycée français de Düsseldorf, Lycée français international Simone Veil * Japanische Internationale Schule in Düsseldorf

Notable buildings

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

Notable places

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

Twin towns – sister cities

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

Friendship and cooperation

Düsseldorf also cooperates with: * Toulouse, France (2003) * Tenerife, Spain (2003) * Shenyang, China (2004) * Guangzhou, China (2006) * Montreal, Canada (2015) * Portland, Oregon, United States of America (2024)

Notable people

Born before 1850

* Anne of Cleves (1515–1557), Married to Henry VIII * François-Charles de Velbrück (1719–1784), Prince-Bishop of Liège * Helena Curtens (1722–1738), last victim of the witch trials in the Lower Rhine * Johann Georg Jacobi (1740–1814), writer * Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi (1743–1819), philosopher and writer * Peter von Cornelius (1783–1867), painter *

(1797–1856), poet and writer * Lorenz Clasen (1812–1899), painter * Wilhelm Camphausen (1818–1885), painter * Louise Strantz (1823–1909), composer and singer * Paul von Hatzfeldt (1831–1901), diplomat * Anton Josef Reiss (1835–1900), sculptor * Eugen Richter (1838–1906), politician and publicist * Arnold Forstmann (1842–1914), landscape painter * Peter Janssen (1844–1908), painter, professor at the Art Academy * Karl Rudolf Sohn (1845–1908), painter * Felix Klein (1849–1925), mathematician

Born 1851–1900

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

Born after 1900

* Max Lorenz (tenor), Max Lorenz (1901–1975), tenor * Joseph H. Heinen (1903-1981), founder, Heinen's, Heinen's Grocery Stores, Cleveland, Ohio * Toni Ulmen (1906–1976), motorcycle and car race driver * Karl Pschigode (1907–1971), actor and theatre director * Helmut Käutner (1908–1980), film director and actor * Hilarius Gilges (1909–1933), Afro-German actor, victim of Nazism * Ernst Klusen (1909–1988), musicologist * Luise Rainer (1910–2014), actress * Josef Peters (racing driver), Josef Peters (1914–2001), racing driver * Ursula Benser (1915–2001), painter * Fred Beckey (1923–2017), rock climber, mountaineer, author * Jürgen Habermas (born 1929), philosopher and sociologist * Carl-Ludwig Wagner (1930–2012), politician (CDU) * Wim Wenders (born 1945), filmmaker, playwright, author * Carmen Thomas (born 1946), journalist, radio and television presenter, author and lecturer * Marius Müller-Westernhagen (born 1948), actor and musician * Heiner Koch (born 1954), Roman Catholic bishop *

(born 1955), photographer * Bettina Böttinger (born 1956), TV-presenter * Birgitt Bender (born 1956), politician (The Greens), Member of Landtag and Bundestag * Tommi Stumpff (born 1958), musician * Petra Müllejans (born 1959), conductor and violinist * Bettina Hoffmann (musician), Bettina Hoffmann (born 1959), musician and musicologist * Andreas Frege (born 1962), "Campino", singer in the band

* René Obermann (born 1963), manager, husband of Maybrit Illner * Jörg Schmadtke (born 1964), football manager * André Olbrich (born 1967), guitarist in the band Blind Guardian * Michael Preetz (born 1967), footballer * Svenja Schulze (born 1968), politician (SPD) * Heike Makatsch (born 1971), actress and singer * Tetsuya Kakihara (born 1982), voice actor and singer * Erika Ikuta (born 1997), Japanese actress, a former member of Nogizaka46

Associated with Düsseldorf

* William Thomas Mulvany (1806–1885 in Düsseldorf), entrepreneur *

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

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

History

Early development

World War I

Weimar Republic

World War II

German Federal Republic

Geography

Physical geography

Adjacent cities and districts

Climate

Demographics

Government

Boroughs

Mayor

City council

Economy

Financial center

Media

Transport

Düsseldorf Airport

Railway

Taxi

Carsharing

Highway

Cycling

Culture and recreation

Beer

Music and nightlife

Fashion

Carnival

Düsseldorf's cartwheeler

Legends of its origin and history

=Cartwheelers in the cityscape

Christmas market

Cuisine

Literature

Rivalry with Cologne

Theatres

Museums, arts and history institutes, and other attractions

Parks and gardens

Sports and live events

Education

Notable buildings

Notable places

Twin towns – sister cities

Friendship and cooperation

Notable people

Born before 1850

Born 1851–1900

Born after 1900

Associated with Düsseldorf

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links