Living in North-Rhine-Westphalia

State of metropolises

The most large German cities are located in the most populous and most populated state. The former name of North-Rhine-Westphalia was ‘country of coal and steel’. There are situated many companies, like the Bayer AG, the Deutsche Telekom and the thyssenkrupp AG. Therefore NRW is one of the most important economical regions worldwide. A substantial economical factor is the confectionery industry: gummi bears, chocolate, candies and gingerbread – all these treats are produced in the western state. The landscape is diverse: there are mountains to go hiking or skiing and lowlands for arable farming or to stretch one’s legs. In no other German state the football mania is bigger than in NRW. Many football clubs of the state play in the Bundesliga. Many of them are very successful, like Borussia Dortmund, the 1. FC. Köln or FC Schalke 04.

The state capital Dusseldorf

The former name of this city was ‘small town near the river Düssel’. Today Dusseldorf has become a large and noble city. The metropolis is one of the most livable cities worldwide. This fact was established by the consulting firm ‘Mercer’ and the ‘Monocle Magazine’ in their annual city ranking. Düsseldorf is the location of many different industries, for example in following fields: automotive engineering, fashion, cosmetics, metal industry or in the financial markets. Dusseldorf is popular for its beautiful historic city and the luxury shopping street ‘Kö’ (Königsallee). The town’s landmark is the 240 meters high Rhine Tower. An architectural specialty are the buildings of the designer Gehry – contorted, leaning and impressive.

Other popular cities in North-Rhine-Westphalia

Bielefeld

Inhabitants and tourists are feeling good in the fair trade city. Over 200 of Bielefeld’s shops, cafés or organizations sell fair trade products. Therefore the town was honored. Bielefeld offers interesting attractions for example a weekly market that takes place in the evening, the big museum ‘Dr. Oetker Welt’ and a huge botanical garden. It’s understandable that the rental prices are increasing.

Dortmund

The large economical city in the Ruhr area was destroyed totally by the time of the Second World War. Thus the city scape is known for the architectural style of the 1950s. Dortmund is very popular with young people. Interesting restaurants, cool pubs and nice cafés are located everywhere in the city.

Köln

The most populated city in NRW is world-famous for the Cologne carnival. The headquarters of WDR, of Deutschlandfunk and of the RTL Group are situated in Cologne. The city is also famous for its beer ‘Kölsch’, the significant dome and the Cologne language. There is a popular section in the Basic Law of Cologne that reflects the relaxed lifestyle of the inhabitants of Cologne: ‘Et hätt noch emmer joot jejange’ (always it has worked out fine).

Small towns in Nordrhein-Westfalen