Cities in the Vicinity.
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If planning to explore, drop by elsewhere for some shopping or just to gather new impressions, even if only a short period of time, visting one of the other larger places nearby can form a great excursion.
Whether travelling by car or by train, this is a great starting point to discover the Ruhr Area, Germany’s most densely populated urban area and a Mecca for city lovers and the cities of Cologne and Bonn.
Dusseldorf - Dusseldorf is Germany at its finest. Offering a unique blend of conspicuous consumption and beer-drinking bonhomie, Dusseldorf combines world-class shopping and cultural attractions with the down-to-earth charms of the Rhineland. The city has a thriving economy, a relatively low unemployment rate, excellent infrastructure and friendly people. The capital of the state, this city of about 600,000 doubles as Germany’s fashion capital, as well as playing host to major corporations and first-rate trade fairs. Cosmopolitan, fun loving and unabashedly chic, Düsseldorf delivers big city life on a human scale.
Duisburg - Just twenty minutes North lies Duisburg. Not a particularly beautiful city, but the Western boundary of the Ruhr Area and with almost half a million inhabitants not a small city. Since 2005 a major regeneration program for the city centre was started. General improvements of the city’s streetscape have already been achieved and the main shopping street, the Königstrasse has been extensively rebuilt and upgraded. The pubs and bars near the Duisburg harbour are the best places to spend your time.
Essen - Only twenty minutes further eastwards of Duisburg and perhaps thirty minutes north-east of Rhine County Neuss, one arrives in Essen, the core city of the Ruhr Area and European Capital of Culture in 2010. Essen was the powerhouse of German heavy Industry and has managed the economic change from the industrial sector to the service sector. The city still belongs to one of the biggest in Germany and has gained a reputation for its excellent shopping facilities. Not many historical buildings stand today but the Essen Abbey and the Synagogue are remarkable locations in the city centre.
Dortmund - Passing twenty-five kilometres further East from Essen and arriving in Westphalia, one comes to Dortmund. This eastern boundary of the Ruhr Area is a place to visit some medieval churches and the home of Borussia Dortmund, one of Germany’s most famous football clubs. The city grew dramatically during the industrial boom of coal and steel but never lost its small town charms.
Bochum - Between Essen and Dortmund, there’s Bochum, a medium-sized city that hosts the German Mining Museum, which is a rather fascinating museum about the region’s industrial past.
Cologne - For a more big city feeling, head south. Cologne, Germany’s fourth largest city after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, is just forty kilometres away. Its most famous landmark is without doubt the skyline-dominating Cathedral. The Cologne Cathedral houses the relicts of the Three Magi and became a World Heritage site in 1996. Other sights are the twelve Romanesque churches, the Roman-Germanic Museum and the Chocolate Museum. Cologne is called Germany’s Capital of Media due to the many media companies that are based here. Its great nightlife and tolerance are another reason to drop by.
Bonn - Not far from Cologne one can find Bonn, the former capital of West Germany. After the government’s move to Berlin the city of Bonn became somewhat quieter but the picturesque city centre and the Museum of the history of the Federal Republic of Germany are still attracting thousands of visitors. The international flair of the city’s past is still alive. Many international companies still have their German headquarters in the Federal City, as it is nicknamed today. A cosmopolitan atmosphere and the impressions of a prosperous and clean German city are omnipresent.
