Duesseldorf history

From its beginnings as a village (dorf) on the tiny river Düssel, Düsseldorf gradually grew into an important regional capital. By the 20th century, it had become a prosperous city and it was targeted during WWII by the RAF, who bombed it to near-destruction.

After the war, reconstruction proceeded rapidly and the city became ‘the office of the Ruhr', acting as the administrative and financial centre for Germany's famous heavy engineering district, growing wealthy while keeping itself free from industrial blight.