Kö-Pi
by Sjalen
I know I have mentioned two brewpubs but the fact still remains: König Pils is the most famous of drinkables in Duisburg as it is one of Germany's most famous pils brands and brewed here. No pils-drinking German would ask for a König however - just ask for a Kö-Pi. It is served in just about all bars in town so there's no way you can miss it. Should you want to really indulge, the Kö-Pi's own bar in Düsseldorfer Strasse is where to do it. The brewery can also be visited by groups of ten or more (above 18s only) if you contact them (details below).
Kultur- und Stadthistorisches Museum
by Sjalen
The city's history museum pulled us in because of its star attraction: the maps and globes of famous cartographer Mercator. Born in what is today Belgium, Mercator moved to Duisburg early on as it was more tolerant and allowed him to produce scientific images of the world without too much questioning by the church. Today the museum shows his two famous globes, one including astrological symbols, as well as plenty of maps. There are also maps by his competitors and followers. Downstairs, the museum shows the history of Duisburg which is more fascinating than you think and every section has at least some text in English so you can read up on the history of Frankish tribes by the Ruhr as well as coal mining. There is also a small but interesting section on Duisburg during WWII. Finally, there are some models of the city throughout time so you can see how it has grown from a small Frankish settlement to a major German city.
Salvatorkirche
by challenger
This church is the oldest Protestant church in town and, though severely damaged during WWII, it is one of the few buildings in Duisburg that survived the bombings and did not need to be completely rebuilt from scratch after the war.
Challenger's Duisburg Pages
by challenger
My place of birth and place of residence for the first 28 years of my life, I guess I should feel all misty eyed and nostalgic about Duisburg, but can’t say I was sad to move away from it eventually.
With about 550.000 people living in there, Duisburg is actually Germany’s 10th biggest city, though you wouldn’t guess it when you see the empty streets at night.
Right smack in the middle of the Ruhrgebiet - the industrial Ruhr Valley –, home of the largest inland harbour of the world and originally dominated by steel factories and heavy industry that have now gone bust, this is not necessarily a favourite holiday resort for most people.
Duisburg, however, is an ideal place to stay when you can’t find accommodation in Duesseldorf or any other city in the area. The airport is as far away from Duisburg as it is from Duesseldorf and public transport is pretty fast, affordable and reliable.
You may also not necessarily think so when visiting the city, but Duisburg is actually very well regarded amongst the people living in it. Despite high unemployment and a general lack of having sweet eff all to do, most of its citizens appreciate the cleanliness and relative safety of its streets and are quite often very proud of being a “Duisburger”. Having nothing majorly exciting happening on your doorsteps here seems to be considered a virtue for a city to call home.
So while you may not be itching to get there anytime soon, should you ever end up here, you can make the best of it provided you follow my little VT survival kit here.
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Harmony at Copper Pot
Lüttjen Wilm
