DORTMUND 
History

History   I   Sightseeing   I   Practical   I  Hotels in Dortmund  

First mentioned around 885, Dortmund flourished from the 13th cent as a member of the Hanseatic League, but later (17th cent.) declined. From the mid-19th cent. the city grew as an industrial center.In the 1980s the coal and steel industries declined, leading to serious unemployment. By the 1990s, more than three fifths of the working population came to be employed in the service sector. The Ruhr lies along, and north of, the Ruhr River (145 mi/233 km long), which rises in the hills of central Germany and flows generally west to the Rhine River at Duisburg.

It was badly damaged during World War II but has been rebuilt; many historic sites have been restored. Outstanding buildings include the Reinold church (begun in the 13th cent.) and a large convention hall (Ger. Westfalenhalle), built from 1950 to 1952. The city has a university and a teachers college.