Posted by Together with Dortmund and Essen, Duisburg is one of the three very large cities in the Ruhr region, all three of which have around 600,000 inhabitants. Duisburg has a number of sights to offer, especially in the city centre. Despite the size of the city, these sights can all be reached on foot from the main railway station in less than half an hour.
Our tip: Brewery tour through Düsseldorf with free beer (Altbier): More info and online booking
Pedestrian zone
The pedestrian zone is one of the longest in the Ruhr area. It begins directly opposite the main railway station and ends at the Schwanentorbrücke. The most important street is Königsstraße with the central König-Heinrich-Platz. The new shopping centre City-Palais is also located at this square. The landmark of Königsstraße and the most important sight in the pedestrian zone is the 7-metre-high Teflon figure Lifesaver by the Parisian artist Niki de Saint Phalle (erected in the early 1990s).
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Round trip in Dusseldorf on the Rhine by boat The most important river in Germany flows through Dusseldorf. Round trips by boat (duration 1 hour) are popular among tourists. You can see the old town if Dusseldorf, modern quarters and get a great impression of the city. More info and online booking: Click here |
Duisburg City Hall
A few metres from the pedestrian zone is the large town hall of Duisburg, which is well worth seeing. It was only built about 100 years ago (1898-1905). The architect was Friedrich Ratzel from Karlsruhe, who was barely 30 years old.
Salvatorkirche Duisburg
The Salvatorkirche, next to the town hall, is the most important church and one of the most important sights in Duisburg. Construction of the late Gothic basilica began in 1316. In 2016, the 700th anniversary of the church was celebrated with many events. The 90-metre-high tower is still the tallest building in the area.
Opening hours Salvator Church (as of early 2017): Tuesday to Saturday 9am to 5pm and Sunday for a few hours after the service (around 11am to 1pm). Closed on Monday. On the first Sunday of the month there is a one-hour guided tour of the large church in Duisburg at 3pm.
Entrance fees Salvatorkirche (as of 2017): As far as we know, admission is free, including the monthly guided tour!
More pages in this travel guide about Duisburg:
– Duisburg Zoo, one of the great zoos in Germany.
– The former Duisburg Meiderich ironworks, now a first-class industrial museum.
German Opera on the Rhine
The Deutsche Oper am Rhein / Duisburg Theatre is located at the end of König-Heinrich-Platz. The theatre was built in neoclassical style in 1912 and merged with the Düsseldorf Theatre in 1956 to form the “Deutsche Oper am Rhein”. The famous Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra plays here.
Getting to Duisburg: The central city in the western Ruhr region is perfectly connected by train and S-Bahn to all other major cities in the Ruhr region. The major Düsseldorf airport is located between Duisburg and Düsseldorf and can be reached by train in 7 minutes from Duisburg’s main railway station.
More sights in Duisburg with their own pages on Ruhrgebiet-info.de:
The World Balloon Berlin, online tickets and information