Information about Dortmund

Dortmund. German city located in the area of North Rhine-Westphalia in the Ruhr region. This important industrial city known for the exploitation of coal and steel has evolved into an advanced technological center.

Founded around 882, Dortmund became an Imperial Free City. Throughout the 13th and 14th centuries it was the "main city" of the Rhine, Westphalia and the Dutch Circle of the Hanseatic League. After the Thirty Years' War, the city was destroyed and its importance diminished until the beginning of industrialization. The city then became one of the most important coal, steel and beer production centers in Germany. Dortmund was one of the most bombed cities in Germany during World War II. The devastating bombings of March 12, 1945 destroyed 98% of the buildings in the city center. These bombings, with more than 1,110 aircraft, hold the record for a single target in World War II

History of Dortmund

At the beginning of the 19th century, as a consequence of the Napoleonic wars, the territory that comprises this state became part of the Confederation of the Rhine.

During the First French Empire the part of the region west of the Rhine River was designated as the Department of the Roer. In 1807 Jerome Bonaparte is named King of Westphalia.

After the Second World War the state of North Rhine-Westphalia was established at the initiative of the British military occupation on August 24, 1946. Originally it consisted of Westphalia and the northern province of the Rhine, which previously belonged to Prussia. In 1947 the former state of Lippe merged with that of North Rhine-Westphalia, leading to the current borders of the state. The Constitution of North Rhine-Westphalia was subsequently ratified by plebiscite. Unlike other German states, North Rhine-Westphalia had no historical predecessors. The main focus was on the desire of the Allies to integrate a common territory, in the rich Ruhr region.

Finding a common identity for Lippe, Westphalia and the Rhineland was a great challenge in the early years of the Land. The greatest challenges in the postwar period were reconstruction and the establishment of a democratic state. He then had to redesign the economic structure developed as a result of the decline of the mining industry, which was a central theme of national politics.

The North Rhine-Westphalia elections on May 22, 2005 gave the CDU an unexpected victory. Its main candidate Jürgen Rüttgers built a new coalition government made up of the CDU and the FDP that replaced the previous government headed by Peer Steinbrück. Rüttgers was elected the new Prime Minister (German: Ministerpräsident) of the federal state on June 22, 2005.

Between 1905 and 1979 Dortmund has incorporated several municipalities; for example Körne, Deusen, Eving, Huckarde, Hörde, Aplerbeck and Holzen.