Dusseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is an economic centre of Germany. The city is the bustling Rhine metropolis right in the heart of Europe and has its residents and visitors a lot to offer.

At the time when Roman civilisation was making itself felt through the rapid construction of roads and buildings, only a few Germanic tribes stubbornly clung on to their marshy territory on the other side of the Rhine, where the city was later to spring up. In the Frankish period of the 7th and 8th centuries, the odd farming or fishing settlement could be found at the point where the small river Dussel flows into the Rhine. The first written mention of the town dates back to 1135. August 14th, 1288 is an important date in the annals of Dusseldorf. On this day the sovereign, Count Adolf V von Berg, granted the village on the banks of the Dussel the right to call itself a city.

Located in northern Europe and in the North Rhine Westphalia area of Germany, the overall climate in Dusseldorf is influenced by its position and overall proximity to the north-eastern coastline. The city's climate is often known as maritime, due to the warm, westerly sea breezes that regularly blow in from the North Sea and beyond, with this moist air raising the overall levels of humidity. The winter weather in Dusseldorf can be chilly, particularly at night-time, while by day, the skies are frequently overcast. This soon changes as spring arrives and the overall climate soon beings to improve, with plenty of sunshine for everyone in both March and April. By the end of March, the temperatures have improved and often top 10°C / 50°F. Even though it is fair to say that the summer months in Dusseldorf do bring plenty of fine weather, rain showers can also be expected and are rather unpredictable, although rarely spoil the day for long.

Dusseldorf is not only widely known as a centre of the German advertising and fashion industries: in the last few years the city on the Rhine has become one of the top telecommunications centres in Germany. There are 18 internet providers located in the capital of North-Rhine Westphalia. With two of the four big German providers of mobile frequencies, D2 Vodafone and E-Plus, Dusseldorf leads the German mobile phone market. There are also many foreign trading centres in Dusseldorf such as NTT, Ericsson, Nokia and GTS. In Dusseldorf there are about 170 national and international financial institutions and about 130 insurance agencies and one of the biggest German stock exchanges. There are also about 200 publishing houses in Dusseldorf.

Dusseldorf Rhine-Ruhr has more universities and institutes of higher education than any other metropolitan area in Germany, with 45 universities and technical colleges training more than 300,000 students. The city's Heinrich Heine University is one of the leading institutes in the dense university network of North Rhine-Westphalia. Another key component of the education offer is the Dusseldorf University of Applied Sciences, "FH D." Dusseldorf is also one of the top destinations for art and music students.

Public transportation in Dusseldorf is efficient, inexpensive, easy to understand and frequently used by travelers. The local public transportation service is provided by the Rheinbahn AG. The Rheinbahn operates buses, streetcars und the subway. The public transport system of Dusseldorf is a part of the linked transport system Rhine-Ruhr area. Dusseldorf is serviced by a network of U-Bahn trains, trams and buses and this network is divided into zones. Dusseldorf International airport is well-designed and easy to get around. A new airport train station with direct ICE, IC and InterRegio services allows to swap quickly from plane to train. Parking in the centre is pretty much limited to parking garages.

Standing proudly in the middle of Marktplatz, 'The Rider' is Dusseldorf's oldest statue and is widely regarded as one of the most outstanding Baroque statues north of the Alps. Created by court sculptor Gabriel de Grupello in 1711, the statue portrays Prince Jan Wellem on horseback. The prince himself was responsible for erecting many of Dusseldorf's most impressive buildings, few of which survived the Second World War.

Dominated by the historic Schlossturm tower, Burgplatz, busy square in the heart of the old town, is filled with restaurants and cafes. Sitting here, watching the locals chat, visitors could be mistaken for thinking that they are in Tuscany or Umbria. Located next to the Rhine, Burgplatz makes the ideal starting point for a stroll along the promenade.

The old harbour was first built in the 16th century but not completed until the 19th century when it was regarded as one of the most modern inland ports in the country. In spite of this, Dusseldorf harbour has never achieved the importance that other inland ports have. At the end of the 1970s some of the harbour was filled in and the provincial parliament built. The harbour area has now become a small media town and production studios for film, TV and radio companies and the European Media Institute being located here. The new city gate and housing complex by American architect Frank O. Gehry are real eye-catchers. Many up market pubs and restaurants have also been established in the area, making the harbour a symbol of modern Dusseldorf.

Many events are enjoyed by locals of Dusseldorf throughout the year. The most popular of all of these is the Carnival. Similar to the Brazilian Carnival and the well-known Mardi Gras festivals, Dusseldorf Carnival is an annual event with street parties and parades. There are two different times that this event takes place. The big one is in February.

Every July, the Sankt-Sebastianus marksmen's guild of 1316 celebrates its traditional local festival on the Rhine meadows at Oberkassel. Aside from the historic marksmen's parade, the main attraction is the biggest funfair on the Rhine with its 330 stalls which attract more than 4.5 million visitors annually. At the end of the nine day spectacle there is a big fireworks after nightfall.