Duisburg: 21 things to do in a unique industrial city

Duisburg is a small industrial city in Western Germany at the junction of the Rhine and Ruhr rivers, close to Düsseldorf. It is famous for its inland port, which is the largest in the world. Duisburg was almost destroyed during the Second World War. But, it is still Germany’s largest steel-producing city.

Duisburg is one of the cities with the most water in Germany. Here, you will find numerous lakes, canals, harbors, and bridges, even more than Venice. Duisburg has also unique industrial and modern architecture, splendid parks, various museums, and a large network of cycle paths. Yes, it’s not a famous city that people dream of visiting… But, if you are there, you can enjoy your vacation. If you visit the city in winter, don’t miss the beautiful Christmas market.

Architecture in Duisburg

1. Tiger & Turtle – Magic Mountain

Tiger & Turtle is a unique sculpture that stands on a man-made hill. This hill was built with refuse from a zinc smelting factory and hundreds of tons of rubble from demolished industrial buildings.

This structure was created in 2010 when the Ruhr was Europe’s cultural capital. It is a rollercoaster with twisting stairways (249 steps) instead of a rail. You can walk on it, except for the loop. At night, you can also admire this structure with LED lights. At the top of the sculpture, you will enjoy a stunning view of the city and the Western Ruhr landscape, especially at sunset.

2. Duisburg Inner Harbor: the world’s largest inland port

The inner harbor, which cuts in towards the center of Duisburg from the Rhine, has been regenerated in the last 25 years. Duisburg has an international reputation as a key logistics hub. Each year, twenty thousand ships enter its inland port. Old industrial grain warehouses have become museums, offices, apartments, restaurants, and cafés. Here, you can also find green spaces and playing areas for children. A marina was erected on the further part of the inner harbor garden. There is a buckled bridge (Buckelbrücke) for pedestrians.

3. Church of Our Saviour – Salvatorkirche

On Burgplatz, the heart of Duisburg, this Late Gothic art church was built in the 1300s. The church’s truncated tower was caused by the Second World War when the spire was hit by a bomb. After the war, the stained-glass windows were remade, and since, Duisburg’s November Pogrom in 1938 is illustrated. There are also 18 tomb monuments.

4. Duisburg Rathaus – Town hall

During the Industrial Revolution, Duisburg’s population exploded from 4,500 at the start of the 19th century to 100,000 at the end. Because of that, the town hall had to be rebuilt twice. The current building went up on Burgplatz at the turn of the 20th century using a Historicist design. This building has a 67-metre tower.

5. Ruhrwehr Duisburg

The Ruhrwehr Duisburg is a weir situated on the Ruhr. It is particularly stunning during the evenings. Cyclists, as well as pedestrians, can travel the weir. Here, you can enjoy the view, and relax thanks to wide meadows and benches.

Museums in Duisburg

6. Kultur- und Stadthistorisches Museum

Located in the Inner Harbor, this museum focuses on the history of the city of Duisburg through exhibits and displays curated over 200 years. The principal attraction is the collection of globes, maps, and atlases by cartographer Gerhard Mercator. You can also see coins, antiquities, and a 16th-century Corputius plan, showing a precisely scaled, bird’s eye view of Duisburg, sculptures, household tools, measuring and printing tools… In addition, you can learn about other cultures like the ancient Egyptian civilization.

7. Museum DKM: contemporary and ancient art

This museum has collections of historic and modern art. Here, you will find art from all eras and parts of the world that dates back as far as 5,000 years from countries like Pakistan, India, Iran, Thailand, China, Cambodia, Egypt, and Japan. This Museum has five levels and 51 galleries showing over 1000 exhibits.

8. Museum Kuppersmuhle: modern art

This museum is located in the Inner Harbour and has seven storeys. The building dates to 1908 and was a granary. The building in itself is stunning and worth a visit!

Here, you can observe an impressive collection of modern and contemporary German art including sculptures, models, drawings, and portraits. The museum also hosts international exhibitions and 4 temporary exhibitions a year.

9. Lehmbruck-Museum: sculpture museum

This museum is located in the Immanuel Kant Park and focuses mostly on sculpture. It gives information on the Duisburg-based artist Wilhelm Lehmbruck and shows his work. There, you can also see paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries.

10. German Inland Waterways Museum (Deutschen Binnenschifffahrt)

This museum is located in a public bath from the 1910s and focuses on the social and technical history of inland navigation in Germany. In this museum, you can observe a walk-in replica of a vessel, a barge from 1913, three ships docked at the harbor, and the impressive last paddle steamer on the Rhine River.

11. Radiomuseum Duisburg

This museum has the largest collection of radios in Germany with 350 devices, the earliest going back to 1923. Here, you will also see early tape recorders and learn about the history of broadcasting in Germany, especially during wartime.

Nature & Animals in Duisburg

In Duisburg, you can enjoy a large network of cycling paths. Even the routes of former industrial railways have been converted into cycling paths. Bicycle is the best way to wander around the forests, lakes, embankments, and meadows along the Rhine…

12. Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord

This park attracts 1 million visitors a year. The British newspaper “The Guardian” calls it one of the most beautiful parks in the world. And, this is true: it is one of the best parks I have seen in my life! This unique park extends over an area of about 445 acres. It’s a must-do for everyone, especially families with children.

It is an abandoned steel and coal facility that has been turned into a public park. The facility shut down in 1985. The park was established in 1991 to understand the industry of the past.

In a gasometer, Europe’s biggest man-made diving center has been created. There is an amphitheater, cycling trails, and slides. You can even have BBQ parties. The old sewage canals and railways are walking paths, bunkers have become gardens and walls accommodate climbers. Also, don’t miss the view from a blast furnace.

At night, you can admire a stunning neon light show. The full illumination happens on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and bank holidays. On the weekdays, only the chimney stacks are lit. Finally, this park hosts numerous events, including an open-air cinema every year in summer.

13. Zoo & Aquarium

At the north of the Duisburg Urban Forest, Duisburg Zoo is a habitat of 16 hectares for almost 300 animal species. It was established in 1934 and is one of the largest zoos in Germany.

It houses a variety of exotic animals such as big cats, birds, bears, gorillas, reptiles… The zoo is particularly proud of Germany’s only koala breeding program. It also breeds fossas, a sort of wild cat from Madagascar, and red river hogs. Here, you will also find a petting zoo and aquarium. In this aquarium, trained dolphin shows are organized in the largest dolphinarium in Germany.

In addition, an inter-city partnership between Wuhan and Duisburg was also established to construct a Chinese garden with inclusive fauna.

14. Kaiserberg & Botanischer Garten Duisburg-Hamborn

Kaiserberg is a 100% natural summit and is the highest point in the city. The 75-metre hill was fortified from the Stone Age up to around 1,000 years ago.

Here, you will find a small botanical garden, an English park, a historic cemetery, and some monuments. One is a memorial for the Battle of Sedan in the Franco-Prussian War, another one is an old water tower.

15. Sechs-Seen-Platte

Sechs-Seen-Platte is surprisingly all man-made. It is a small plateau surrounded by six lakes and a dense forest covering an area of approximately 150 hectares. Here, you can enjoy the beauty of nature, sit near the lakes, practice many sports, and even swim in the public bathing area. You can enjoy walking trails, golf, horse riding, and even a beach. Finally, if you get hungry, there are barbecue areas and restaurants.

If you are at Sechs-Seen-Platte, don’t miss the Aussichtsturm Wolfssee. It is the second-highest publicly accessible point in the city. It is formed by excavated soil, landfill, industrial rubble, and even the wreckage of a gun position and Luftwaffe ammunition depot from the Second World War. The wooden observation tower burnt down in 2002, and a new steel tower opened in 2006.

16. Duisburg Sportpark

Duisburg Sportpark offers various activities like an ice skating rink, water-ski facilities, and a climbing garden. It spans an area of 200 hectares, of which 60 hectares are water. It is known as one of the best and largest sports and recreation areas in Germany. The zip wire, which is 252 meters long, goes over the Bertasee lake. Canoeing, water-skiing, and dragon boat rides are options too. It hosts numerous international competitions like the Regatta Course and the Canoeing World Championships. There is also an amazing children’s playground, including at Wasserwelt Wedau.

17. Rheinpark

Rheinpark is a park that extends along the Rhine River over an area of 25 hectares. It includes recreational facilities, sports fields, tracks for jogging and cycling, and a skateboarding facility. Here, you can also enjoy a family picnic on the sandy beach.

18. Rheinaue Nature Reserve

The Rheinaue Nature Reserve is located in the village of Frimmersheim in Duisburg, and extends over an area of 262 hectares along the Rhine River. Here, you will find green nature, panoramic views, and many animals. You can also enjoy hiking and various sports.

Shopping in Duisburg

Alongside the Königstraße with its 11 unique fountains, you have a lot of choice for shopping in the city center. There are big shopping malls such as the Forum, the Königsgalerie or the CityPalais, all near each other. Duisburg’s main pedestrian street links the Hauptbahnhof with Kuhtor, the former location of one of Duisburg’s city gates. Numerous events and markets are held in Königstraße like the Christmas market.

19. Forum Duisburg

It is one of Germany’s largest urban shopping centers. It attracts tens of thousands of shoppers a day from across the Ruhr area and even the Netherlands. This contemporary mall, with a glass roof, has 80 stores with accessible prices. Here, you can find fashion and beauty shops, a supermarket, baby supply stores, accessories stores… There is also a dining hall with restaurants and cafés.

20. Königsgalerie Duisburg

It is a modern shopping center on König Street with famous retail chains, a fitness center, and restaurants.

21. CityPalais

City Palais is another mall that focuses on dining options. There are cosmopolitan choices like sushi, Italian, Indian and Chinese.

What else?

If you want to visit other more famous tourist cities in Germany, it’s also very easy to do it from Duisburg. The train station of Duisburg offers direct lines to amazing cities like Düsseldorf, Cologne, Frankfurt, and Hamburg. Also, at certain times and on certain days, you can find a ticket for only 20 euros.

To see my article on Frankfurt, check this link: https://sirine-nada.com/frankfurt-germany-36-must-do-in-an-incredibly-diverse-city/