In linguistics , Meuse-Rhenish ( German : Rheinmaasländisch (Rhml.) ) is a term with several meanings, used both in literary criticism and dialectology .
94-451: 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 Düssel , from which the city and the borough of Düsseltal take their name, divides into four separate branches within the city, each with its own mouth into
188-534: A border with North Rhine-Westphalia: North Rhine-Westphalia has a population of approximately 18.1 million inhabitants (more than the entire former East Germany , and slightly more than the Netherlands ) and is centred around the polycentric Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region , which includes the industrial Ruhr region with the largest city of Dortmund and the Rhenish cities of Bonn , Cologne and Düsseldorf . 30 of
282-660: A camp for Sinti and Romani people (see Romani Holocaust ). The Rabbi of the Düsseldorf Jewish Community fled to the Netherlands and died in KZ Auschwitz in 1943. The city was a target of strategic bombing during World War II , 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 ,
376-708: A deep of 293 m below sea level. At the same time, this is the deepest human-made dip in Germany. The most important rivers flowing at least partially through North Rhine-Westphalia include: the Rhine , the Ruhr , the Ems , the Lippe , and the Weser . The Rhine is by far the most important river in North Rhine-Westphalia: it enters the state as Middle Rhine near Bad Honnef, where still being part of
470-424: A few selected night services. After those of Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin, Düsseldorf Airport is Germany's fourth largest commercial airport , 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. It was completely rebuilt and
564-549: A framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic. The two main parties are, as on the federal level, the centre-right Christian Democratic Union and the centre-left Social Democratic Party . From 1966 to 2005, North Rhine-Westphalia was continuously governed by the Social Democrats or SPD-led governments. The state's legislative body is the Landtag ("state parliament house"). It may pass laws within
658-531: A general election to elect at least 181 members of the Landtag. Only parties who win at least 5% of the votes cast may be represented in parliament. The Landtag, the parliamentary parties and groups consisting of at least 7 members of parliament have the right to table legal proposals to the Landtag for deliberation. The law that is passed by the Landtag is delivered to the Minister-President, who, together with
752-611: A relatively small part of Westphalia, consisting instead mostly of Hessian and Eastphalian regions. After the Congress of Vienna , the Kingdom of Prussia received a large amount of territory in the Westphalian region and created the province of Westphalia in 1815. The northernmost portions of the former kingdom, including the town of Osnabrück , had become part of the states of Hanover and Oldenburg . The flag of North Rhine-Westphalia
846-588: 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 . 14 August 1288 is one of the most important dates in the history of Düsseldorf, the day the sovereign Count Adolf VIII of Berg granted town privileges to the village on the banks of the Düssel. Before this, a bloody struggle for power had taken place between
940-677: 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. 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 . There are 22 institutions of higher education in
1034-529: 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 in 2002. Today Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank 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 , SMBC and Mizuho have their German headquarters in Düsseldorf. Also Santander has its German headquarters in
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#17328378224041128-547: Is a shopping destination. Some jewellery shops, designer labels, and galleries have their stores here. The Kö has among the highest rents for retail and office space in Germany. The city is an important financial center . More than 30,000 people work for the financial and insurance sector in Düsseldorf. There are around 170 national and international financial institutions , and about 130 insurance agencies, and one of Germany's eight stock exchanges . HSBC has its German headquarters in Düsseldorf and employs 3,000 people. NRW.BANK
1222-722: Is at the far northern end in Wittlaer borough where the Schwarzbach enters the Rhine, with an average elevation of 28 metres (92 ft). The following districts and cities border Düsseldorf (clockwise starting from the north): the City of Duisburg , the District of Mettmann ( Ratingen , Mettmann , Erkrath , Hilden , Langenfeld , and Monheim ), and the District of Neuss ( Dormagen , Neuss, and Meerbusch ). The city has an oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb , mild in relation to East Germany ). Like
1316-621: Is below the national average in GRDP per capita . The state of North Rhine-Westphalia was established by the British military administration 's "Operation Marriage" on 23 August 1946 by merging the province of Westphalia and the northern parts of the Rhine Province , both being political divisions of the former state of Prussia within the German Reich . On 21 January 1947, the former state of Lippe
1410-509: 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. 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
1504-550: Is carried out by the city-owned Rheinbahn which operates within the VRR public transport 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 ). In Düsseldorf there are 1320 officially licensed taxis. According to
1598-461: Is classified as a GaWC Beta+ world city . Mercer's 2023 Quality of Living survey ranked Düsseldorf the tenth most livable city in the world. When the Roman Empire was strengthening its position throughout Europe, a few Germanic tribes clung on in marshy territory off the eastern banks of the Rhine . In the 7th and 8th centuries, the odd farming or fishing settlement could be found at
1692-553: Is divided almost equally between Catholicism and Protestantism. After the defeat of the Prussian Army at the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt , the Treaty of Tilsit in 1807 made the Westphalian territories part of the Kingdom of Westphalia from 1807 to 1813. It was founded by Napoleon and was a French vassal state . This state only shared the name with the historical region; it contained only
1786-477: Is further subdivided into quarters ( Stadtteile ). There are 50 quarters in Düsseldorf. 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: The Düsseldorf city council ( Düsseldorfer Stadtrat ) governs
1880-454: Is green-white-red with the combined coats of arms of the Rhineland (white line before green background, symbolizing the river Rhine), Westfalen (the white horse) and Lippe (the red rose). After the establishment of North Rhine-Westphalia in 1946, the tricolor was first introduced in 1948, but was not formally adopted until 1953. The plain variant of the tricolor is considered the civil flag and state ensign, while government authorities use
1974-531: Is hosted in Cologne . It is the largest video game convention in Europe. North Rhine-Westphalia has always been Germany's powerhouse with the largest economy among the German states by GDP figures . In the 1950s and 1960s, Westphalia was known as Land von Kohle und Stahl ( Land of Coal and Steel ). In the post-World War II recovery, the Ruhr was one of the most important industrial regions in Europe, and contributed to
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#17328378224042068-583: Is located eight kilometres (5 miles) north of the city centre and can easily be reached by train or the S-Bahn 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 . Another station situated under the terminal building carries the S-Bahn line ( S11 ) to Düsseldorf Central Station , and to Cologne as well as
2162-470: Is now Rhineland-Westphalia and neighbouring Belgium and the Netherlands . In spite of its dismembered condition and the sufferings it underwent at the hands of its French neighbours in various periods of warfare, the Rhenish territory prospered greatly and stood in the foremost rank of German culture and progress. Aachen was the place of coronation of the German emperors, and the ecclesiastical principalities of
2256-540: Is nowadays usually called Middle Dutch . Low Rhenish ( German : Niederrheinisch , Dutch : Nederrijns ) is the collective name in German for the regional Low Franconian language varieties spoken alongside the so-called Lower Rhine in the west of Germany. Low Franconian is a language or dialect group that has developed in the lower parts of the Frankish Empire , northwest of the Benrath line . From this group both
2350-480: Is obligatory to carry out any journeys to destinations in the city and directly neighbouring cities. In addition to stationary car sharing, where vehicles must be returned to their original location after use, one-way carsharing 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. North Rhine-Westphalia has
2444-410: Is the most populous state in Germany. Apart from the city-states ( Berlin , Hamburg and Bremen ), it is also the most densely populated state in Germany. Covering an area of 34,084 km (13,160 sq mi), it is the fourth-largest German state by size. North Rhine-Westphalia features 30 of the 81 German municipalities with over 100,000 inhabitants, including Cologne (over 1 million),
2538-506: Is the NRW-Nordpunkt near Rahden in the northeast of the state. The Nordpunkt has located the only 100 km to the south of the North Sea coast. The deepest natural dip is arranged in the district Zyfflich in the city of Kranenburg with 9.2 m above sea level in the northwest of the state. Though, the deepest point overground results from mining. The open-pit Hambach reaches at Niederzier
2632-519: 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 is an international business and financial centre, renowned for its fashion and trade fairs, and is headquarters to one Fortune Global 500 and two DAX companies. Messe Düsseldorf organises nearly one fifth of premier trade shows. Düsseldorf Airport
2726-490: The 80 largest cities in Germany are located within North Rhine-Westphalia. The state's capital is Düsseldorf; the state's largest city is Cologne. In 2022, there were 164,496 births and 234,176 deaths. The following table shows the ten largest cities of North Rhine-Westphalia: The following table shows the population of the state since 1930. The values until 1960 are the average of the yearly population, from 1965
2820-457: The Archbishop of Cologne and his allies arrayed against the count of Berg and other local powers, culminating in the Battle of Worringen . The Archbishop of Cologne's forces were wiped out by the forces of the count of Berg , 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
2914-650: The Cugerni were later settled on the west side of the Rhine in the Roman province of Germania Inferior . Julius Caesar conquered the tribes on the left bank, and Augustus established numerous fortified posts on the Rhine, but the Romans never succeeded in gaining a firm footing on the right bank, where the Sugambri neighboured several other tribes including the Tencteri and Usipetes . North of
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3008-589: The Dutch and later the Afrikaans standard languages have arisen. The differences between Low Rhenish and Low Saxon are smaller than between Low Rhenish and High German . Yet, Low Rhenish does not belong to Low German , but to Low Franconian. Today, Low Franconian dialects are spoken mainly in regions to the west of the rivers Rhine and IJssel in the Netherlands , in the Dutch speaking part of Belgium , but also in Germany in
3102-560: The Electorate of the Palatinate , in 1685, becoming now Prince-electors as Electors Palatine. Under the art-loving Johann Wilhelm II (r. 1690–1716), a vast art gallery , 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
3196-524: The Lower Rhine area. Only the latter have traditionally been called Low Rhenish , but they can be regarded as the German extension or counterpart of the Limburgish dialects in the Netherlands and Belgium, and of Kleverlandish ( Kleverlands ) in the Netherlands. Low Rhenish differs strongly from High German. The more to the north it approaches the Netherlands, the more it sounds like Dutch. As it crosses
3290-473: The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter light commercial vehicles in Düsseldorf. Since the 1960s, there has been a strong relationship between the city and Japan . 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 and Paris . The "Kö", which stands for Königsallee ("King's Avenue"),
3384-512: The Mittelrhein wine region . It changes into the Lower Rhine near Bad Godesberg and leaves North Rhine-Westphalia near Emmerich at a width of 730 metres. Almost immediately after entering the Netherlands, the Rhine splits into many branches. The Pader , which flows entirely within the city of Paderborn , is considered Germany's shortest river. For many, North Rhine-Westphalia is synonymous with industrial areas and urban agglomerations. However,
3478-887: The North German Plain . A few isolated hill ranges are located within these lowlands, among them the Hohe Mark, the Beckum Hills , the Baumberge and the Stemmer Berge . The terrain rises towards the south and in the east of the state into parts of Germany's Central Uplands . These hill ranges are the Weser Uplands – including the Egge Hills , the Wiehen Hills , the Wesergebirge and
3572-846: The Randstad , the Flemish Diamond and the Frankfurt Rhine-Main Region . North Rhine-Westphalia was established in 1946 after World War II from the Prussian provinces of Westphalia and the northern part of Rhine Province ( North Rhine ), and the Free State of Lippe by the British military administration in Allied-occupied Germany and became a state of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949. The city of Bonn served as
3666-591: The Rhine ( Lower 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
3760-793: The Teutoburg Forest in the east, the Sauerland , the Bergisches Land , the Siegerland and the Siebengebirge in the south, as well as the left-Rhenish Eifel in the southwest of the state. The Rothaargebirge in the border region with Hesse rises to height of about 800 m above sea level. The highest of these mountains are the Langenberg , at 843.2 m above sea level, the Kahler Asten (840.7 m) and
3854-621: The Thirty Years' War . The concept of nation-state sovereignty resulting from the treaty became known as " Westphalian sovereignty ". As a result of the Protestant Reformation , there is no dominant religion in Westphalia. Catholicism and Lutheranism are on relatively equal footing. Lutheranism is strong in the eastern and northern parts with numerous free churches. Münster and especially Paderborn are thought of as Catholic. Osnabrück
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3948-604: The state flag ( Landesdienstflagge ) which is defaced with the state's coat of arms . The state ensign can easily be mistaken for a distressed flag of Hungary , as well as the former national flag of Iran (1964–1980). The same flag was used by the Rhenish Republic (1923–1924) as a symbol of independence and freedom. The horse on the coat of arms is a reference to the Saxon Steed , a heraldic motif associated with both Westphalia and Lower Saxony . The horse first featured in
4042-469: The 15th century coat of arms of the Duchy of Westphalia, before being inherited by the Prussian province of Westphalia and finally the modern state of North Rhine-Westphalia. North Rhine-Westphalia encompasses the plains of the Lower Rhine region and parts of the Central Uplands ( die Mittelgebirge ) up to the gorge of Porta Westfalica . The state covers an area of 34,083 km (13,160 sq mi) and shares borders with Belgium ( Wallonia ) in
4136-410: The Belgian and Dutch provinces of Limburg , and their German counterparts in German Northern Rhineland . In literary studies , Meuse-Rhenish ( German : Rheinmaasländisch , Dutch : Rijn-Maaslands or rarely Maas-Rijnlands , French : francique rhéno-mosan ) is as well the modern term for literature written in the Middle Ages in the greater Meuse-Rhine area, in a literary language that
4230-402: 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
4324-402: The Clemensberg (839.2 m). The planimetrically determined centre of North Rhine-Westphalia is located in the south of Dortmund- Aplerbeck in the Aplerbecker Mark (51° 28' N, 7° 33' Ö). Its westernmost point is situated near Selfkant close to the Dutch border, the easternmost near Höxter on the Weser . The southernmost point lies near Hellenthal in the Eifel region. The northernmost point
4418-465: The Dutch-German as well as the Dutch-Belgian borders, it becomes a part of the language landscape in three neighbouring countries. In two of them Dutch is the standard language. In Germany, important towns on the Lower Rhine and in the Rhine - Ruhr area, including parts of the Düsseldorf Region, are part of it, among them Kleve , Xanten , Wesel , Moers , Essen , Duisburg , Düsseldorf , Oberhausen and Wuppertal . This language area stretches towards
4512-527: The Düsseldorf region. Some major insurance companies such as ERGO , a subsidiary of Munich Re , and ARAG are located in the city. Several other major financial service companies have their headquarters in the city. Important newspapers and journals such as Handelsblatt , Rheinische Post , 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,
4606-425: The German Wirtschaftswunder . As of the late 1960s, repeated crises led to contractions of these industrial branches. On the other hand, producing sectors, particularly in mechanical engineering and metal and iron working industry, experienced substantial growth. Despite this structural change and an economic growth which was under national average, the 2018 GDP of 705 billion euro (1/4 of the total German GDP) made NRW
4700-412: 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 . In 1946, Düsseldorf was made capital of
4794-425: The Rhine bulked largely in German history. Prussia first set foot on the Rhine in 1609 by the occupation of the Duchy of Cleves and about a century later Upper Guelders and Moers also became Prussian. At the peace of Basel in 1795, the whole of the left bank of the Rhine was resigned to France, and in 1806, the Rhenish princes all joined the Confederation of the Rhine . After the Congress of Vienna, Prussia
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#17328378224044888-423: The Rhine, the city of Neuss stands on the delta of the Erft . Düsseldorf lies southwest of the Ruhr urban area, and in the middle of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region. Düsseldorf is built entirely on alluvium , 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 165 metres (541 ft). The lowest point
4982-442: The Riech Group, and TV channels such as WDR and QVC 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. Düsseldorf Airport , also referred to as Rhein-Ruhr Airport,
5076-449: The Sigambri and the Rhine region were the Bructeri . As the power of the Roman empire declined, many of these tribes came to be seen collectively as Ripuarian Franks and they pushed forward along both banks of the Rhine, and by the end of the fifth century had conquered all the lands that had formerly been under Roman influence. By the eighth century, the Frankish dominion was firmly established in western Germany and northern Gaul, but at
5170-432: The Skytrain installed. The city is a major hub in the Deutsche Bahn (DB) railway network. More than 1,000 trains stop in Düsseldorf daily. Düsseldorf Central Station at Konrad-Adenauer-Platz is located in Düsseldorf-Stadtmitte . Several Rhein-Ruhr S-Bahn lines connect Düsseldorf to other cities of Rhine-Ruhr . Local Düsseldorf Straßenbahn and light rail Düsseldorf Stadtbahn traffic, as well as local bus traffic,
5264-508: The Zeppelin bases in Düsseldorf. In 1920, Düsseldorf became the centre of the General Strike that grew out of the resistance to the Kapp Putsch . On 15 April 1920, 45 delegates of the German Miners Union were murdered by the Freikorps . During World War II , Düsseldorf was the location of a Nazi prison with several forced labour subcamps, five subcamps of the Buchenwald concentration camp for mostly Polish and Soviet prisoners, but also French, Dutch, Belgian, Czech, Italian, Yugoslav, and
5358-468: The area of Westphalia. Charlemagne is thought to have spent considerable time in Paderborn and nearby parts. His Saxon Wars also partly took place in what is thought of as Westphalia today. Popular legends link his adversary Widukind to places near Detmold , Bielefeld , Lemgo , Osnabrück, and other places in Westphalia. Widukind was buried in Enger , which is also a subject of a legend. Along with Eastphalia and Engern , Westphalia ( Westfalahi )
5452-1203: The capital of North Rhine-Westphalia. There are two airlines with headquarters in the city: Eurowings and formerly independent LTU International . Many of the internet companies in Düsseldorf have their roots in the world of advertising: there are 400 advertising agencies in Düsseldorf, among them three of the largest in Germany: BBDO Group , Grey Global Group and Publicis . A number of affiliates of foreign agencies deserve mention as well, such as Ogilvy & Mather , Dentsu , Hakuhodo , TBWA , and DDB . There are also about 200 publishing houses in Düsseldorf. Businesses operating in Düsseldorf include Peek & Cloppenburg (fashion); Uniper (electricity generation); L'Oréal Germany (Cosmetics and Beauty); Net mobile AG (business-to-business service provider in mobile telecommunications); Henkel AG & Co. KGaA (Branded Consumer Goods and Industrial technologies); Metro (wholesale, retail); Ceconomy (retail); Esprit Holdings (fashion, headquarters in Ratingen near Düsseldorf); BASF Personal Care & Nutrition (formerly Cognis – chemicals, headquarters in Monheim near Düsseldorf, but production mainly in Düsseldorf). Daimler AG builds
5546-419: 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 sprang up on the banks of the Rhine and the square was protected by city walls on all four sides. In 1380, the dukes of Berg moved their seat to the town and Düsseldorf
5640-484: The cities of Maastricht (NL) and Hasselt (B). The eastmost varieties of the latter, east of the Rhine from Düsseldorf to Wuppertal, are also referred to as " Bergish " (after the former Duchy of Berg ). This whole region between the Meuse and the Rhine was linguistically and culturally quite coherent during the so-called early modern period (1543–1789), though politically more fragmented. The former predominantly Dutch speaking duchies of Guelders and Limburg lay in
5734-562: The city alongside the mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows: Düsseldorf has become one of the top telecommunications centres in Germany. With two of the four big German providers of mobile frequencies, D2 Vodafone and E-Plus , Düsseldorf leads the German mobile phone market. There are many foreign information and communication technology companies in Düsseldorf such as Huawei , NTT , Ericsson , Oppo , Vivo and Xiaomi . There are 18 internet service providers located in
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#17328378224045828-509: 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
5922-434: The competency of the state, e.g. cultural matters, the education system, matters of internal security, i.e. the police, building supervision, health supervision and the media; as opposed to matters that are reserved to Federal law. North Rhine-Westphalia uses the same electoral system as the Federal level in Germany: " Personalized proportional representation ". Every five years the citizens of North Rhine-Westphalia vote in
6016-465: The densest network of autobahns in Germany and Düsseldorf is directly accessible via the A3 , A44 , A46 , A52 , A57 , A59 and A524 . Düsseldorf is connected to some national and international cycling paths, including EV15 The Rhine Cycle Route . North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia , commonly shortened to NRW , is a state ( Land ) in Western Germany . With more than 18 million inhabitants, it
6110-422: The districts and municipalities, while the Landschaftsverband has a directly elected assembly. The five government regions of North Rhine-Westphalia each belong to one of the two Landschaftsverbände : The state's area covers a maximum distance of 291 km from north to south, and 266 km from east to west. The total length of the state's borders is 1,645 km. The following countries and states have
6204-404: The economically strongest state of Germany by GRP figures , as well as one of the most important economical areas in the world. Of Germany's top 100 corporations, 37 are based in North Rhine-Westphalia. On a per capita base, however, North Rhine-Westphalia remains one of the weaker among the Western German states. North Rhine-Westphalia attracts companies from both Germany and abroad. In 2009,
6298-423: The electoral court to Munich . With him he took the art collection , which became part of what is now the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. Destruction and poverty struck Düsseldorf after the Napoleonic Wars . Napoleon made Berg a Grand Duchy and Düsseldorf its capital. Johann Devaranne , a leader of Solingen 's resistance to Napoleon's conscription decrees, was executed here in 1813. After Napoleon's defeat,
6392-400: The federal capital until the reunification of Germany in 1990 and as the seat of government until 1999. Culturally, North Rhine-Westphalia is not a uniform area; there are significant differences, especially in traditional customs, between the Rhineland region on the one hand and the regions of Westphalia and Lippe on the other. Its economy is the largest among German states by GRDP but
6486-512: The foreign population of Düsseldorf would grow to 152,255, or 23.6% of the population. 272,982 people, or 42.6% of residents had a migration background as of 2019. Düsseldorf has the third-largest Jewish community in Germany, with about 7,000 members. Since 1975, Düsseldorf is divided into ten administrative boroughs. Each borough ( Stadtbezirk ) has its own elected borough council (Bezirksvertretung) and its own borough mayor (Bezirksvorsteher). The borough councils are advisory only. Each borough
6580-409: The greater Meuse-Rhine area, which stretches in the northern triangle roughly between the rivers Meuse (in Belgium and the Netherlands) and Rhine (in Germany). It is subdivided into North Meuse-Rhenish and South Meuse-Rhenish dialects ( nordrheinmaasländische (kleverländische) und südrheinmaasländische Mundarten ). It includes varieties of Kleverlandish (Dutch: Kleverlands ) and Limburgish in
6674-426: The heart of this linguistic landscape, but eastward the former duchies of Cleves (entirely), Jülich , and Berg partially, also fit in. The northwestern part of this triangular area came under the influence of the Dutch standard language, especially since the founding of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815. The southeastern part became a part of the Kingdom of Prussia at the same time, and from then it
6768-614: The interior ministry of North Rhine-Westphalia reported that the number of mosques with a Salafist influence had risen from 3 to 9, which indicated both an actual increase and improved reporting. According to German authorities, Salafism is incompatible with the principles codified in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany , in particular: democracy , the rule of law , and political order based on human rights . The politics of North Rhine-Westphalia takes place within
6862-810: The kingdom of Lotharingia . By the time of Otto I (d. 973), both banks of the Rhine had become part of the Holy Roman Empire , and the Rhenish territory was divided between the duchies of Upper Lorraine on the Moselle and Lower Lorraine on the Meuse. The Ottonian dynasty had both Saxon and Frankish ancestry. As the central power of the Holy Roman Emperor weakened, the Rhineland split into numerous small, independent, separate vicissitudes and special chronicles. The old Lotharingian divisions became obsolete, although
6956-432: The largest part of the state is used for agriculture (almost 52%) and forests (25%). The state consists of five government regions ( Regierungsbezirke ), divided into 31 districts ( Kreise ) and 23 urban districts ( kreisfreie Städte ). In total, North Rhine-Westphalia has 396 municipalities (1997), including the urban districts, which are municipalities by themselves. The government regions have an assembly elected by
7050-479: The late 1990s, the city's population has been slowly rising again. A total of 109,883 (18%) of Düsseldorf's population are foreigners (31 December 2008), the majority of whom come from within Europe (81,742). The largest national minorities are Turks , Greeks , and Poles . Düsseldorf and its surroundings have the third-largest Japanese community in Europe and the largest in Germany (about 11,000 people). By 2019,
7144-1080: The ministers involved, is required to sign it and announce it in the Law and Ordinance Gazette. These are the minister-presidents of North Rhine-Westphalia : For the current state government, see Wüst cabinet . The state has Aachen Cathedral , the Cologne Cathedral , the Zeche Zollverein in Essen , the Augustusburg Palace in Brühl and the Imperial Abbey of Corvey in Höxter which are all World Heritage Sites . North Rhine-Westphalia hosts film festivals in Cologne , Bonn, Dortmund , Duisburg , Münster , Oberhausen and Lünen . Other large festivals include Rhenish carnivals , Ruhrtriennale . Every year Gamescom
7238-777: The name survives for example in Lorraine in France, and throughout the Middle Ages and even into modern times, the nobility of these areas often sought to preserve the idea of a preeminent duke within Lotharingia, something claimed by the Dukes of Limburg , and the Dukes of Brabant . Such struggles as the War of the Limburg Succession therefore continued to create military and political links between what
7332-464: The new federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia . The city's reconstruction proceeded at a frantic pace and the economic transformation guided Düsseldorf's economic growth. Düsseldorf lies at the centre of the Lower Rhine basin, where the delta of the Düssel flows into the Rhine. The city lies on the east side of the Rhine, except District 4 ( Oberkassel , Niederkassel , Heerdt and Lörick ). Across
7426-399: The point where the small river Düssel flows into the Rhine. It was from such settlements that the city of Düsseldorf grew. The first written mention of Düsseldorf (then called Dusseldorp in the local Low Rhenish dialect) dates back to 1135. Under Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa the small town of Kaiserswerth to the north of Düsseldorf became a well-fortified outpost, where soldiers kept
7520-563: The population at year end is used. Source: Statistische Ämter des Bundes Und der Länder As of 2020 , 50% of the population of the state adhered to the Roman Catholic Church , 25% to the Protestant Church in Germany , and 28% of the population is irreligious or adheres to other denominations or religions. North Rhine-Westphalia ranks first in population among German states for both Roman Catholics and Protestants. In 2016,
7614-435: 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 Airport of Düsseldorf. The supply of taxis in Düsseldorf is over the German average. Two taxi organisations cover the market. "Taxi-Düsseldorf" offers more than 1180 cabs in different sizes. The smaller one is "Rhein-Taxi" with more than 120 cabs. It
7708-519: The republican rule of the French. In 1920, the districts of Eupen and Malmedy were transferred to Belgium (see German-speaking Community of Belgium ). Around AD 1, numerous incursions occurred through Westphalia and perhaps even some permanent Roman or Romanized settlements. The Battle of Teutoburg Forest took place near Osnabrück and some of the Germanic tribes who fought at this battle came from
7802-420: The rest of the lower Rhineland , Düsseldorf experiences moderate winters with little snowfall and mild to warm summers. The average annual temperature is 11.0 °C (52 °F) with an average yearly precipitation of 751 millimetres (30 in). 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
7896-515: The same time, to the north, Westphalia was being taken over by Saxons pushing south. The Merovingian and Carolingian Franks eventually built an empire which controlled first their Ripuarian kin, and then the Saxons. On the division of the Carolingian Empire at the Treaty of Verdun , the part of the province to the east of the river fell to East Francia , while that to the west remained with
7990-589: The southwest along cities such as Neuss , Krefeld and Mönchengladbach , and the Heinsberg district, crosses the German-Dutch border into the Dutch province of Limburg , where it is called Limburgish , passing cities east of the Meuse river (in both Dutch and German called Maas ) such as Venlo , Roermond and Geleen , and then again crosses the Meuse between the Dutch and Belgian provinces of Limburg, encompassing
8084-473: The southwest and the Netherlands ( Limburg , Gelderland and Overijssel ) in the west and northwest. It has borders with the German states of Lower Saxony to the north and northeast, Rhineland-Palatinate to the south and Hesse to the southeast. Approximately half of the state is located in the relative low-lying terrain of the Westphalian Lowland and the Rhineland , both extending broadly into
8178-638: The state capital Düsseldorf (630,000), Dortmund and Essen (about 590,000 inhabitants each) and other cities predominantly located in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan area , the largest urban area in Germany and the fourth-largest on the European continent . The location of the Rhine-Ruhr at the heart of the European Blue Banana makes it well connected to other major European cities and metropolitan areas like
8272-410: The state had the most foreign direct investments ( FDI ) anywhere in Germany. Around 13,100 foreign companies from the most important investment countries control their German or European operations from bases in North Rhine-Westphalia. Meuse-Rhenish As a dialectological term, it was introduced by the German linguist Arend Mihm in 1992 to denote a group of Low Franconian dialects spoken in
8366-598: The whole Rhineland including Berg was given to the Kingdom of Prussia in 1815. The Rhine Province 's parliament was established in Düsseldorf. By the mid-19th century, Düsseldorf enjoyed a revival thanks to the Industrial Revolution as the city boasted 100,000 inhabitants by 1882; the figure doubled in 1892. During World War I the Royal Naval Air Service (RNS) undertook the first Entente strategic bombing missions on 22 September 1914, when it bombed
8460-482: Was awarded the entire Rhineland , which included the Grand Duchy of Berg , the ecclesiastic electorates of Trier and Cologne , the free cities of Aachen and Cologne, and nearly a hundred small lordships and abbeys. The Prussian Rhine province was formed in 1822 and Prussia had the tact to leave the lower Rhenish districts in undisturbed possession of the liberal institutions to which they had become accustomed under
8554-678: Was made regional capital of the Duchy of Berg. During the following centuries several famous landmarks were built, including the Collegiate Church of St Lambertus [ de ] . In 1609, the ducal line of the United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg died out, and after a violent struggle over succession, Jülich and Berg fell to the Wittelsbach Counts of Palatinate-Neuburg , who made Düsseldorf their main domicile, even after they inherited
8648-568: Was merged with North Rhine-Westphalia. The constitution of North Rhine-Westphalia was then ratified through a referendum . The first written account of the area was by its conqueror, Julius Caesar , the territories west of the Rhine were occupied by the Eburones and east of the Rhine he reported the Ubii (across from Cologne) and the Sugambri to their north. The Ubii and some other Germanic tribes such as
8742-611: Was originally a district of the Duchy of Saxony . In 1180, Westphalia was elevated to the rank of a duchy by Emperor Barbarossa . The Duchy of Westphalia comprised only a small area south of the Lippe River . Parts of Westphalia came under Brandenburg-Prussian control during the 17th and 18th centuries, but most of it remained divided duchies and other feudal areas of power. The Peace of Westphalia of 1648, signed in Münster and Osnabrück, ended
8836-449: Was subject to High German language domination. At the dialectal level however, mutual understanding is still possible far beyond both sides of the national borders. By including Kleverlandish in this continuum, we are enlarging the territory and turn the wide circle of Limburgish into a triangle with its top along the line Arnhem – Kleve – Wesel – Duisburg – Wuppertal (along the Rhine - IJssel Line). The Diest - Nijmegen Line
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