North Rhine-Westphalia

Cologne: the largest city in NRW

Right in the west of the country, sharing borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, North Rhine-Westphalia was formed in 1946 from the northern part of the Rhineland and Westphalia, with the state of Lippe being added in 1947.

North Rhine-Westphalia is one of the most highly urbanised areas in Europe, reflecting its central position at the heart of Europe’s foremost economic region, its high population density, major economic centres and good transport infrastructure. However, primarily agricultural areas are to be found close to many of the cities, along with scenic countryside, such as the mountains and hills of the Siebengebirge range.

Top of the economic league table

North Rhine-Westphalia has the strongest economy of all the federal states. Almost a quarter of Germany’s gross domestic product is generated here. If North Rhine-Westphalia were a nation-state, it would rank among the world’s Top 20 exporting countries.

A business location with a proud history

Thanks to the Ruhr region North Rhine-Westphalia was the coal and steel state par excellence until as late as the 1950s and 1960s. The decline of these industries triggered profound structural change. Nowadays North Rhine-Westphalia displays a balanced mix of industrial production and service sector companies.

Alongside 763,000 small and medium-sized enterprises, numerous large firms are based here, including many of Germany’s top-selling companies. The chemical, metallurgical and metalworking industries, together with mechanical engineering, still number among the key sectors in the state’s economy. North Rhine-Westphalia is also a popular base for firms working in new sectors, such as environmental technology, information and communication technology or the media and creative industries. In addition, Cologne and Düsseldorf host major international trade fairs. There is tight-knit cooperation between the world of business, academia and the research sector as they work to respond to structural change: North Rhine-Westphalia boasts 68 universities with roughly 500,000 students, more than 50 non-university research institutes, as well as around 100 research institutes integrated into the universities.

A plethora of cultural attractions

North Rhine-Westphalia boasts one of the richest and most diverse cultural scenes in the world. With its countless museums, cultural centres, concert halls, theatres and symphony orchestras, this federal state is a real centre for the best that the world of culture has to offer.

The capital of carnival, North Rhine-Westphalia

International visitors flock here to explore the North Rhine-Westphalia Art Collection in Düsseldorf, the Museum Ludwig in Cologne and Essen’s Folkwang Museum. The Tanztheater Wuppertal, founded by Pina Bausch, also casts its spell on audiences from all over the world. Alongside this, a lively cultural scene with scores of independent cultural initiatives, galleries, alternative theatres, and clubs has emerged. Punk boomed in Düsseldorf, Germany’s capital of fashion, whilst Cologne excels in electronic music and jazz.

In 2010 Essen was the European capital of culture, representing the entire Ruhr region. Drawing inspiration from the slogan “Change through culture. Culture through change”, a mise-en-scène of structural change was presented throughout the year-long programme. The creative energy of artists from every imaginable discipline breathes new life into old industrial heritage sites, such as Essen’s Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex or Dortmund’s U-Tower, a converted former brewery complex.

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