DORTMUND
General
Information
History I
Sightseeing I
Practical I Hotels in Dortmund
The city of Dortmund ( 615.000
inhabitants ) marks the east end of
the Ruhr Region, the former home of German steel and coal industry which
gave way to services and high-tech industries. Many of the
heavy-industry sites have been converted into tourist attractions
including technical heritage museums. Dortmund is traditionally known
for beer and football, the 'Westfalenstadion' being a place of football
fans' pilgrimage. Dortmund's 'Westfalenhalle' accommodates up to 10.000
visitors for events and performances from concerts to 'six-day bicycle
race' and ice shows, and the ample pedestrian precincts in the city
centre attract shoppers even from distant places.
In Germany, only the cities of
Ratisbonne and Cologne have more medieval
churches than Dortmund. Already in 999 the city received the
right to organize a market and in 1293 the right to
brew beer. Even today, Dortmund is the
largest beer-producing city in Germany, including Munich. The Brewery
Museum bears witness to this very important trade of the city.
