GERMANY :
DÜSSELDORF
Düsseldorf (580.000 inhabitants) is the capital of the Land North-Rhine
Westphalia, which is the most densely populated area in Germany (17
million inhabitants). The city lies at 40 km north of Cologne and at
approximately the same distance from the Ruhr basin. Düsseldorf is a
crossroads of land routes, train lines and flight connections. And let’s
not forget the Rhine harbour. To the west of Düsseldorf are the lower
Rhineland towns of Mönchengladbach and Krefeld, to the north, the Ruhr
area with Duisburg, Mülheim, and Essen, to the east, the Bergland towns
of Wuppertal and Remscheid and to the south, Cologne, Bonn and
Leverkusen.
Thanks to the
proximity of the Ruhr area, numerous banks and industrial companies have
settled in Düsseldorf after 1945. The city is a centre of the iron and
steel industry as well as of the chemical industry. There are even more
Japanese companies here than in Frankfurt. Like Frankfurt, however,
Düsseldorf is home to many trade fairs (e.g. the Fashion Fair). Eighteen
museums, the German Opera House, countless theatres large and small and
numerous other attractions all attest to the city's standing as a major
arts centre. Düsseldorf is also a paradise for shoppers - the
Königsallee with its classy shops and pavement cafés is now firmly
established as the unofficial public catwalk for the latest fashion
trends.
