The city of Duisburg in North Rhine Westphalia lies at the confluence of the Ruhr and Rhine. The harbour in the district of Ruhrort is the largest inland port in the world. Go to the vibrant Inner Harbour to enjoy the many cultural institutions and leisure facilities. Numerous museums attract people on mini-breaks from other parts of Germany and also draw international visitors. The Küppersmühle, an imposing seven-storey mill building from 1908, now houses a prestigious art museum with around 800 works by German artists. The Museum of Culture and City History gives a fascinating insight into the eventful history of Duisburg and the rich culture of the Lower Rhine. Offices, restaurants and cafés have now moved into lovingly renovated warehouses making the Inner Harbour the most popular place to go out in Duisburg. Begin your trip to Duisburg in a hired boat, or your own, and tie up in the Marina with its 127 moorings.
Not far from the Inner Harbour the old town of Duisburg is a lovely place for short trips and going exploring. You can see the tower of the protestant Salvatorkirche (Church of our Saviour) rising above the rooftops. This stately basilica with three naves was completed in 1415 and renovated towards the end of the 19th century in the Neogothic style. Its impressive interior boasts elaborately carved epitaphs, a magnificent Renaissance pulpit and exquisite stained glass windows. During your city trip to Duisburg go to one of the widely appreciated concerts given by the choir of the Church of our Saviour. In the district of Duisburg-Neudorf there's a surprise for you: a futuristic elliptical office building with walls entirely of glass. The 30 metre tall Business Promotion Centre was built in 1992 by the English star architect, Norman Foster. Just as impressive is the Silver Palace, also in Neudorf. In this, Duisburg's largest office building, are the headquarters of national and international companies. In sunlight the distinctive curtain wall of bright aluminium makes the building shine with a silvery light.
One of the most popular attractions during a city trip to Duisburg is the zoo in the eastern district of Duissern on the slopes of the Kaiserberg heights. It is one of the largest and most modern zoos in Germany. The main attraction of the zoological gardens, which were founded in 1934, is the dolphinarium with its bottlenose dolphins. Whatever you do, make sure you see one of the exciting daily displays. As well as classic zoo favourites such as apes, zebras, lions and bears, less well-known species also live in the park, such as African bush pigs, Asian clouded leopards and Australian wombats. The zoo also features a gift from Duisburg's twin town of Wuhan in China: a well-planted Chinese garden where visitors are delighted by proud cranes and red pandas.
