Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf (/ˈdʊsəldɔːrf/ DUUSS-əl-dorf, US also /ˈdjuːs-/ DEWSS-,[4][5][6] German: [ˈdʏsl̩dɔʁf] ⓘ; Low Franconian and Ripuarian:[a] Düsseldörp [ˈdʏsəldœʀ(ə)p]; archaic Dutch: Dusseldorp [ˈdʏsəlˌdɔr(ə)p]) 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,[b] with a population of 653,253.[7]
This article is about the city in Germany. For the album, see Düsseldorf (album). For the cargo ship, see SS Düsseldorf (1909). For the fishing vessel and vorpostenboot, see German trawler V 607 Düsseldorf.
Düsseldorf
10 boroughs, 50 quarters
217.41 km2 (83.94 sq mi)
38 m (125 ft)
629,047
2,900/km2 (7,500/sq mi)
1,220,000[2]
11,300,000 (Rhine-Ruhr)
0211, 0203, 02104
D
The Düssel, from which the city and the borough of Düsseltal take their name, divides into four separate branches within the city,[c] each with its own mouth into the Rhine. Most of Düsseldorf lies on the right bank of the Rhine, and the city has grown together with Neuss, Ratingen, Meerbusch, Erkrath and Monheim am Rhein. Düsseldorf is the central city of the metropolitan region Rhine-Ruhr, the second biggest metropolitan region by GDP in the European Union, that stretches from Bonn via Cologne and Düsseldorf to the Ruhr (from Duisburg via Essen to Dortmund).
The -dorf suffix means "village" in German (English cognate: thorp); 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 area, dialects that are closely related to Dutch. Düsseldorf Airport is Germany's fourth-busiest airport, serving as the most important international airport for the population of the densely populated Ruhr, Germany's largest urban area.
Mercer's 2012 Quality of Living survey ranked Düsseldorf the sixth most livable city in the world.[8][9] Düsseldorf is an international business and financial centre, renowned for its fashion and trade fairs,[10][11][12] and is headquarters to one Fortune Global 500 and two DAX companies. Messe Düsseldorf organises nearly one fifth of premier trade shows.[13] As second largest city of the Rhineland, 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 Cologne and Mainz.[14]
There are 22 institutions of higher education in the city including the Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, the university of applied sciences (Hochschule Düsseldorf), the academy of arts (Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, whose members include Joseph Beuys, Emanuel Leutze, August Macke, Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke, and Andreas Gursky), and the university of music (Robert-Schumann-Musikhochschule Düsseldorf). The city is also known for its influence on electronic/experimental music (Kraftwerk) and its Japanese community. Düsseldorf is classified as a GaWC Beta+ world city.
Logo during Eurovision Song Contest 2011 ESC
Racecourse, general view from the east
Main Tribune of the Racecourse for horses/Galopprennbahn Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf's main football team Fortuna Düsseldorf won the 1933 German championship, the German Cup in 1979 and 1980, and were finalists in the European Cup Winners Cup in 1979. They currently play in the 2. Bundesliga, after being relegated from the Bundesliga in 2020. They play their matches in the Merkur Spiel-Arena (formerly known as the 'ESPIRIT arena'), a multi-functional stadium with a capacity of 54,500. Düsseldorf was one of nine host cities for the 1974 FIFA World Cup, and will be one of ten venues to stage the 2024 UEFA European Championship. The Rochusclub Düsseldorf has hosted the tennis World Team Cup from 1978 till 2012.[91]
Düsseldorf also held the Grand Départ for the Tour de France in July 2017.[92]
Other sports in Düsseldorf are ice hockey (the Düsseldorfer EG 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 is the most successful youth department in Germany with fifteen Junior Bowl victories. Rhine Fire Düsseldorf was an established team of the 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.[93]
Table tennis is also played (Borussia Düsseldorf – the most successful team in Germany with Timo Boll), as are handball (HSG Düsseldorf), basketball (Düsseldorf Giants), baseball (Düsseldorf Senators) and dancing (Rot-Weiß Düsseldorf). Düsseldorf also has a Cricket team, the Düsseldorf Blackcaps, who play in the regional NRW league.[94]
The city hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2011.
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:
International primary and secondary schools: