In the Middle Ages, it was a city-state and a member of the Hanseatic League, and later became a major centre of the iron, steel, and chemicals industries. For this reason, it was heavily bombed in World War II. Today it boasts the world's largest inland port, with 21 docks and 40 kilometres of wharf.
Status
Duisburg is a city in Germany's Rhineland, the fifth-largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund and Essen) in the nation's most populous federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Its 500,000 inhabitants make it Germany's 15th-largest city. Located at the confluence of the Rhine river and its tributary the Ruhr river, it lies in the west of the Ruhr urban area, Germany's largest, of which it is the third-largest city after Dortmund and Essen. The Ruhr itself lies within the larger Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Region, one of Europe's largest conurbations. The city lies on both sides of the Rhine, with the city centre and most boroughs on the river's right bank, and is the only city of the Rhine-Ruhr region lying on both the Rhine and Ruhr rivers. Duisburg is one of the largest cities in the Meuse-Rhenish (closely related to Dutch) dialect area and the largest in the Kleverlandish area (north of the Uerdingen Isogloss).
Duisburg has the world's largest inland port, "Duisburg-Ruhrorter Häfen", in Duisburg-(Ruhrort). Germany's third-largest and the Rhine-Ruhr region's main airport, Düsseldorf Airport, lies near the city, in (Düsseldorf-Lohausen). With 42,747 students, the University of Duisburg-Essen is Germany's ninth-largest university. It has campuses in Essen and Duisburg, and a university hospital in Essen. Duisburg is a result of numerous incorporations of surrounding towns and smaller cities. The city is renowned for its steel industry. All blast furnaces in the Ruhr are now located in Duisburg. In 2000, 49% of all hot metal and 34.4% of all pig iron in Germany were produced here. It also has a large brewery, (König). In the early Middle Ages, it was a royal court of the Franks, first mentioned in writing in 883.
Geography
Duisburg is in the Lowland Rhine area at the confluence of the Rhine and Ruhr and near the outskirts of the Bergisches Land. The city spreads along both sides of these rivers.
Since 1 January 1975, Duisburg has been divided into seven districts or boroughs (Stadtbezirke) from north to south:
Coat of arms of Duisburg at the town hall in Duisburg
Walsum (51,528)
(Hamborn) (71,528)
(Meiderich)/Beeck (73,881)
(Homberg)/(Ruhrort)/Baerl (41,153)
Duisburg-Mitte (center) (105,961)
(Rheinhausen) (77,933)
Duisburg-Süd (73,321)
Climate
Duisburg has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb). On (25 July 2019), Duisburg recorded a temperature of 41.2 °C (106.2 °F), which is the highest temperature to have ever been recorded in Germany.
The Duisburg city council (Duisburger 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:
In the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia, Duisburg is divided between three constituencies: 61 Duisburg I (containing Süd district and most of Mitte), 62 Duisburg II (Walsum, Rheinhausen, and most of Homberg/Ruhrort/Baerl), and 63 Duisburg III (Hamborn, Meiderich/Beeck, and parts of Mitte and Homberg/Ruhrort/Baerl). After the 2022 North Rhine-Westphalia state election, all three constituencies were held by the SPD. Duisburg I was represented by Sarah Philipp, Duisburg II by Rainer Bischoff, and Duisburg III by Frank Börner.
Federal parliament
In the Bundestag, Duisburg is divided between two constituencies: 115 Duisburg I (Rheinhausen, Süd, and Mitte) and 116 Duisburg II (Walsum, Hamborn, Meidereich/Beeck, Homberg/Ruhrort/Baerl). In the 20th Bundestag, both are held by the SPD. Duisburg I is represented by President of the BundestagBärbel Bas, and Duisburg II by (Mahmut Özdemir).
History
The first syllable of the name of the city could go back to the Proto-Indo-European root *dʰeus-, meaning something like "wet area" or "flood plain".[] Duisburg therefore could mean "fortified place in the floodplain". Another interpretation assumes that the name is derived from the Old German "duis" which means "hill".[] Duisburg could mean something like "castle on the hill". Thus, a place on a hill overlooking the Rhine, that could refer to the area of the present Town Hall. Duisburggau (Diuspurgau) was also the name of the medieval Gau (country subdivision) on the Lower Rhine.
A legend recorded by (Johannes Aventinus) (fl. 1525) holds that Duisburg (along with Deutz, Cologne, Duisdorf in Bonn, and (Doesburg) in the Netherlands, all on the Rhine's right bank) was built by the namesake Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC. There is nothing to establish any historical basis for such an early founding of Duisburg, which would have made it among the earliest cities in Europe.
Roman period
Latest archaeological studies show that the present-day market-place was already in use in the first century. It has been the major central trading place of the city since the 5th century. The city itself was located at the "(Hellweg)", an important medieval trade route, and at a ford across the Rhine. The Romans already guarded the ford.
420: The Franks usurp the Roman settlement and recolonize the old part of the town.
883: The Normans conquer Duisburg and stay for the winter. First historic document mentioning Duisburg.
Middle Ages
Due to the town's favorable geographic position a palatinate was built and the town was soon granted the royal charter of a free city. Duisburg became a member of the Hanseatic League. Around 1000 the river Rhine moved westward from the city. This put an end to the city's development as a trading town and it soon grew into a quiet rural city.
Mercatorbrunnen ("Mercator fountain") in front of the town hall
The productions of cartographer Gerardus Mercator and the foundation of a university in 1655 established the city's renown as "Educated Duisburg" ("Duisburgum Doctum").
Remains of the city wall1120: construction of the city wall
1290 Duisburg becomes part of the County (after 1417 Duchy) of Cleves
1445 attack by Archbishop-Elector (de) of (Cologne) was thwartedDuisburg Corputius plan 1566
1566 (Johannes Corputius) completes his (city map) of Duisburg.
1666 Duisburg within the Duchy of Cleves becomes a part of Brandenburg-Prussia
Industrial revolution
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Binnenhafen in 1931
The rise of tobacco and textile industries in the 18th century made Duisburg an industrial center. Big industrial companies such as iron and steel producing firms (Thyssen and Krupp) influenced the development of the city within the Prussian Rhine Province. Large housing areas near production sites were being built as workers and their families moved in.
1823 a district ("Landkreis") Duisburg is established including the cities of Essen and Mülheim an der Ruhr.
1824 construction of the sulfuric acid factory Fr. W. Curtius; beginning of the industry age in Duisburg.
1828 Franz Haniel builds a dockyard for steamships
1904 Birth of the 100,000th resident (Ernst R. Straube)
1921 French Infantry occupy the city on 8 March to secure war reparation payments incurred during World War I.
1929 The city of Hamborn and Duisburg are joined together. The new city is given the name of Duisburg-Hamborn.
1935 Duisburg-Hamborn is renamed Duisburg.
1938 (November) The Nazis destroy the city's synagogue.
World War II
A major logistical center in the Ruhr and location of chemical, steel and iron industries, Duisburg was a primary target of Alliedbombers. As such, it is considered by some historians[] to be the single most heavily bombed German city by the Allies during World War II, with industrial areas and residential blocks targeted by Allied incendiary bombs.
On the night of 12–13 June 1941, British bombers dropped a total of 445 tons of bombs in and around Duisburg. As part of the (Battle of the Ruhr), another British raid of 577 bombers destroyed the old city between 12 and 13 May 1943 with 1,599 tons of bombs. During the bombing raids, 96,000 people were made homeless with countless lives lost.
In 1944 the city was again badly damaged as a total of 2,000 tons of bombs were dropped on 22 May. On 14 October, the tonnage was repeated with 2,018 tons when Halifax, Lancaster, and Mosquito bombers appeared over Duisburg as part of (Operation Hurricane). This daylight raid was followed by a night attack; over 24 hours about 9,000 tons of HE and incendiaries had been dropped on Duisburg. Numerous similar attacks followed until the end of 1944.
The Allied ground advance into Germany reached Duisburg in April 1945. The US (17th Airborne Division), acting as regular infantry and not in a parachute role, met only scattered resistance in the vicinity and captured the city on 12 April 1945.
On 8 May 1945 the (ADSEC) Engineer Group A, led by Col. (Helmer Swenholt), commanding officer of the (332nd Engineer General Service Regiment), constructed a (railway bridge between Duisburg and Rheinhausen) across the Rhine. It was 860 meters long, and constructed in six days, fifteen hours and twenty minutes, a record time. It was named the "Victory Bridge".
Post-World War II period
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Shrinking Duisburg: Abandoned buildings in the borough of Beeck
A total of 299 bombing raids had almost completely destroyed the historic cityscape. 80% of all residential buildings had been destroyed or partly damaged. Almost the whole of the city had to be rebuilt, and most historic landmarks had been lost.
Beginning in the mid-1960s, the decline of Duisburg's steel and mining industry caused a significant loss of residents. While in 1975 approximately 590,000 people were living in Duisburg, the number had shrunk to 518,000 in 1985.
Duisburg celebrated its 1100th anniversary in 1983. The city's population recovered a little in the following years, up to 537,000 in 1992. It declined to 488,000 in 2011. On 19 July 2004, it was hit by a tornado. The municipal theater and parts of the city center were damaged. The city hosted the 7th World Games in 2005. In 2010, 21 people died because of a mass panic at the (Love Parade); over 500 people were injured.
Demographics
In 2010, Duisburg had a population of 489,600, a slight decrease since 2006.
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±%
1714
2,983
—
1810
5,195
+74.2%
1871
30,533
+487.7%
1900
92,729
+203.7%
1910
229,483
+147.5%
1919
244,302
+6.5%
1925
272,252
+11.4%
1933
440,419
+61.8%
1939
434,646
−1.3%
1950
410,783
−5.5%
1961
504,975
+22.9%
1970
454,839
−9.9%
1975
591,635
+30.1%
1980
558,089
−5.7%
1985
518,260
−7.1%
1990
535,447
+3.3%
2000
514,915
−3.8%
2011
487,470
−5.3%
2016
499,845
+2.5%
2020
495,885
−0.8%
Population size may be affected by changes in administrative divisions. source:[]
Duisburg has one of the highest proportions of Muslims in Germany, with the city's Muslim population at approximately 15%, or 71,000 residents, as of 2011.
Duisburg is home to 85,000 people of Turkish origin. Other estimates suggest that the Turkish population is as large as 100,000. The neighborhood of Marxloh is a majority Muslim neighborhood, with over 54% of residents not having German citizenship as of 2018. Marxloh has experienced significant unemployment, poverty and high crime rates. The Wall Street Journal has referred to Marxloh as "Germany's quintessential Muslim ghetto." The new Merkez Mosque, one of the largest Muslim places of worship in Western Europe, was built with help by the way of contribution of 3.2 million euro from the EU and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.Asiye Nur Fettahoğlu, a Turkish-German actress, was born in Duisburg on 12 November 1980.
Transport
Watershed of the Rhine
Duisburg Port
is the city's inland port. It is officially regarded as a seaport because seagoing river vessels go to ports in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Numerous docks are mostly located at the mouth of the Ruhr where it joins the Rhine.
Each year more than 40 million tonnes of various goods are handled with more than 20,000 ships calling at the port. The public harbour facilities stretch across an area of 7.4 square kilometres (2.9 sq mi). There are 21 docks covering an area of 1.8 km2 (0.7 sq mi) and 40 kilometres (25 miles) of wharf. The area of the Logport Logistic Center Duisburg stretches across an area of 2.65 km2 (1.02 sq mi). With 2.5 million TEU it is also the largest inland container port, based on 2011 figures. A number of companies run their own private docks and 114 million tonnes of goods yearly (2010) are handled in Duisburg in total.
Roads
Duisburg is served by several autobahns, with 3 east–west routes and 2 north–south routes. A3 forms a bypass east of the city and mostly serves through traffic. A59 runs parallel to A3 and serves the city from north to south with 14 interchanges, much more than most other cities in the Ruhr area. The A40 and (A42) are two east–west routes that serve central and northern Duisburg. Autobahn A40 also serves major through traffic from the Netherlands to Berlin and points east. A short spur, (A524) serves southern Duisburg. Most Autobahns have six lanes or are upgraded to six lanes (A59).
Apart from the autobahns, no Bundesstraßen serve the city directly. B8 runs through the city, but uses A59's alignment. B288 runs in the extreme south of the city, and serves traffic to and from Krefeld. Several bridges span the Rhine, most prominently the A40 and A42 bridges, but also the L287 suspension bridge and the L237 arch bridge, a three-lane bridge with 2 lanes per peak direction with dynamic lane usage.
The Duisburg Stadtbahn, the (Duisburg tramway network), and a bus system, all operated by the Duisburger Verkehrsgesellschaft, provide local services. Stadtbahn line U79, the so-called "D-Bahn" ("D-Line"), connects to the neighbouring city of Düsseldorf and is operated jointly with the Rheinbahn of Düsseldorf. All S-Bahn, Stadtbahn, and bus lines operate under the umbrella of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr.
Media
There are several newspapers reporting on local events and politics, including the Westdeutsche Allgemeine (WAZ), the Neue Ruhr Zeitung (NRZ) and the Rheinische Post (RP). The local radio station "Radio Duisburg" was the first local radio broadcaster in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It started broadcasting in 1990. There is a local television station ("STUDIO 47"), which was the first local station to broadcast in North Rhine-Westphalia. It started broadcasting in 2006. In its Duisburg studios the WDR produces a local programme for the city of Duisburg and the Lower Rhine region north of Düsseldorf. WDR is part of the German television and radio network ARD.
Culture
Duisburg hosts a comprehensive range of cultural facilities and events. A highlight is the annual "Duisburger Akzente", a festival focusing on modern social, political and cultural topics.
Besides Düsseldorf Duisburg is a residence of the (Deutsche Oper am Rhein), one of the major opera houses in Germany. The (Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra) is one of Germany's orchestras with an international reputation.
Due to its history as a harbour city and a trade and industrial center, Duisburg offers a variety of architectural places of interest, such as the (German Inland Waterways Museum). Buildings vary from old churches such as St. Johann Baptist in Duisburg-Hamborn, which was built in 900, to modern age buildings such as Micro-Electronic-Centrum in Duisburg-Neudorf, built in 1995. Another subject of interest is the (Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord) an abandoned industrial complex open to the public and an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage. The city center contains the (Wilhelm Lehmbruck) Museum, the municipal theatre and the shopping street known as the "fountain mile".
The city also contains two botanical gardens, the (Botanischer Garten Duisburg-Hamborn) and the (Botanischer Garten Kaiserberg), as well as a number of municipal parks.
On 24 July 2010, 21 people were killed and hundreds injured in the city during the (Love Parade disaster). The (Love Parade) was an electronic dance music festival and (technoparade).
(Theater Duisburg), venue of the (Duisburg Philharmonic)
St. Johann Baptist Abbey
Landschaftspark Nord ("Landscape Park North"), on a former industrial estate
Duisburg is involved in many kinds of sports. Nevertheless, most important for its inhabitants is the local football club MSV Duisburg. Recently, with the new MSV Arena the city received a brand new sports stadium for various kinds of sports such as football and American football. During the summer months of 2005 the (World Games) took place in Duisburg. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Duisburg was the stage for preparation of the Portuguese team and the residence of the Italian football team, who won the cup in the final match against France. Duisburg is also known for its (Rhein-Ruhr-Marathon), its rowing and canoeingregattas and the world championships that take place there regularly. Other popular sports are ice hockey, basketball, American football, water polo, and field hockey.
Stanton, Shelby, World War II Order of Battle: An Encyclopedic Reference to U.S. Army Ground Forces from Battalion through Division, 1939–1946 (revised ed., 2006), Stackpole Books, p. 97.
Peacock, Jim; Peacock, Tom. . Geocities. Yahoo. Archived from the original on 24 October 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2009.
Duisburg German ˈdyːsbʊʁk Low German Duisborg pronounced ˈdʏsbɔɐ x is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine Westphalia Lying on the confluence of the Rhine Lower Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine Ruhr Region Duisburg is the 5th largest city in North Rhine Westphalia and the 15th largest city in Germany Duisburg Duisborg Low German CityDuisburg Inner HarbourFlagCoat of armsLocation of Duisburg within NRWDuisburgShow map of GermanyDuisburgShow map of North Rhine WestphaliaCoordinates 51 26 05 N 6 45 45 E 51 43472 N 6 76250 E 51 43472 6 76250CountryGermanyStateNorth Rhine WestphaliaAdmin regionDusseldorfDistrictUrban districtSubdivisions7 boroughs 46 suburbsGovernment Lord mayor 2017 25 Soren Link SPD Governing partiesSPD CDUArea City232 82 km2 89 89 sq mi Elevation31 m 102 ft Population 2022 12 31 City502 211 Density2 200 km2 5 600 sq mi Metro8 711 712 Rhineland Time zoneUTC 01 00 CET Summer DST UTC 02 00 CEST Postal codes47001 47279Dialling codes0203Vehicle registrationDUWebsitewww duisburg de In the Middle Ages it was a city state and a member of the Hanseatic League and later became a major centre of the iron steel and chemicals industries For this reason it was heavily bombed in World War II Today it boasts the world s largest inland port with 21 docks and 40 kilometres of wharf StatusDuisburg is a city in Germany s Rhineland the fifth largest city after Cologne Dusseldorf Dortmund and Essen in the nation s most populous federal state of North Rhine Westphalia Its 500 000 inhabitants make it Germany s 15th largest city Located at the confluence of the Rhine river and its tributary the Ruhr river it lies in the west of the Ruhr urban area Germany s largest of which it is the third largest city after Dortmund and Essen The Ruhr itself lies within the larger Rhine Ruhr Metropolitan Region one of Europe s largest conurbations The city lies on both sides of the Rhine with the city centre and most boroughs on the river s right bank and is the only city of the Rhine Ruhr region lying on both the Rhine and Ruhr rivers Duisburg is one of the largest cities in the Meuse Rhenish closely related to Dutch dialect area and the largest in the Kleverlandish area north of the Uerdingen Isogloss Duisburg has the world s largest inland port Duisburg Ruhrorter Hafen in Duisburg Ruhrort Germany s third largest and the Rhine Ruhr region s main airport Dusseldorf Airport lies near the city in Dusseldorf Lohausen With 42 747 students the University of Duisburg Essen is Germany s ninth largest university It has campuses in Essen and Duisburg and a university hospital in Essen Duisburg is a result of numerous incorporations of surrounding towns and smaller cities The city is renowned for its steel industry All blast furnaces in the Ruhr are now located in Duisburg In 2000 49 of all hot metal and 34 4 of all pig iron in Germany were produced here It also has a large brewery Konig In the early Middle Ages it was a royal court of the Franks first mentioned in writing in 883 GeographyDuisburg is in the Lowland Rhine area at the confluence of the Rhine and Ruhr and near the outskirts of the Bergisches Land The city spreads along both sides of these rivers Adjacent cities The following cities border Duisburg clockwise starting from the north east Oberhausen Mulheim an der Ruhr Ratingen Dusseldorf Meerbusch Krefeld Moers Rheinberg and Dinslaken Districts Since 1 January 1975 Duisburg has been divided into seven districts or boroughs Stadtbezirke from north to south Coat of arms of Duisburg at the town hall in DuisburgWalsum 51 528 Hamborn 71 528 Meiderich Beeck 73 881 Homberg Ruhrort Baerl 41 153 Duisburg Mitte center 105 961 Rheinhausen 77 933 Duisburg Sud 73 321 Climate Duisburg has an oceanic climate Koppen Cfb On 25 July 2019 Duisburg recorded a temperature of 41 2 C 106 2 F which is the highest temperature to have ever been recorded in Germany Climate data for DuisburgMonth Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec YearMean daily maximum C F 4 39 5 41 8 46 12 54 17 63 20 68 22 72 22 72 18 64 14 57 8 46 5 41 13 55 Daily mean C F 2 36 3 37 5 41 8 46 13 55 16 61 17 63 17 63 14 57 11 52 6 43 3 37 10 49 Mean daily minimum C F 0 32 0 32 2 36 5 41 9 48 12 54 13 55 13 55 11 52 8 46 3 37 1 34 6 44 Average precipitation mm inches 81 3 3 20 55 9 2 20 76 2 3 00 68 6 2 70 73 7 2 90 96 5 3 80 88 9 3 50 76 2 3 00 73 7 2 90 71 1 2 80 83 8 3 30 88 9 3 50 934 8 36 8 Source weather comPoliticsMayor The current Mayor of Duisburg is Soren Link of the Social Democratic Party SPD who was elected in 2012 and re elected in 2017 The most recent mayoral election was held on 24 September 2017 and the results were as follows Candidate Party Votes Soren Link Social Democratic Party 127 793 56 7Gerhard Meyer Christian Democratic Union 57 815 25 7Erkan Kocalar The Left 13 306 5 9Thomas Wolters Free Democratic Party 12 776 5 7Melanie Handelkes National Democratic Party 7 519 3 3Yasar Durmus Independent 5 478 2 4Valid votes 224 687 98 7Invalid votes 3 009 1 3Total 227 696 100 0Electorate voter turnout 365 646 62 3Source City of DuisburgCity council Results of the 2020 city council election The Duisburg city council Duisburger 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 Party Votes Seats Social Democratic Party SPD 43 051 30 8 10 1 32 3Christian Democratic Union CDU 29 966 21 5 3 3 22 1Alliance 90 The Greens Grune 24 728 17 7 10 3 19 13Alternative for Germany AfD 12 968 9 3 5 7 10 7The Left Die Linke 7 714 5 5 1 0 6 0Free Democratic Party FDP 4 333 3 1 0 7 3 1Young Duisburg JUDU 4 091 2 9 0 8 3 1Human Environment Animal Protection Tierschutz 2 599 1 9 New 2 NewDuisburg Alternative List DAL 1 709 1 2 0 1 1 0Die PARTEI PARTEI 1 596 1 1 New 1 NewWe Shape Duisburg WGD 1 471 1 1 New 1 NewSocially Just Independent SGU 1 384 1 0 0 1 1 0Solidarity for Duisburg SfD 958 0 7 New 1 NewBIG Dergah 890 0 6 New 0 NewCivic Liberals BL 608 0 4 New 0 NewNational Democratic Party NPD 550 0 4 1 3 0 1Alliance Duisburg Allianz 377 0 3 New 0 NewAlliance for Duisburg BfD 290 0 2 New 0 NewIndependent Gisela Schiffers 141 0 1 New 0 NewDigital Ecological Social DOS 83 0 1 New 0 NewIndependent Marliese Lenz 57 0 0 New 0 NewAwakening Duisburg Aufbruch Du 41 0 0 New 0 NewValid votes 139 605 98 9Invalid votes 1 618 1 1Total 141 223 100 0 102 18Electorate voter turnout 360 750 39 1 1 4Source State Returning OfficerState Landtag In the Landtag of North Rhine Westphalia Duisburg is divided between three constituencies 61 Duisburg I containing Sud district and most of Mitte 62 Duisburg II Walsum Rheinhausen and most of Homberg Ruhrort Baerl and 63 Duisburg III Hamborn Meiderich Beeck and parts of Mitte and Homberg Ruhrort Baerl After the 2022 North Rhine Westphalia state election all three constituencies were held by the SPD Duisburg I was represented by Sarah Philipp Duisburg II by Rainer Bischoff and Duisburg III by Frank Borner Federal parliament In the Bundestag Duisburg is divided between two constituencies 115 Duisburg I Rheinhausen Sud and Mitte and 116 Duisburg II Walsum Hamborn Meidereich Beeck Homberg Ruhrort Baerl In the 20th Bundestag both are held by the SPD Duisburg I is represented by President of the Bundestag Barbel Bas and Duisburg II by Mahmut Ozdemir HistoryThe first syllable of the name of the city could go back to the Proto Indo European root dʰeus meaning something like wet area or flood plain citation needed Duisburg therefore could mean fortified place in the floodplain Another interpretation assumes that the name is derived from the Old German duis which means hill citation needed Duisburg could mean something like castle on the hill Thus a place on a hill overlooking the Rhine that could refer to the area of the present Town Hall Duisburggau Diuspurgau was also the name of the medieval Gau country subdivision on the Lower Rhine A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus fl 1525 holds that Duisburg along with Deutz Cologne Duisdorf in Bonn and Doesburg in the Netherlands all on the Rhine s right bank was built by the namesake Tuisto mythical progenitor of Germans ca 2395 BC There is nothing to establish any historical basis for such an early founding of Duisburg which would have made it among the earliest cities in Europe Roman period Latest archaeological studies show that the present day market place was already in use in the first century It has been the major central trading place of the city since the 5th century The city itself was located at the Hellweg an important medieval trade route and at a ford across the Rhine The Romans already guarded the ford 420 The Franks usurp the Roman settlement and recolonize the old part of the town 883 The Normans conquer Duisburg and stay for the winter First historic document mentioning Duisburg Middle Ages Due to the town s favorable geographic position a palatinate was built and the town was soon granted the royal charter of a free city Duisburg became a member of the Hanseatic League Around 1000 the river Rhine moved westward from the city This put an end to the city s development as a trading town and it soon grew into a quiet rural city Mercatorbrunnen Mercator fountain in front of the town hall The productions of cartographer Gerardus Mercator and the foundation of a university in 1655 established the city s renown as Educated Duisburg Duisburgum Doctum Remains of the city wall1120 construction of the city wall 1279 city charter granted by King Lothar III 1290 Duisburg becomes part of the County after 1417 Duchy of Cleves 1445 attack by Archbishop Elector de of Cologne was thwartedDuisburg Corputius plan 1566 1566 Johannes Corputius completes his city map of Duisburg 1666 Duisburg within the Duchy of Cleves becomes a part of Brandenburg PrussiaIndustrial revolution This section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed June 2014 Learn how and when to remove this message Binnenhafen in 1931 The rise of tobacco and textile industries in the 18th century made Duisburg an industrial center Big industrial companies such as iron and steel producing firms Thyssen and Krupp influenced the development of the city within the Prussian Rhine Province Large housing areas near production sites were being built as workers and their families moved in 1823 a district Landkreis Duisburg is established including the cities of Essen and Mulheim an der Ruhr 1824 construction of the sulfuric acid factory Fr W Curtius beginning of the industry age in Duisburg 1828 Franz Haniel builds a dockyard for steamships 1846 railway line to Dusseldorf 1847 railway line via Dortmund to Minden 1873 Duisburg becomes an independent city borough 1904 Birth of the 100 000th resident Ernst R Straube 1921 French Infantry occupy the city on 8 March to secure war reparation payments incurred during World War I 1929 The city of Hamborn and Duisburg are joined together The new city is given the name of Duisburg Hamborn 1935 Duisburg Hamborn is renamed Duisburg 1938 November The Nazis destroy the city s synagogue World War II A major logistical center in the Ruhr and location of chemical steel and iron industries Duisburg was a primary target of Allied bombers As such it is considered by some historians who to be the single most heavily bombed German city by the Allies during World War II with industrial areas and residential blocks targeted by Allied incendiary bombs On the night of 12 13 June 1941 British bombers dropped a total of 445 tons of bombs in and around Duisburg As part of the Battle of the Ruhr another British raid of 577 bombers destroyed the old city between 12 and 13 May 1943 with 1 599 tons of bombs During the bombing raids 96 000 people were made homeless with countless lives lost In 1944 the city was again badly damaged as a total of 2 000 tons of bombs were dropped on 22 May On 14 October the tonnage was repeated with 2 018 tons when Halifax Lancaster and Mosquito bombers appeared over Duisburg as part of Operation Hurricane This daylight raid was followed by a night attack over 24 hours about 9 000 tons of HE and incendiaries had been dropped on Duisburg Numerous similar attacks followed until the end of 1944 The Allied ground advance into Germany reached Duisburg in April 1945 The US 17th Airborne Division acting as regular infantry and not in a parachute role met only scattered resistance in the vicinity and captured the city on 12 April 1945 On 8 May 1945 the ADSEC Engineer Group A led by Col Helmer Swenholt commanding officer of the 332nd Engineer General Service Regiment constructed a railway bridge between Duisburg and Rheinhausen across the Rhine It was 860 meters long and constructed in six days fifteen hours and twenty minutes a record time It was named the Victory Bridge Post World War II period This section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed June 2014 Learn how and when to remove this message Shrinking Duisburg Abandoned buildings in the borough of Beeck A total of 299 bombing raids had almost completely destroyed the historic cityscape 80 of all residential buildings had been destroyed or partly damaged Almost the whole of the city had to be rebuilt and most historic landmarks had been lost Beginning in the mid 1960s the decline of Duisburg s steel and mining industry caused a significant loss of residents While in 1975 approximately 590 000 people were living in Duisburg the number had shrunk to 518 000 in 1985 Duisburg celebrated its 1100th anniversary in 1983 The city s population recovered a little in the following years up to 537 000 in 1992 It declined to 488 000 in 2011 On 19 July 2004 it was hit by a tornado The municipal theater and parts of the city center were damaged The city hosted the 7th World Games in 2005 In 2010 21 people died because of a mass panic at the Love Parade over 500 people were injured DemographicsIn 2010 Duisburg had a population of 489 600 a slight decrease since 2006 Historical populationYearPop 17142 983 18105 195 74 2 187130 533 487 7 190092 729 203 7 1910229 483 147 5 1919244 302 6 5 1925272 252 11 4 1933440 419 61 8 1939434 646 1 3 1950410 783 5 5 1961504 975 22 9 1970454 839 9 9 1975591 635 30 1 1980558 089 5 7 1985518 260 7 1 1990535 447 3 3 2000514 915 3 8 2011487 470 5 3 2016499 845 2 5 2020495 885 0 8 Population size may be affected by changes in administrative divisions source circular reference Duisburg has one of the highest proportions of Muslims in Germany with the city s Muslim population at approximately 15 or 71 000 residents as of 2011 Population structure of non German residents Rank Nationality Population 31 December 2022 1 Turkey 33 7682 Bulgaria 12 1433 Syria 9 4234 Ukraine 9 0685 Romania 8 8536 Poland 5 4237 Italy 3 8058 Serbia 2 4889 Greece 2 38110 Croatia 2 04411 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 94412 North Macedonia 1 48913 Kosovo 1 44514 Netherlands 1 42715 Spain 1 27216 Morocco 1 24917 Malaysia 4Turkish community Duisburg is home to 85 000 people of Turkish origin Other estimates suggest that the Turkish population is as large as 100 000 The neighborhood of Marxloh is a majority Muslim neighborhood with over 54 of residents not having German citizenship as of 2018 Marxloh has experienced significant unemployment poverty and high crime rates The Wall Street Journal has referred to Marxloh as Germany s quintessential Muslim ghetto The new Merkez Mosque one of the largest Muslim places of worship in Western Europe was built with help by the way of contribution of 3 2 million euro from the EU and the state of North Rhine Westphalia Asiye Nur Fettahoglu a Turkish German actress was born in Duisburg on 12 November 1980 TransportWatershed of the RhineDuisburg Port is the city s inland port It is officially regarded as a seaport because seagoing river vessels go to ports in Europe Africa and the Middle East Numerous docks are mostly located at the mouth of the Ruhr where it joins the Rhine Each year more than 40 million tonnes of various goods are handled with more than 20 000 ships calling at the port The public harbour facilities stretch across an area of 7 4 square kilometres 2 9 sq mi There are 21 docks covering an area of 1 8 km2 0 7 sq mi and 40 kilometres 25 miles of wharf The area of the Logport Logistic Center Duisburg stretches across an area of 2 65 km2 1 02 sq mi With 2 5 million TEU it is also the largest inland container port based on 2011 figures A number of companies run their own private docks and 114 million tonnes of goods yearly 2010 are handled in Duisburg in total Roads Duisburg is served by several autobahns with 3 east west routes and 2 north south routes A3 forms a bypass east of the city and mostly serves through traffic A59 runs parallel to A3 and serves the city from north to south with 14 interchanges much more than most other cities in the Ruhr area The A40 and A42 are two east west routes that serve central and northern Duisburg Autobahn A40 also serves major through traffic from the Netherlands to Berlin and points east A short spur A524 serves southern Duisburg Most Autobahns have six lanes or are upgraded to six lanes A59 Apart from the autobahns no Bundesstrassen serve the city directly B8 runs through the city but uses A59 s alignment B288 runs in the extreme south of the city and serves traffic to and from Krefeld Several bridges span the Rhine most prominently the A40 and A42 bridges but also the L287 suspension bridge and the L237 arch bridge a three lane bridge with 2 lanes per peak direction with dynamic lane usage Public transport Duisburg Hauptbahnhof is served by the InterCityExpress and InterCity long distance network of the Deutsche Bahn in addition line S1 of the S Bahn line connects Duisburg with other cities of the Rhine Ruhr area The Duisburg Stadtbahn the Duisburg tramway network and a bus system all operated by the Duisburger Verkehrsgesellschaft provide local services Stadtbahn line U79 the so called D Bahn D Line connects to the neighbouring city of Dusseldorf and is operated jointly with the Rheinbahn of Dusseldorf All S Bahn Stadtbahn and bus lines operate under the umbrella of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein Ruhr MediaThere are several newspapers reporting on local events and politics including the Westdeutsche Allgemeine WAZ the Neue Ruhr Zeitung NRZ and the Rheinische Post RP The local radio station Radio Duisburg was the first local radio broadcaster in the German state of North Rhine Westphalia It started broadcasting in 1990 There is a local television station STUDIO 47 which was the first local station to broadcast in North Rhine Westphalia It started broadcasting in 2006 In its Duisburg studios the WDR produces a local programme for the city of Duisburg and the Lower Rhine region north of Dusseldorf WDR is part of the German television and radio network ARD CultureDuisburg hosts a comprehensive range of cultural facilities and events A highlight is the annual Duisburger Akzente a festival focusing on modern social political and cultural topics Besides Dusseldorf Duisburg is a residence of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein one of the major opera houses in Germany The Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra is one of Germany s orchestras with an international reputation Due to its history as a harbour city and a trade and industrial center Duisburg offers a variety of architectural places of interest such as the German Inland Waterways Museum Buildings vary from old churches such as St Johann Baptist in Duisburg Hamborn which was built in 900 to modern age buildings such as Micro Electronic Centrum in Duisburg Neudorf built in 1995 Another subject of interest is the Landschaftspark Duisburg Nord an abandoned industrial complex open to the public and an Anchor Point of ERIH The European Route of Industrial Heritage The city center contains the Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum the municipal theatre and the shopping street known as the fountain mile The city also contains two botanical gardens the Botanischer Garten Duisburg Hamborn and the Botanischer Garten Kaiserberg as well as a number of municipal parks On 24 July 2010 21 people were killed and hundreds injured in the city during the Love Parade disaster The Love Parade was an electronic dance music festival and technoparade Theater Duisburg venue of the Duisburg Philharmonic St Johann Baptist Abbey Landschaftspark Nord Landscape Park North on a former industrial estate Exiting area at the old inner harbour Botanical Garden KaiserbergSportClub Sport League VenueMSV Duisburg Football 3 Liga MSV ArenaRhein Fire American football European League of Football ELF MSV ArenaFuchse Duisburg Ice hockey Oberliga 3rd District League PreZero RheinlandhalleMSV Duisburg Women s football Women s Bundesliga MSV ArenaDuisburg Dockers Baseball American football Landesliga II 2nd District League SchwelgernstadionAmateur SC Duisburg Water polo Deutsche Wasserball Liga 1st Water Polo League Schwimmstadion and club poolClub Raffelberg Hockey Regionalliga West 3rd Hockey League Kalkweg Duisburg is involved in many kinds of sports Nevertheless most important for its inhabitants is the local football club MSV Duisburg Recently with the new MSV Arena the city received a brand new sports stadium for various kinds of sports such as football and American football During the summer months of 2005 the World Games took place in Duisburg During the 2006 FIFA World Cup Duisburg was the stage for preparation of the Portuguese team and the residence of the Italian football team who won the cup in the final match against France Duisburg is also known for its Rhein Ruhr Marathon its rowing and canoeing regattas and the world championships that take place there regularly Other popular sports are ice hockey basketball American football water polo and field hockey Notable peopleGerardus Mercator 1512 1594 Flemish cartographer inventor of the Mercator projection Ludwig Susen 1807 1863 elementary teacher Wilhelm Lehmbruck 1881 1919 sculptor August Thyssen 1842 1926 industrialist Oswald Pohl 1892 1951 Nazi SS officer executed for war crimes Paul Baumer 1896 1927 World War I flying ace Margot Philips 1902 1988 New Zealand painter Ferdinand Simoneit 1925 2010 journalist and author Luder Luers 1926 2022 German horticultural architect engaged in founding Kindernothilfe Dieter Kurten born 1935 sports journalist Achim Warmbold born 1941 rally driver Daisy Door born 1944 Schlager music singer Hans Werner Gessmann born 1950 psychologist Ronny van Dyke born Jorg T Hartmann in 1956 singer and songwriter Frank Peter Zimmermann born 1965 violinist Christoph Reuter born 1968 musicologist Christian Ehring born 1972 comedian Stefan Gertler born 1972 singer Ramin Djawadi born 1974 German Iranian composer and music producer Nur Fettahoglu born 1980 Turkish German actress Andre Lotterer born 1981 Belgian German racing driver Lance David Arnold born 1986 racing driver Benjamin Leuchter born 1987 racing driver Nikolas Breuckmann born 1988 mathematical physicist Jacob Goll born 1992 ice hockey player Ena Mahmutovic born 2003 footballerTwin towns sister citiesDuisburg is twinned with Portsmouth England UK 1950 Calais France 1964 Wuhan China 1982 Vilnius Lithuania 1985 Gaziantep Turkey 2005 Perm Russia 2007 San Pedro Sula Honduras 2008 Lome Togo 2010 Fort Lauderdale United States 2011 Kryvyi Rih Ukraine 2023 ReferencesOberburgermeisterwahl Stadt Duisburg 24 09 2017 accessed 4 October 2022 Groko im Duisburger Rat Weiter so statt Neuanfang 11 November 2021 Bevolkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein Westfalens am 31 Dezember 2022 Fortschreibung des Bevolkerungsstandes auf Basis des Zensus vom 9 Mai 2011 in German Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW Retrieved 20 June 2023 Cioc Mark 17 November 2009 The Rhine An Eco Biography 18152000 University of Washington Press ISBN 9780295989785 Retrieved 11 December 2016 via Google Books Statistisches Landesamt NRW Archived from the original on 9 February 2008 Duisburg Germany Koppen Climate Classification Weatherbase Weatherbase Retrieved 13 November 2018 DWD Stationen Duisburg Baerl und Tonisvorst jetzt Spitzenreiter mit 41 2 Grad Celsius www dwd de in German 17 December 2020 Retrieved 4 January 2021 Archived from the original on 23 October 2012 Stanton Shelby World War II Order of Battle An Encyclopedic Reference to U S Army Ground Forces from Battalion through Division 1939 1946 revised ed 2006 Stackpole Books p 97 Peacock Jim Peacock Tom Geocities Yahoo Archived from the original on 24 October 2009 Retrieved 5 May 2009 Link Muslime in Deutschland 2011 Landkreise Karte Islam Karte Kartenseite in German 2017 04 05 Retrieved 2023 10 25 PDF Archived from the original PDF on 10 July 2012 Retrieved 26 March 2013 Duisburger Quartalszahlen PDF Retrieved 18 June 2018 50 Jahre Deutsch Turkisches Anwerbeabkommen 50 jahriges Jubilaum zum Anwerbeabkommen der Turkei und der BRD 50jahre wir sind du de in German Retrieved 12 March 2013 Tgrthaber com Archived from the original on 30 March 2012 Retrieved 12 March 2013 Das ist Volkesstimme Thilo Sarrazin in Duisburg Xtranews de 30 November 2010 Retrieved 12 March 2013 Turk Edebiyati Avrupa da On5yirmi5 com Archived from the original on September 8 2012 Retrieved 12 March 2013 German rust belt city of Duisburg gets tough on Arab gangs DW 08 31 2018 dw com Retrieved 2023 10 25 ONLINE RP 2015 12 30 Lokale Polizei braucht oft Hilfe Lage in Nordrhein Westfalens Problemvierteln spitzt sich zu RP ONLINE in German Retrieved 2023 10 25 Crime a battleground for German parties ahead of key vote AP News 2017 05 12 Retrieved 2023 10 25 German president visits no go neighborhood DW 03 13 2018 dw com Retrieved 2023 10 25 Marode Hauser Arbeitslosigkeit wachsender Auslander Anteil Ghetto Report Deutschland bild de in German 2016 04 10 Retrieved 2023 10 25 O Brien Zoie 2016 11 08 German police afraid to go into lawless areas where migrants rule Express co uk Retrieved 2023 10 25 JOURNAL Ian JohnsonStaff Reporter of THE WALL STREET 2005 12 14 In Muslim Ghetto A Turk and German Strive for Change Wall Street Journal ISSN 0099 9660 Retrieved 2023 10 25 Quantara de retrieved 25 July 2008 Nur Fettahoglu Actress IMDb Retrieved 2023 11 27 Fuhrende Logistikdrehscheibe in Zentraleuropa Duisburger Hafen AG Retrieved 11 December 2016 Top 100 Container Ports 2012 4 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine GmbH Duisburg Marketing 38 Duisburger Akzente 2017 Theater Bildende Kunst amp Literatur Retrieved 11 December 2016 Duisburg Nord Landscape Park Landschaftspark de 23 April 2009 Retrieved 5 May 2009 Cynapsis Die Kommunikations Agentur in Munster Lehmbruck cynapsis com Retrieved 5 May 2009 Theater Duisburg Startseite Retrieved 11 December 2016 Connolly Kate 25 July 2010 Love Parade stampede in Germany kills at least 18 latimes com Los Angeles Times Retrieved 25 July 2010 Stadtepartnerschaften duisburg de in German Duisburg Retrieved 12 February 2021 BibliographyExternal linksMedia related to Duisburg at Wikimedia Commons Duisburg travel guide from Wikivoyage Official website in German Visit Duisburg com English Tourist Information by City of Duisburg Gemeindeblatt der Judischen Gemeinde Duisburg 1928 1932 is a digitized periodical at the Leo Baeck Institute New York, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library, article, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games, mobile, phone, android, ios, apple, mobile phone, samsung, iphone, xiomi, xiaomi, redmi, honor, oppo, nokia, sonya, mi, pc, web, computer