museum
Zollverein Coal Mine
A Bauhaus-styled colliery and UNESCO icon of the Ruhr, now a striking park of red walkways, museums and a winter ice rink.
20 km · about 25 min drive
EuropeGermanyNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Duisburg
North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany · Europe
About Duisburg
Duisburg is worth a stop: 5 minutes from Meiderich, 56km from Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom).
Duisburg is in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with about 500,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Meiderich, about 4 km away.
Duisburg (German: [ˈdyːsbʊʁk] ; Low German: Duisborg [ˈdʏsbɔɐ̯χ]) is a major city in western Germany, located in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. With around half a million inhabitants, it is one of the largest cities in the Ruhr area and part of the larger Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region, one of the biggestRead more
population centers in Europe. Duisburg is situated at the confluence of the Ruhr and the Rhine, a geographic position that has historically made it an important center of trade, industry, and transportation. Administratively, Duisburg forms an independent city (kreisfreie Stadt).
The city is known for hosting Europe's largest inland port, the Port of Duisburg, which plays a key role in European logistics and international trade. The port's facilities are directly linked to major motorways, rail networks, and the Rhine waterway, connecting Duisburg to the North Sea and beyond. Today, Duisburg is a hub for the steel, chemical, and logistics industries, and it has also become an important node in trade relations with China, being a key terminus for freight trains on the Chongqing–Xinjiang–Europe railway.
Historically, Duisburg traces its origins back to a Frankish settlement and was first documented in the 9th century. During the Middle Ages, it developed as a trading town on the Rhine and briefly served as a member of the Hanseatic League. Although the city lost importance after the silting of its old Rhine port in the late medieval period, it gained renewed significance with the rise of heavy industry in the 19th century. The expansion of coal mining, ironworks, and steel production transformed Duisburg into one of Germany's key industrial centers during the Industrial Revolution.
Modern Duisburg combines its industrial legacy with cultural and educational institutions such as the University of Duisburg-Essen, one of the largest universities in Germany. The city is also home to theaters, museums, and sports venues, while its industrial heritage sites, such as the Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord, have been repurposed into landmarks of cultural tourism. Like much of the Ruhr area, Duisburg has undergone structural change in recent decades, shifting from heavy industry to a more diversified economy that includes services, logistics, and research.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Duisburg?
Within an hour or so of Duisburg: Zollverein Coal Mine (20 km), Classic Remise Düsseldorf (27 km), Wuppertal Schwebebahn (33 km), Toverland (54 km).
Where is Duisburg?
Duisburg is in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, about 4 km from Meiderich.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 504,358
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Germany
- Region
- North Rhine-Westphalia
- Timezone
- Europe/Berlin
- Coordinates
- 51.4325, 6.7652
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in Germany
ADAC roadside assistance: +49 89 22 22 22. No general speed limit on some autobahn sections but advisory 130 km/h.
Full driving guide for GermanyTags
Worth the detour from Duisburg
5 notable places within an hour's drive.
landmark
Classic Remise Düsseldorf
A magnificent classic car centre in a restored locomotive roundhouse filled with rare vehicles, workshops, and automotive lifestyle shops.
27 km · about 30 min drive
landmark
Wuppertal Schwebebahn
The world's oldest electric suspension railway glides above the Wupper River, a 1901 engineering marvel still in daily use.
33 km · about 40 min drive
landmark
Toverland
Dutch indoor-outdoor theme park in Limburg offering a mix of thrill rides and family attractions in themed areas.
54 km · about 65 min drive
cathedral
Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom)
This twin-spired Gothic giant towers over the Rhine, its 533 steps rewarding climbers with a sweeping city panorama.
56 km · about 65 min drive
Driving in Germany
- Drives on
- the right
- Petrol
- ~€1.78/litre
- Motorway tolls
- None
When to drive here
April to October
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