Düsseldorf

Moving with the times

City of fashion, media, art and culture, a centre of carnival festivities, state capital and business hub. Düsseldorf is a boomtown with international flair and down-to-earth Rhineland cheer, which is not just restricted to carnival time, the fifth season of the year.

Düsseldorf's old town centre is legendary: squeezed into its area of one square kilometre are more than 260 inns, pubs, breweries and cafés, which have given rise to its nickname "the longest bar in the world". This is the home of the beer known as Altbier. Düsseldorf, founded between the Düssel and Rhine rivers eight hundred years ago, unites history and tradition with the avant-garde and fashion-forwardness. The most visible example is the media harbour, where listed quay and railway facilities emanate their nostalgic charm alongside modern architectural showpieces.

Famous throughout the world, the Düsseldorf Academy of Fine Arts is where artists such as Joseph Beuys and Jörg Immendorf once taught, while opera and theatre productions at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein and the Schauspielhaus are a constant source of furore. The state capital of North-Rhine Westphalia is also the birthplace of the first political cabaret in the Republic of Germany, namely "Kom(m)ödchen".

Düsseldorf is one of the most elegant shopping cities in the world. Several times a year, prominent designers present their creations at the international fashion shows. Königsallee or "Kö", as the city residents affectionately call their luxury boulevard, is famous throughout the world with its almost seamless succession of shops and malls.

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