Altstadt

The 'Altstadt' or old town, located between the Rhine and Heinrich-Heine-Allee, is the heart of Düsseldorf. This pedestrian zone is said to be the 'longest bar in the world' and most of the city's out- and indoor-events take place here, i.e. the Düsseldorfer Altstadt-Herbst, an end-of-summer festival.

The Altstadt attracts both tourists and locals thanks to its beautiful location on the banks of the Rhine. You can find food from all over the world, local and international drinks, trendy and traditional pubs, bars and 'Ballermann' (referring to the German pubs in Mallorca).

Pubs, haute cuisine, snack bars and shops are all packed into this part of the city. Take the U-Bahn or a taxi to Heinrich-Heine-Allee (finding a parking place costs nerves and plenty of money - and cars don't just get clamped, they get towed away!) and dive into the crowd. If the weather is nice, go for a stroll along the Rheinuferpromenade, where you'll have a beautiful view of the houses of Oberkassel, across the river. You can join the sporty crowd by renting a pair of inline skates from the G@rden Internet cafe, or simply sit down on one of the benches and relax.

A few sights you shouldn't miss in the 'Altstadt' are the 'Schlossturm' tower at Burgplatz and the Stadterhebungsdenkmal, which documents the history of the city, and the statue of Jan-Wellem-Reiterdenkmal on horseback at the Rathausplatz. Touring and sightseeing boats leave for Kaiserswerth, Köln, Bonn and other places from the river promenade.

It's worth exploring around the Stadtmuseum up to the Bilker- and Hohe Straße, with beautiful cobbled streets lined with 18th-century patrician houses, exquisite antique shops, galleries, restaurants and pubs. At the end of the Bilker Straße you will find Bert Gerresheim's Heinrich Heine monument. Heine was a poet, best known for his lyrics to the famous Loreley song.

Hafen

Follow the Rheinuferpromenade past the 234 metre-high Rheinturm telecom tower, and you'll find yourself at the harbour. This area has changed in appearance a few times over the last century. Many parts of the once active harbour were closed in 1976. Others were simply abandoned.

The Landtag brought new prestige to this area in 1988. About ten years of construction have made the harbour the most modern and trendy area of the city. In the early 1990s a tunnel was built to keep the traffic out of the city centre. The regional broadcaster WDR finished its light-blue building in 1991. In 1998 the Stadttor, a glass-column gate to the city, opened its doors. The unusual buildings directly at the shore, one white, one red, one silvery, were finished last year. The architect: is Frank O. Gehry, who also built the Guggenheim museum in Barcelona. The area is becoming a central location for media firms, broadcasters and production companies.

Many new bars and stylish restaurants have joined the so-called 'media-mile' and the first club, the mk-2, opened recently. In a few years time the opposite stretch of land will have been modernised.

Bilk

Bilk is the students' part of town. This is mainly due to its location directly between the town and the university campus, as well as the public transportation hub at Bilk S-Bahnhof. There are many little shops in this area, including a few second-hand bookshops.

Königsallee/Hofgarten

You can't leave Düsseldorf without having done some window-shopping along the Königsallee. It's one of the things people will ask you back at home: Did you see the 'Kö'? Every reputable designer label can be found here somewhere.

If you're interested in architecture you should have a look at the listed Thyssen-Haus, the slender, three-layered house next to the white, piano-shaped Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus. It's best viewed when strolling through the Hofgarten (just walk to the end of the Kö - direction of the Rhine - and then through the tunnel). If you walk on, you will see the Theatermuseum and the Jägerhof, which houses the Goethe-collection.

Oberkassel

Watching the sun go down behind the beautiful facade of Oberkassel is a favourite pass-time for many Düsseldorfers.

After sunset you can walk to the Oberkasseler Bridge, get into the tram, get out at the other side of the Rhine and walk along the banks - you may even come across a flock of sheep - or go window-shopping along the Luegallee.

Kaiserswerth

Kaiserswerth is a beautiful historic site, and wasn't actually part of Düsseldorf until 1929. It is reachable by tram or car, and functions as a recreation area for the city folk. Go for a walk by the ruins of the castle along the Rhine, have a break at one of the beer gardens or market cafes, or treat yourself to a three-star meal by Jean-Claude Bourgueil.

Benrath

Benrath - about 10 kilometres from the city centre - is home to a beautiful 18th century palace, complete with pond and gardens. Once the residence of Theodor zu Pfalz, it was designed by Nicolas de Pigage.

TOUR 1: BRAUHAUS TOUR

Do you love beer? Real beer? Dark, top-fermented Alt-beer? Then you've chosen the right city! Brewing has a long tradition here, and the Altstadt is full of pubs that serve locally brewed beer.

You won't find trendy, modern design in these places. Though you will find guys in blue aprons with a leather belt-purse, who will serve you in a competent but rather abrupt manner. And you can order dishes like Schweinshaxe, (grilled leg of pork) or local specialties such as Halwe Hahn, a rye roll with a strong hard cheese, caraway and mustard.

Does that whet your appetite? Then take a taxi or the U-Bahn to Heinrich-Heine-Allee/Altstadt, this is where the pedestrian zone starts, and head for the Bolker Straße. Everything happens outside if the weather is nice. Each pub will have tables out all summer. On your right you'll find Im Goldenen Kessel, serving Schumacher Alt. It's rather quiet compared to the other breweries - just the pub and beer to get you into the right mood for the night.

Next, make your way to Zum Schlüssel. Gatzweiler Alt is the beer to drink here, and there's a great choice of food. Take the opportunity to prepare your stomach for the beer to come. Turn left when you come out of Zum Schlüssel, and follow the street up to the Rathausplatz, the big square with a statue of Jan Wellem on horseback - he formed the brewers' guild in 1712.

Zum Uerige is probably packed by this time. If it's dry there will be hoards of people just outside the pub, enjoying their beer on the street. The great thing about breweries is that they are a meeting place for all walks of life, which certainly cannot be said for all the bars in Düsseldorf. People here are usually very friendly and are likely to start a conversation with you in broken English or just offer you a drink.

After all this German brewery experience you might want to have a 'good night'-schnapps at the Killepitsch, just opposite the Uerige. However if you still feel like more beer, laughter and crowds, you will have to head for Im Füchschen, on Ratinger Straße - the ultimate German beer bar experience! (walk along the promenade, past the Stadterhebungsdenkmal and shortly afterwards turn right into a cobbled street called the 'Altestadt')



TOUR 2: KAISERSWERTH

Kaiserswerth was actually once an island - werth translates as river-island. As early as the 11th century, a Kaiserpfalz, or monarch's residence, was found here. Today only ruins remind you of the first and successive buildings, one of which was ordered by Barbarossa in the 12th century. The castle was blown up in 1702. Kaiserswerth, however, now prides itself on its charming atmosphere, created by gaslights, cobbled streets and beautifully restored houses.

Take the U 79 to Klemensplatz, walk down the Kaiserswerther Markt, and then turn right into An dem hohen Wall. At the end of this alley you'll find a school, which houses the 'Heimatmuseum', the museum of the town's history. Here you will learn everything about the history, politics and society of Kaiserswerth - Florence Nightingale even once lived here.

Go straight on when leaving the school, and you'll pass the church where Theodor Fliedner, the founder of the Diakonissenwerk, an early social welfare organisation, gave his sermons. If you turn left you'll be on the main square called 'Kaiserswerther Markt', where you can have a rest in one of the cafes. The buildings that surround the market are worth a look, too. There is an old customs house, a former weaving mill and what was the main office of the Diakonissenwerk.

If you cross the market towards the Rhine and turn left into Dauzenbergstraße you'll see the church St. Suitbertus, situated in the middle of a 17/18th century-square. Leave the square heading towards the Rhine and turn left, and you'll see the remains of the castle. Go for a stroll along the Rhine, or just watch the black freight boats struggle against the river current.

If you prefer a romantic stroll through a tree-lined alley, turn in to Barbarossa Wall just across from the Im Ritter pub. If you get tired of this side of the Rhine you can always swap shores - a ferry runs till late. And if you don't feel like walking there are all kinds of restaurants at Kaiserswerth. The Burghof and Im Ritter both offer beer gardens, and if you want to treat yourself to some exquisite food, there's three-star haute cuisine at Im Schiffchen.

TOUR 3: ARCHITECTURE

It is not only the 'Stadttor' or the Gehry-buildings in Düsseldorf that are of interest for fans of modern architecture. The three-layered Thyssen building from the 1950s, the white piano-shaped theatre from the 1970s, and numerous exhibitions about design have been attracting visitors for quite some time.

And who would ever guess that in the 1980s the Carsch-House was moved - actually dismantled then rebuilt 23 metres away to make room for the U-Bahn? Or that the Oberkasseler Bridge was built 50 metres away from its current position, and later moved!

The tour begins with a view of that bridge from the Rhine promenade, facing the Rheinturm television tower. The first stop is the Landtag, the regional parliament building (Düsseldorf is the capital of the federal state of North-Rhine-Westphalia), which was finished in 1988. Rising before you is the Rheinturm, 234 metres high, with a pricey restaurant at 180 metres, offering a magnificent view of the city and the surrounding towns on clear days.

Leave the tower to your right, pass guards' house and walk up the artificial hill toward the glass-column that is the Stadttor. It's an office building, so it's open during the day. Don't hesitate to have a look inside - it's breathtaking! There's a little path left of the building, which leads to the back entrance. Walk down the driveway. The light-blue building that you see is WDR (West German Broadcasting), which was finished in 1991. Look left and you'll see three strangely angled buildings: the Gehry-Buildings.

Frank O. Gehry was born in Canada in 1929. He also designed the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao and, recently, 162 welfare flats in Frankfurt Goldstein, proving that welfare housing doesn't have to be dull! Food and drink are available on the opposite side.

If you walk on there's the so-called 'media-mile', with more examples of modern architecture. Don't be too shy to steal a glance of the interiors - they're splendid. After the first complex there's a spot that overlooks the whole harbour area and the city.

PUBS, BARS AND CAFÉS

If you would like to try Altbier Düsseldorf has a lot of places to offer, particulary in the Altstadt! Beer fans who would like to sample local brews in a classic German pub setting should head for Zum Uerige, Im Goldenen Kessel and Im Füchschen. Other traditional pubs are Weinhaus Tante Anna, Zum Csikosz and the oldest of all, En De Canon.

You can find a modern, cool atmosphere in Op de Eck at Grabbeplatz or in many of the cafes along the Rhine. If you want to check your e-mail, hit the G@rden internet cafe, with great lattes.

If you crave a cosy cafe au lait during the day or a sociable evening out, there are many pleasant bars on Ratinger Straße, including Zum Goldenen Einhorn, Ohme Jupp, Zur Uel or Schlonz. On a warm summer night this street becomes a giant outdoor pub.

If you prefer sitting and enjoying the view, Burgplatz and the Rhine promenade are the best places - Goldener Ring has a nice beer garden and all of the cafes along the Rhine have great views of the river. But real river-lovers should aim for Rheintreue or Koller's Kahn, both are on boats on the Rhine, found just past the Oberkasseler Bridge.

If, after a long, exhausting day you fancy warm, literary surroundings, have a rest at Schnabelewobski, the house where Heinrich Heine, the famous Loreley-poet, was born. Or drown your ears in rock music at the Weißer Bär right nearby.

THEATER, COMEDY, MUSIC AND DANCE

Culturally, Düsseldorf has plenty to offer: There's theater at the Schauspielhaus, opera and ballet at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, classical music at the Tonhalle, variety at the JUTA, political cabaret at the Kommödchen, boulevard theater at the Komödie, modern dance at the Tanzhaus NRW and ambitious puppet-theatre at the Düsseldorfer Marionettentheater. The Apollo Variete beneath the Rheinknie-bridge is run by Roncalli, the famous circus.

CINEMA

A bit of Cinema Paradiso atmosphere can be found at Cinema, Bambi, Metropol, Lichtburg, Black Box or Souterrain, also called Muggel. Not only do most of these cinemas have an old-fashioned decor, they show classic films, too. The big UFA Cineplexes at the main station and the harbour offer mainstream Hollywood films dubbed in German. If you want to see a film in the original language, look out for ones listed as OmU (original with German subtitles)

LIVE MUSIC

Live jazz can be found at Dr. Jazz and at the Jazzschmiede. Buck Mulligans offers folk. Do you love 'old blue eyes'? Then catch the German Sinatra, live on stage at Frontpage. At Em Pöötzke the jazz band will play that tune for a 'Heiermann' - Düsseldorf slang for a five Mark coin.

The Phillipshalle hosts concerts by big names like Bryan Ferry or Lou Reed. The Zakk is a club venue for smaller concerts, often by local bands.

To find your way around you can get a map at the tourist info across from the main station (Hauptbahnhof), tickets can also be purchased at Heinersdorff, or just find a trendy-looking cafe or bar and pick up one of the free city-guides 'Biograph' or 'Coolibri' to find out what's on.

CLUBS

If you want to go dancing there is the chic Mauer, Poco Loco (young crowd, often Spanish nights), Unique-Club (modern & alternative), Baby Love (more a bar than a club - so a bit cramped), Anacaonda Electric Lounge (techno & electro), Ratinger Hof (mostly rave) and Kulisse (fourty-somethings and German 'Schlager'-pop).

Dusseldorf's trendy professionals go to the brilliantly designed Banker's Boulevard (but don't forget your credit card). Checker's is where Claudia Schiffer was 'discovered' and Sam's, is another club close to Königsallee. The mk-2 club is a must for media types and design fans.

Tor 3 and the Stahlwerk are in an industrial area outside the center of town, and the ZAKK offers various theme discos, also for the over-thirties.

Foto: Ulrich Otte, Werbe- und Wirtschaftsförderungsamt Düsseldorf

The regional capital of Nordrhein-Westfalia is a lively metropolis brimming with culture, media, shopping, fairs, and service industries. It is a city befitting of the 21st century. The gastronomic choice here is as diverse as the international character of its visitors. Whether you are after local specialities like Düsseldorf pork ribs in mustard sauce or scrumptious Oriental dishes, be it Sushi or Peking duck, or even light Mediterranean snacks, your desires are sure to be satisfied.

If this is your first time in Düsseldorf, make sure you pay a visit to one of the breweries or traditional taverns. These are concentrated in a narrow area of the Old Town, which forms the nerve centre of the city. Particularly recommended are Im Füchschen, Zum Uerige, En de Canon, and Zum Schiffchen. Locals and visitors wallow in a typical Rhineland ambience as they sit cosily by the wooden tables or stand at the counter chatting and sipping their dark, aromatic Altbier, a top fermented brew from Düsseldorf, while they wait for the blue-frocked Köbesse (waitresses) to serve hearty regional food. Even if you have a good command of High German, you may well have problems understanding the menu. The 'Halve Hahn', for example, has nothing to do with chicken (as the name might suggest); it is in fact a portion of cheese studded with caraway seeds and served on a piece of dark rye bread. This speciality comes from the Harz mountains. 'Ähzezupp' denotes a thick, creamy pea soup, while 'Flönz mit Ölk' is a blood sausage made of freshly slaughtered meat served with onions. If you feel uneasy about any of these options, a visit to the Köbes should reassure you. The austere charm of this beer cellar can be off-putting to the uninitiated, but the waiters will be more than glad to serve you the nifty little beer which this establishment takes its name from—unless, of course, you make the faux pas of ordering a Kölsch (Colognes best-known lager). For, ever since the Battle of Worringen (1288), the two rival communities have held chauvinistic and contemptuous attitudes towards one another.

During the winter months, the Rhinelander takes to large plates of mussels in onion sauce to warm up. The traditional Benders Marie is the city's oldest mussel restaurant and boasts twenty different ways of preparing them. In recent years, a younger generation of cooks has experimented with mixing traditional local dishes with international influences. The tasty result has been dubbed 'neudeutsch' (neo-German), and fine examples of this phenomenon can be found at Hecker or Flachskamm. A gem of Mediterranean fish cuisine is La Bouillabaisse. Marmoud Marnoui, the owner of this restaurant, has cooked his way into the hearts of Düsseldorfers with his imaginative scaled fish dishes. You can, of course, also get fish from the Rhine in its original state, namely raw in the form of sushi. Düsseldorf's restaurant scene benefits greatly from the city's large Japanese community. Authentically prepared Japanese specialities in varying price ranges can be had all over Düsseldorf. (Fai Sushi, Kikaku, Ohno-Ja, Nippon-Kan and Edo) are just some of the notable examples. But Japan's neighbours also have their culinary representatives here, including Thailand (Baan Thai), China (Peking Enten Haus) and Korea (Seoul, Shilla).

If your finances are well heeled, try one of the city's prestigious and accordingly pricey gourmet establishments. Star chef Jean-Claude Bourgeuil (Im Schiffchen, Aalschocker) has delighted even the most critical gastronomes over the years with his culinary creations. Other legendary chefs include Peter Nöthel (Hummerstübchen), Günther Scherrer (Victorian), Ingo Köthschneider (Canonicus), Guy de Vries (Himmel und Erde) and Thomas Wilden (Thomas). Mediterranean specialities offer a more affordable means of quenching your hunger. Unfussy Portugese food is available from Luso, tapas from La Copa or Las Tapas, and tasty Italian classics at unbeatably low prices from Casa Luigi or Osteria Terracotta.

Or perhaps you have a soft spot for Lebanese Meze? In that case, Libanon Restaurantis your best bet. This opulent levantine establishment has become one of city's most popular gastronomic destinations. The Indian subcontinent is also well represented, with aromatic and spicy tandoori dishes and other delicacies on offer at Tandoori and Chanakya.

Should you still be undecided at this stage, here are a couple of final tips: authentic African cuisine is served at Okra; traditional French sit-down meals at Robert´s Bistro, and US-style fastfood atState Side. Enjoy your meal!

Düsseldorf's development from an insignificant farming settlement on the banks of the Düssel into a lively cosmopolitan metropolis bursting with culture, fashion, media, and shopping is an outstanding success story.

At the time when Roman civilisation was making itself felt through the rapid construction of roads and buildings, only a few Germanic tribes stubbornly clung on to their marshy territory on the other side of the Rhine, where the city was later to spring up. In the Frankish period of the 7th and 8th centuries, the odd farming or fishing settlement could be found at the point where the small river Düssel flows into the Rhine. The first written mention of the town dates back to 1135. Under Kaiser Friedrich Barbarossa the little town of Kaiserswerth, lying at the northern edge of Düsseldorf, became a well fortified outpost of the Empire. From the Palace of Barbarossa, a heavily fortified castle built between 1174 and 1184, soldiers kept a watchful eye on every movement over the Rhine. Kaiserswerth was made into an official district of Düsseldorf in 1929.

August 14th, 1288 is an important date in the annals of Düsseldorf. On this day the sovereign, Count Adolf V von Berg, granted the village on the banks of the Düssel the right to call itself a city. Prior to that a bloody power struggle between the powerful Archbishop of Cologne and the Berg nobility had taken place, culminating in the battle of Worringen. Enemy forces wiped out the army of Cologne on 5 June 1288 and dashed the Archbishop's ambitions. The Stadterhebungsmonument (monument celebrating Düsseldorf's elevation to city status) on the Burgplatz serves as a reminder of this epic event.

A market square subsequently sprang up right on the banks of the Rhine over an area of land no larger than four hectares. This square was protected by city walls on each side. In 1380 Düsseldorf was named regional capital of the Duchy of Berg. Building works proceeded at a fast pace. The collegiate church of St. Lambertus dates back to this period of rapid expansion. The pace of development accelerated further when Duke Wilhelm consolidated the status of the youthful capital (which then presided over the Duchies of Jülich, Kleve and Berg as well as the Earldoms of Mark and Ravensburg) by building an imposing castle in the 16th century. The excellently preserved town hall was built in 1573 in the style of the Lower Rhine Renaissance.

Düsseldorf's growth was rampant under the new Pfalz-Neuburger Regent. Elector Johann Wilhelm II, affectionately known to his people as Jan Wellem, was particularly notable for his services to the city. This old rake and art lover married a Medici daughter and designed a vast gallery with an astonishing selection of paintings and sculptures, even by contemporary standards (including works by Rubens and Rembrandt). This gallery is housed in the Stadtschloss. Jan Wellem also did much for the growth of Düsseldorf's trade and infrastructure.

After the death of the childless Jan Wellem, however, the hitherto flourishing royal capital saw a reversal of its fortunes. Under his successors, who tended to avoid living in the city itself, Elector Carl Theodor (1742-1799) eventually decided to move his court to Munich for good; Düsseldorf lost its former dynamism. The Seven-Year War and the Napoleonic Wars (during which the city was occupied and the fort razed to the ground) sowed destruction and poverty. Even Prussia's acquisition of Düsseldorf at the Vienna Congress of 1815 failed to arrest the decline. Nevertheless, Düsseldorf's decay into a provincial backwater was in some ways a blessing in disguise. The razing of the fort had endowed the city with a large amount of unused space. The architect Maximilian Weyhe designed the expansive Hofgarten, a splendid landscaped garden in English style. He also designed the adjacent Königsallee, a magnificent boulevard which runs parallel to the river Düssel. In the early 19th century, at the Kunstakademie, Wilhelm von Schadow presided over the development of the Düsseldorf School, whose paintings soon gained a worldwide reputation. Eminent figures like Goethe and Diderot frequented the Malkasten, which was the seat of this group of artists.

By the mid-19th century the Industrial Revolution had left an indelible mark on the city's infrastructure and propelled its population statistics to new records: in 1882 Düsseldorf had over 100,000 inhabitants, and this figure doubled by 1892. Düsseldorf was becoming a large modern city. Two bridges, the Hammer and the Oberkasseler Brücke, were key in furthering the city's growth on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gründerjahre (founder years) brought a new dynamism and sense of excitement as the city developed into an industrial and administrative metropolis.

However, the First World War and the Great Depression provided a sobering check to this new-found optimism. The Nazi period plunged Düsseldorf into a catastrophe. During World War 2 the city was transformed into a heap of rubble. Round-the-clock air attacks and a seven week-long bombardment in the spring of 1945 destroyed about half of the residential and industrial areas, claiming many civilian casualties in the process. 370,000 civilians were left in this desert of ruins by the end of the War (as compared with 540,000 in 1939). The Jewish community was decimated through deportation and murder (only 249 survived out of a pre-War population of 5,100). The Mahn- und Gedenkstätte für die Opfer des Nationalsozialismus (Memorial to the Victims of National Socialism), located on Mühlenstraße, provides a grizzly account of the darkest chapter in Düsseldorf's history.

The British occupation of the Rhineland and Westfalia turned out to be a piece of good luck for the city. In 1946 the British named Düsseldorf capital of the newly created county of Nordrhein-Westfalia. The city's reconstruction proceeded at breakneck pace. The economic miracle transformed Düsseldorf into a metropolis of trade, administration and service industries, thereby giving it a new lease of life which nobody could have dreamed of in 1945. New buildings spring up everywhere, and international companies set up their businesses here. The ongoing success of the Messe (trade fair) and the continuing attraction of Düsseldorf to international companies makes for a high standard of living and a cosmopolitan feel. Although Düsseldorf's population of 570,000 (another 200,000 live in the commuter belt) certainly does not make it a metropolis of the size of, say, Hamburg or Munich, the range of possibilities in terms of culture, shopping, dining and nightlife can match anything offered by bigger cities, without the accompanying drawbacks. Come and see for yourself!