6 Best Things to do in Duisburg, Germany
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Written by Kyle Kroeger
Are you planning a trip to Western Germany but don’t know which city to visit? You don’t need to worry—Duisburg is one of the best cities to explore! Duisburg is a charming small city that offers a variety of diverse and beautiful scenery.
The city features the world’s largest inland port, picturesque landscapes, a great nightlife experience, and Duisburg’s rich Industrial history.
The modern development and the old industrial infrastructure blend harmoniously and create a unique ambiance and extraordinary trip in the city. Enjoy a great and ideal travel adventure trip with the list of Duisburg attracts we have prepared below.
Things to do in Duisburg, Germany
Duisburg Inner Harbour
Address: Hansegracht 10, 47051 Duisburg, Germany
The Inner Harbor is linked to the Rhine River in Duisburg, Germany. It measures 89ha and was the town’s main harbor and central trading area for over a hundred years, particularly during the peak of the Industrial Revolution.
From the mid-1960s, people began to use the harborless, and eventually, it was abandoned for 20 years before renovation plans were picked up. Once the renovation was approved, this old industrial site was significantly transformed as part of the International Building Exhibition Emscher Park (IBA), which went on from 1989 to 1999.
British Architect Norman Foster laid this development model in the District of Ruhr in 1994. Since then, the Innenhafen has changed into a region with housing, culture, employment, and water-based recreational activities.
The Harbor is an industrial tower and a major marker on the Route der Industriekultur. Some places of interest within the novel’s rebuilt grounds of The Innenhafen are the Werhahnmühle, used as a “Legoland Discovery Centre“ after the Children’s Museum ATLANTIS left the premises.
The “Garden of Remembrance, “the Synagogue of the Jewish District of Duisburg-Mülheim/Ruhr-Oberhausen, and the Küppersmühle were transformed by de Muron and Herzog into museums of the arts.
In addition, a marina was erected on the further part of the inner harbor garden, and a buckled bridge (Buckelbrücke) for pedestrians was also built. This bridge extends the marina to the nearby Holzhafen.
With these many attractions has come an active dining culture. There are over 15 clubs and restaurants, as well as privately run bars and corporate franchises.
See Related: Places to Visit in Northern Germany
Tiger & Turtle
Address: Ehinger Str. 117, 47249 Duisburg, Germany
This is a landmark and art installation in Duisburg, Germany. It was constructed in 2011 and designed by Heike Mutter and Ulrich Genth. This art installation looks like a rollercoaster, yet it is actually a walkway plus stairs. It has a vertical loop that continues the stairs and walkway; however, that part cannot be walked on and stays closed off.
HuffPost ranked the Tiger and Turtle–Magic Mountain as number six on its list of the Most Extreme Staircases. The staircase has vibrant curves and sweeps that smoothly carve into the scenery while rising to its impressive 21-meter height.
From afar, the shiny metallic track gives the impression of increased speed and movement. At a closer glance, however, the apparent lane is actually a stairway meticulously twisted into a roller coaster shape.
Visitors can ascend the Tiger and Turtle – Magic Mountain on foot. At the top, which is the tallest point of this sculpture – 45 meters beyond ground level – visitors enjoy an exceptional view of the Western Ruhr landscape.
With a 44 x 37 meters base and 21 meters height, the Tiger and Turtle – Magic Mountain is among the largest sculptures in Germany. It is also a remarkable feat of engineering, particularly the stairway (produced in partnership with Arnold Walz) draft and how it beautifully winds down the three-dimensional form of the whole structure.
Heike Mutter and his partner Ulrich Genth have been working on art projects for exhibitions and public areas for years. The duo currently works and resides in Hamburg, Germany, where Mutter teaches at the Hochschule für bildende Künste.
See Related: Best Things to Do in Stuttgart
Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord
Address: Emscherstraße 71, 47137 Duisburg, Germany
This is a park for the public that is situated in Duisburg-Meiderich, Germany. Latz + Partner (Peter Latz) designed the Landschaftspark in 1991, intending to make it reconcile and appreciate the past industrial period instead of rebuff it.
Landschaftspark strongly identifies itself with what the site used to be – a steel and coal manufacturing plant (neglected in 1985, leaving the environment considerably polluted) and an agricultural site in the mid-19th century. The Landschaftspark is split into different sections and bordered off.
The sections are divided based on their pre-existing conditions, like the kinds of plants that had started growing in the area or how the site had been portioned by pre-existing railways and roads.
Then, this fragmented arrangement was interwoven together via several waterways and walkways, positioned in line with the former sewer systems and railways.
This way, every piece has its character intact while also having a relationship with the surroundings close to it. Inside the major complex, the designer Peter Latz highlighted particular key elements.
For instance, old-fashioned gas tanks were transformed into scuba diving pools, concrete walls were refurbished for rock climbers, and concrete bunkers were used to plant cozy gardens. A core area in the factory, which used to be the heart of the old steel mill, was redesigned into a pizza.
All the spaces in the Landschaftspark are designed with elements that enable a definite time reading. The park was made against the backdrop of, for instance, a grandfather, who possibly used to be a worker at the plant, who could take a stroll with his grandkids.
See Related: Day Trips from Nuremberg, Germany
Sechs-Seen-Platte
Address: 47279 Duisburg, Germany
Duisburg-Bissingheim station is located in Duisburg town within the North Rhine-Westphalia area in Germany. Duisburg is a metropolitan town that lies on the Ruhr and Rhine River confluence. It is one of Ruhr’s biggest cities and the 15th biggest city overall in Germany.
Duisburg was a member of the Hanseatic League in the Middle Ages. It later developed into the main center of the chemical, steel, and iron industries. This is why it suffered severe bombing in the Second World War.
Presently, it has the biggest inland port in the world, with 40 kilometers of harbor. It is also home to one of Germany’s biggest commercial train station businesses.
This Duisburg-Bissingheim train station line receives about 21 million visitors and travelers daily. There are 5,400 train stations under the line. Trains from over 120 railway companies pull into the Duisburg-Bissingheim platform over 400,000 times daily.
The Duisburg-Bissingheim line stations are known for their modern style, design, ease of use, and operation. In 2019, it was reported that 1.3 billion euros had been spent on improving the state of the DB stations. With about 920 thousand square meters of space, the train station line is a major name in the German transportation circle.
The DB train station is also environmentally friendly and is constantly working on ways to have more eco-friendly train rides. Tickets for the Duisburg-Bissingheim can be purchased online, in person, or on the phone.
There are numerous hotels and restaurants close to this train station for tourists and visitors who prefer having quick access to transport services.
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Ruhrwehr Duisburg
Address: Pontwert 30, 47059 Duisburg, Germany
The Ruhrwehr Duisburg is situated on the Ruhr about 2.626 km ahead of the Rhine. It is reachable by cycling or walking. The locks are made to be twin weirs and have double retaining walls for each particular weir opening.
The top weir is made as a hook gate, while the lower serves as a box gate. However, they work mostly self-sufficiently. The structure has a whole width of 150.88 meters with four weir openings measuring a well-defined width of 30 meters.
Only the Rhine typically influences the water level in the Duisburg/Mulheim area; when the River swells because of severe floods, the weir structures are removed to allow unobstructed drainage and prevent wreckage of the closures.
The Ruhrwehr Duisburg is particularly stunning in the evenings. However, it is still a great sight on tour or just walking leisurely past. Cyclists and pedestrians can travel the weir.
For visitors, there are many facilities for relaxing and enjoying the view, such as wide meadows and benches. Resisting the gorgeous natural vista hovering gently above the weir is almost impossible.
Both residents and tourists tend to be big fans of the Ruhr whenever they are in Duisburg. Residents can be seen taking a stroll during their work break or relaxing with a drink.
Tourists often wander, take in the sights, or even hike. The Ruhrwehr Duisburg is also great for photography, especially above the weir and open locks. The Ruhr is sometimes called the “small “waterfall” of Duisburg.”
See Related: Best Mountains in Germany
Duisburg Zoo
Address: Mülheimer Str. 273, 47058 Duisburg, Germany
This Zoo was established on the 12th of May 1934 and is among the biggest zoological gardens in Germany. Before it achieved its current fame, the zoo was just a small park till it was loaned its first elephant.
When the Second World War began in 1939, the zoo shut down and was only reopened in 1946 with loaned animals from the Munich Hellabrunn Zoo.
By 1958, a businessman named Helmut Horten provided a building to house seals and penguins for the zoo. In 1970, the change from a small animal park to an actual zoo was made official.
It is particularly popular for the dolphinarium on its grounds and koala breeding (beginning in 1994). The zoo’s research on Dolphin behavior has drawn both admiration and criticism; still, it thrives. Following the commencement of koala breeding, an outdoor structure for gorillas was set up.
In addition, an inter-city partnership between Wuhan and Duisburg was also established to construct a Chinese garden with inclusive fauna. The Duisburg Zoo has also successfully bred animals such as red river hogs and fossas, Carnivorous mammals from Madagascar.
It is situated in the Northern region of the Duisburg Urban Forest, right on the Mülheim border close to the Ruhr. The zoo is split into eastern and western parts by Federal Highway A3 and joined by a leafy country bridge.
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