Dortmund

Basic data:

Geography:

Dortmund`s city center lies on the border between the northern flat and southern hills, the so-called Westphalian Hellweg. The city is located in the southwest of the Westphalian Bay and on the southern extension of the North German Plain on the border to the German Central Uplands. Dortmund is traversed by the upper reaches of the Emscher River, the city limits are formed in the south, below the Hohensyburg, by the middle reaches of the Ruhr. The city has a city port that flows north into the Dortmund-Ems Canal. The eastern, Westphalian part of the city borders on the Ruhr metropolitan area in the west. The highest point in Dortmund, the Klusenberg, is located in the Syburg district at 254.33 m above sea level. NN, the lowest point is 49.5 m above sea level. NN in the district of Derne.

Climate:

The city lies on the border between the climatic districts of Munster and Sauerland. This is in the transition area between Atlantic-maritime and continental climate, which is characterized by mild winters and relatively cool summers. The average minimum rainfall is 40-50 mm in February, the highest in July with 80-90 mm. Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year, with continuous rain dominating in winter and shorter but heavier rain showers in summer. The coldest month is January at -6 °C, the warmest is August at 35 °C.

City structure:

12 districts: Downtown West, Downtown North, Downtown East, Eving, Scharnhorst,
Brackel, Aplerbeck, Hörde, Hombruch, Lütgendortmund, Huckarde, Mengede

history:

Settlement along the Hellweg already took place in the Bronze Age. Dortmund was first mentioned in a document as "Throtmani" or "Trutmunia" between 880 and 890 AD, and the name "Dortmund" was found in medieval writings. With market rights around 990 CE and 1293 brewing rights, the city developed one of the richest and most important cities in the Hanseatic League, whose merchant families had great influence, even as far as England.

In 1389 Dortmund won the "Great Dortmund Feud" against the Count von der Mark and the Archbishop of Cologne. The Thirty Years` War destroyed half of the city`s residential buildings and also meant the city`s economic ruin. The population of Dortmund fell to 4500 in 1793 and lost its importance. Thanks to the introduction of Bavarian brewing methods around 1845 and the technical advances in heavy industry, Dortmund experienced a sustained economic boom. With the Cologne-Minden railway in 1847, the city became an important transport hub in the Ruhr area. The "Eisen und Stahlwerke OHG Leopold Hoesch" started production in September 1871 and the first shafts of the mines "Minister Stein" (1871), "Westhausen" (1871) and "Gneisenau" (1873) were sunk.

The population of Dortmund grew by 1875 to 57,742. With the construction of the Dortmund Ems Canal (1899) and the port of Dortmund built at the same time, coal and steel could be transported to the North Sea ports. Thus, at the end of the 19th century, the city, which had been independent of a district since 1875, developed into the largest and most important city in the Ruhr area with 142,733 inhabitants. Dortmund was almost completely destroyed in World War II because of its wartime industry. 98% of the inner-city settlement areas lay in ruins. Of the 541,900 inhabitants of Dortmund in 1940, 341 were still alive at the end of the war.000 in the city.

Reconstruction took place quickly and immediately after the end of the war, so that Dortmund had its 500,000th resident as early as 1950. With the construction of the "Florian" television tower, Dortmund received a new landmark in addition to the restored historic churches of the city (Reinoldi, Marien and Propsteikirche). After the collapse of the coal and steel industry (the last three collieries were shut down in the 1980s), the city faced structural change. With the founding of the university in 1968, the new building of the teacher training college and other service facilities, Dortmund changed from an industrial city to a center for services and research.

Further development opportunities are seen in the software industry and in multimedia companies. Dortmund still gives the impression of a city in transition, which is also indicated by employment-oriented settlements such as the area of ??the future "Stadtkrone" Ost or the "dortmund-project", which creates jobs in particular in information technology and electronic commerce (IT industry and E -Commerce) are to be created.

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