Germany - Duisburg (DE-270203)

Writing about German cities, I often mention that "I haven't been to this city, but I've been very close to it on the highway". The highways in Western Europe (especially in Germany) have many advantages, such as safety and possibility of driving faster, but they don't let you see anything. In Eastern Europe (in these places, where no highways have been built yet), driving through the country gives you some idea about cities, towns and villages. Why am I writing about it now? Yes, I've been very close to Duisburg, passing it on the highway, but I haven't seen anything there :) It seems to be a modern, but beautiful city.

DE-270203

Duisburg is a German city in the western part of the Ruhr Area (Ruhrgebiet) in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is an independent metropolitan borough within Regierungsbezirk Düsseldorf. With the biggest inland harbour in Europe and its proximity to Düsseldorf International Airport, Duisburg has become an important venue for commerce and steel production.

Today's city is a result of numerous incorporations of surrounding towns and smaller cities. It is the twelfth-largest city in Germany and the fifth-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia with 495,668 residents as of 31 December 2007. The city is renowned for its steel industry. There is still one coal mine in operation, but Duisburg has never been a coal-mining center to the same extent as other places in the Ruhr. University of Duisburg-Essen, with 33,000 students, ranks among the 10 largest German universities.