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Duisburg

investment location on Rhine and Ruhr

The location is what defines this city: the Rhine, Germany’s largest waterway, flows to the North Sea through Duisburg, with the Ruhr coming from the East. There, where the Ruhr flows into the Rhine, is Duisburg, Germany's fifteenth largest city, according to population. A population of just below half a million (495,668 inhabitants in December 2007) live in this city, which is characterised by its waterways: 10 percent of the city is water, the waterfront is 114 kilometres long.

Largest steel producing site in Europe

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Water also played a key role in the emergence and rapid economic rise of the city. Rhine and Ruhr were already important trading routes in the mining region at the time of industrialisation. Water continues to play a key role, with Duisburg one of the key global locations of the steel industry. ThyssenKrupp Steel, Hüttenwerke Krupp Mannesmann and Arcelor Mittal Steel are the three companies that make the city the centre of German steel production. According to production figures Duisburg occupies pride of place in European steel output, with some 16 million tonnes of raw iron and 17 million tonnes of raw steel a year (2005)

Six fields of economic expertise

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The city’s history as a steel location resulted in the accumulation of expertise in the fields of metals and metallic materials. This sector is home to numerous companies, assembled together by matec.net - the network for metallic materials in Duisburg - which is in turn organised by the Duisburg Business Development Agency. Matec.net is just one example of the numerous project initiatives in the scope of the impuls.duisburg structural policy action programme. With this the city aims to reinforce the six economic pillars contained therein. In addition to information, communication and micro technologies, these also include materials technology, personnel-related services and the fields of environment and energy, urban tourism, urban entertainment and – significantly – logistics.

Inland port and logistics

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The triumphal march of the logistics sector here is largely thanks to the Port of Duisburg. The largest inland harbour in Europe, it boasts 22 harbour basins and 17 transshipment quays with railway sidings. It is a hub for goods of every possible kind, which are distributed via water, rail or on the roads. 30 million people can be reached within a radius of just 150 kilometres of Duisburg. Wisely, in the scope of the structural transition Duisburg invested in logistics, reserving sites on the water for logistics companies. On the left bank of the Rhine, for example, on the 265 hectare site of a former steelworks, the Logport logistics centre has arisen. According to Erich Staake, Spokesman of the Board of Duisburger Hafen AG and Chairman of the Board of Management at Logport Logistic-Center Duisburg GmbH, around 2,500 jobs have already been created here. 85 percent of the site has already been marketed, with over 50 percent in operation (status: 2007). Global players of the logistics world have established themselves here, such as the Swiss Kühne + Nagel Group, Wincanton from Great Britain, NYK Logistics from Japan, Gökbora from Turkey, the German Rhenus Group and a host of medium-sized companies. On the right bank of the Rhine a ‘little sister’ is currently under construction, Logport II, also on a former industrial site

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Education, research and science

With the establishment of the Gesamthochschule Duisburg in 1972 – now known as University of Duisburg-Essen - the city was able to raise its profile as a science and high-tech location. With over 30,000 students, the university, the result of a merger in 2003, is now one of the ten largest in Germany. Its four focal points are upon nanotechnology, genetic medicine and medical biotechnology, urban systems, logistics and transport as well as empirical education research.

The inland port district

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The ideal example of a successful structural transition, an 89-hectare urban district in the proximity of the city centre has risen up on a waterway formerly used as a port and trading site. Innenhafen Duisburg was developed according to plans of Foster + Partners (London). The premium office rents achieved here in comparison to the rest of the Metropole Ruhr are indication in their own right of the interest that this office location attracts. Renowned architects such as Nicolas Grimshaw & Partners, BRT Architekten Bothe Richter Teherani, RKW and Herzog & de Meuron have all made their mark here in the form of modern office structures. The particular attraction of the inland port lies in its functional mix: office buildings stand alongside high quality residential houses and gastronomic and cultural leisure areas.

Redesigning the city centre

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In addition to the outdoor areas, the city centre, just a few minutes’ walk from the inland port, is also intended to focus more on the waterfront in future. This is the idea of the masterplan of architects Foster + Partners for the 2.7 square kilometres city centre of Duisburg. Historic riverbeds are to be brought to daylight once again. At 45 different points over the next few years project developers and investors will be able to engage in sustainable urban development. The objective is to make the city centre fit to face the future. Redensification and greening are key aspects of this.

Leisure on the water

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After all, water also influences Duisburg with regard to soft location factors: to the South of the city is the Six Lakes area, a meeting point for sportsmen and those in search of relaxation, Sportpark Wedau and the Regattabahn, which played host to the Canoe World Championships in 2007. In addition, Duisburg am Rhein – the city that bears the name of that major waterway in its slogan - is now making the riverbanks more accessible to its citizens. On the right bank of the Rhine the Rheinpark is taking shape, on a 29-hectare, formerly industrial site. With this, the visage of Duisburg is changing. What is intransient, however, is the artery, the heart of the city. Its Rhine-Ruhr location makes Duisburg what it is: unmistakable.