DUSSELDORF

Regierungsbezirk (administrative district), west-central North RhineWestphalia Land (state), western Germany. Dsseldorf is bordered by The Netherlands to the west and the Regierungsbezirke of Mnster to the northeast, Arnsberg to the east, and Kln to the south. The district occupies an area of 2,042 square miles (5,288 square km) and consists of the northern portion of the larger historic region of the Rhineland (q.v.). Dsseldorf Regierungsbezirk takes its name from that of the capital city of the Land and administrative seat of the district. Germany's two largest axes of population, aligned north-south along the Rhine River and east-west along the Ruhr River and foothills of the Middle Rhine Highlands, intersect in the district of Dsseldorf. One of Europe's leading industrial regions, the area owes its development to the immense Ruhr bituminous coalfield, which is situated largely between the Ruhr and Lippe rivers and extends west of the Rhine and east into Mnster and Arnsberg. A dense network of roads, railroads, and inland waterways serves the Rhine-Ruhr industrial complex, which is centred primarily on iron and steel processing, chemical manufacturing, and engineering. Dsseldorf is the most densely populated Regierungsbezirk in Germany. Three cities in the Ruhr complex of DsseldorfEssen, the largest city in North RhineWestphalia, Dsseldorf, and Duisburghave populations of more than 500,000. Essen's highly diversified industries produce iron and steel, machinery, chemicals, glass, electrical equipment, and consumer goods. The city of Dsseldorf produces iron and steel and is a banking and administrative centre. Duisburg, located at the confluence of the Rhine and Ruhr rivers, is the largest inland port in Europe and produces iron and steel, machinery, chemicals, and textiles. The northern extent of Bergisches Land, an area that was once the county and duchy of Berg, lies southeast of the Rhine-Ruhr intersection. This region's economy is largely dependent on the Ruhr coalfield. Light forms of iron and steel processing constitute its major economic activity. Products are generally of the highly finished variety, such as cutlery from Solingen, hand tools from Remscheid, and locks and keys from Velbert. Wuppertal is the chief city of Bergisches Land and is an important textile centre specializing in the manufacture of synthetic fibres. The Lower Rhinelands border the Rhine-Ruhr complex to the west and north. Market gardens cultivated on the Rhine plain near the city of Dsseldorf supply fresh fruits and vegetables to the Regierungsbezirk's large urban centres. South of Dsseldorf, fertile loess-covered plains support large crops of wheat and sugar beets. North and west of Dsseldorf are less densely populated plains in which dairy farming and food processing are the primary sources of income, though the cities of Mnchengladbach and Krefeld are important textile centres. The majority of the population of Dsseldorf Regierungsbezirk are descendants of the Rheinfranken (Rhineland Franks) and speak a Lower Franconian dialect. Cultural identity in the urban areas, however, has dissipated as a result of heavy immigration from a variety of foreign areas, including eastern Europe, the eastern Mediterranean, and The Netherlands. Roman Catholics and Protestants are about equally represented in the district. Higher education in the district is centred at universities in Essen, Dsseldorf, Wuppertal, and Duisburg. Pop. (1989 est.) 5,108,646. city, capital (1946) of North Rhine-Westphalia Land (state), western Germany. It lies mainly on the right bank of the Rhine, 21 miles (34 km) northwest of Cologne. It is the administrative and cultural centre of the industrial Rhine-Ruhr area. First mentioned in 1159, Dsseldorf (Village on the Dssel, a small tributary of the Rhine) was chartered in 1288 by the count of Berg and was the capital of the duchies of Berg and Jlich from 1511 until it passed to the Palatinate-Neuberg line in 1609. Although the town suffered considerably in the Thirty Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession, it revived under the elector palatine Johann Wilhelm II (Jan Wellem). After being the capital of the short-lived Napoleonic grand duchy of Berg (180513), the town passed to Prussia in 1815. Rapid commercial and economic growth followed the establishment of iron and steel industries in the 1870s. After the widespread devastation suffered during World War II, many of the city's old buildings were repaired and many new buildings erected. Dsseldorf's moated and tree-lined shopping street called the Knigsallee is well known. Notable landmarks in the city include the 13th14th-century St. Lambertuskirche, whose crooked tower has become the town symbol, and the old town hall (156788). Of the castle of the electors palatine, burned in 1872, only the tower survives. Other reminders of Dsseldorf's illustrious past include Jgerhof Castle (175263), which houses the town historical collection; Benrath Castle (175573), built by Nicolas de Pigage; and the remains of the palace of Frederick I Barbarossa. In the nearby Neanderthal valley is the Feldhofer Cave, where the remains of Neanderthal man were first discovered in 1856. Dsseldorf claims the first German skyscraper, the Wilhelm-Marx-Haus (1924). Among the city's numerous cultural institutions, the museum of ceramics, the Land museum, and the city library (housing a collection of works by and about a native son, the poet Heinrich Heine) are particularly notable. The University of Dsseldorf was founded in 1965; there is also an academy of art (founded 1767), a conservatory, and several technical institutes. Dsseldorf has three harbours on the Rhine and one of the nation's busiest civil airfields, at Lohausen. The city is a banking and wholesale centre and is the administrative seat of many of the Ruhr's businesses. Its chief industry is iron and steel. Other products include chemicals, glass, and textiles. Pop. (1989 est.) 569,641.