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Traffic and Transport Infrastructure

Fly from Dortmund-Wickede Airport and you can reach all the major cities in Europe within 75 to 100 minutes. Short waits and speedy check-in times are the reason for the airport's continuing growth in flight traffic; in 1994 the total passenger volume of all flight sectors amounted to more than 300 000. And since 1990 the passenger volume has more than doubled. The airlines flying into Dortmund Airport offer timesaving and reliable connections satisfying the demands of local businesspeople. On the whole, the development of Dortmund's short-cut airport - which has had to expand its flight schedule continuously to meet rising demand - indicates clearly that Dortmund's "regional" airport has beome a major location factor for the entire area.

Dortmund's Many Attractions - City Hall

Dortmund's impressive "Rathaus" (City Hall) located in the heart of the downtown area.

The architecture reflects the self-awareness and the status of Dortmund's citizenry. It is a successful synthesis of the traditional and the modern: clear, light and transparent. Transparence as a programme for all the activities taking place under its roof. Arcades, balconies and terraces mark the front of the building in an almost objective fashion.

The red granite of the outer facade is in perfect harmony with the surrounding buildings whilst the design of the entrances (influenced by the pithead towers once typical for the area) provides unmistakable links with a bygone industrial age. The glass-roofed airwell crowning the Citizens Hall shapes the inner appearance of the City Hall - the architects having used light to very special effect.

Under that wide-sweeping cupola, the Citizens Hall - with its café and rooms for weddings, exhibitions, cultural events, concerts, theatre performances and official receptions - forms the hub of activity. The offices of the Lord Mayor and his two Deputies are on the second floor of the five-storeyed building. There too is the 142-seat Public Gallery overlooking the Council Chambers. The offices of the political parties represented on the City Council have been accommodated in the third floor - as have the offices of the city's Chief Executive.

Production, Service and Technology Location Dortmund

For a long time, coal and steel were the linchpins of the Dortmund economy. Today, however, not one of the numerous pits that once contributed to Dortmund's prosperity is still in operation. Microchips and computer terminals have long since replaced pithead towers and blast furnaces as the engine driving the city's economy. Today small to medium-sized firms using innovative technology and offering electronic products or services have replaced coal mines as the city's typical industries. The "city of coal and steel" has been transformed into a "city of steel" placing its bets on innovative technologies and the service sector. This transformation has been promoted by an active process of structural change. Of the city's work force of 260 000, 67% work in the service sector and 32% in the production industries.

One of Dortmund's great strengths is its convenient location in terms of traffic and transport. The city is situated in the heart of Central Europe - virtually at the hub of the major European transport routes. From here, you can reach all the European economic metropoles directly and quickly by road, rail or air. Moreover, Dortmund Harbour provides an ecologically sound link to the major European ports. Business Location Dortmund is served by an optimal "traffic and transport mix" offering quick connections to every firm domiciled here. From Dortmund Airport, for example, travelers can reach the major European economic centres within only 75 to 100 minutes.

The close ties between science and the economy make a vital contribution to Dortmund's attractiveness as a business location. The city has a densely populated research landscape including no fewer than six universities and institutions of higher learning as well as almost 30 scientific institutes. In cooperation with the Dortmund Technology Centre, the Technology Park and the Technology Transfer Offices at the universities, they work to achieve an intensive technology transfer of research results from the "ivory tower" to the economy.

Dortmund is a fine place to live. Because of its quality housing, diversified shopping opportunities, broad spectrum of cultural activity and high leisure value, Location Dortmund has something to suit everyone. Whether you prefer to live in a downtown apartment, a detached house in the leafy suburbs or a half-timbered cottage in one of Dortmund's old village parishes, property, prices and rents are usually lower than those in comparable large towns. Besides, no matter where you live, you can always get into the centre of town in just a few minutes.

Traffic and Transport Infrastructure - Rail Transport

Dortmund has excellent credentials to present to the tourist or businessperson travelling by train. The city is connected to the supraregional EC, ICE and IC networks. Dortmund is an important node in the Eurocity/Intercity nework and thus has outstanding connections to both the national and international railway systems. Around 1,000 passenger trains stop at Dortmund every day; 100 of these are EC, ICE or IC trains providing quick direct links to Amsterdam, Basel, Brussels, Milan, Warsaw and Zurich. In addition, the Dortmund Central Railway Station is German Rail's third largest formation yard.

Dortmund Harbour

The Dortmund region is very accessible by ship. The largest port located on an inland canal in Europe, Dortmund Harbour has ten basins and eleven kilometres of quayside. The harbour's high efficiency is attibutable to its good location within the Western European inland waterway system and the major sea ports which can be reached from here via the Dortmund-Ems Canal and other nearby canals. The Dortmund region is very accessible by ship. The largest port located on an inland canal in Europe, Dortmund Harbour has ten basins and eleven kilometres of quayside. The harbour's high efficiency is attibutable to its good location within the Western European inland waterway system and the major sea ports which can be reached from here via the Dortmund-Ems Canal and other nearby canals. Dortmund harbour - the largest canal port in Europe - will soon be celebrating its 100th anniversary. The extremely efficient container terminal can handle the heaviest demands.

Urban Transit System

Dortmund's public transport system consists of a dense network of tram, underground and bus lines. In l994 112 million passengers used this system, which puts 290 vehicles into service every day. Furthermore, the neighbouring cities and other locations within the Rhine-Ruhr region can be reached quickly via the Rhine-Ruhr Transport Association (VRR). Moreover, the city has a sophisticated municipal road network; in l994 the total length of this network was 1,796 km. The network of bicycle paths in the city, which had grown to 280 km in length by l994 - is an environmentally sound alternative to automobile traffic.

Supraregional Road Connections

In Germany practically all roads lead to Dortmund, which is surrounded by a dense road network connecting the Westphalian metropolis with numerous major cities and regions in Germany and abroad. No fewer than seven motorways lead straight into Dortmund; three of these join forces to form a ring road. From this circumferential highway, major traffic arteries lead off in all directions of the compass, connecting the city with every major economic region in Europe. This unique position at a major node in the trans-European traffic and transport system makes Dortmund's location a very strategic one.

The efficient road infrastructure of the Dortmund region has been a crucial factor in the area's economic development. It is expected that road traffic will continue to grow in the future. To cope with this increase, Dortmund has undertaken several important road construction projects; a side effect of these projects is that they complete the supraregional road network. One good example is the planned widening of Federal Highway No. 1 (B1) into a six-lane motorway between the cloverleaf Dortmund-West and the Wittekind Strasse, a project that will improve the flow of traffic to and from Dortmund appreciably.