File:Dortmund - Altes Hafenamt - Flickr - Rutger van der Maar.jpg

Dortmund

The Altes Hafenamt Dortmund (Old Dortmund Harbor Office) was built in 1898 in the neo-renaissance style in the newly founded port of Dortmund according to plans by the architect and city planning inspector Friedrich Kullrich. The building was used as port administration until 1962. From 1982 to 1987 it was extensively restored and is now one of the few public houses in Dortmund from the Wilhelmine period.

The landmark building, with its 38-meter-high tower, is visible from afar and houses a mosaic floor in its hallway depicting a medieval cog with hoisted sails. The Dortmund eagle can be found on the sail and the city's red and white pennant flies from the top of the mast. A portal framed by three-quarter columns ends in a carved head of Neptune. Above the cornice, a memorial slab made of granite contains the portrait of Wilhelm II in a bronze relief and thus commemorates the visit of the German Emperor on August 11, 1899. The coats of arms of the cities of Emden and Emden can be found under the parapet of the tower room, carried by dolphins Dortmund.

Today, the listed building houses the water police's offices and the imperial room, which has been preserved with its original furnishings.

The Old Harbor Office is registered as an architectural monument in the city of Dortmund's list of monuments and is part of the Industrial Heritage Route. ________________________________________________

Dortmund is the largest city in the Ruhr area. It has a population of 593,000 inhabitants, making it the eighth largest city in Germany. Dortmund was founded around 882. Throughout the 13th to 14th centuries, it was the "chief city" of the Rhine, Westphalia, and the Netherlands Circle of the Hanseatic League. During the Thirty Years' War, the city was destroyed and decreased in significance until the onset of industrialization. The city then became one of Germany's most important coal, steel and beer centres. The town expanded into a city, with the population rising from 57,742 in 1875 to 379,950 in 1905. Sprawling residential areas like the North, East, Union and Kreuz district sprang up in less than 10 years. Dortmund consequently was one of the most heavily bombed cities in Germany during World War II. The devastating bombing raids of 12 March 1945 destroyed 98% of buildings in the inner city center. These bombing raids, with more than 1,110 aircraft, hold the record to a single target in World War II. Post-war, most of the ancient buildings were not restored, and large parts of the city area were completely rebuilt in the style of the 1950s. A few historic buildings as the main churches Reinoldikirche and Marienkirche were restored or rebuilt, and extensive parks and gardens were laid out. The simple but successful postwar rebuilding has resulted in a very mixed and unique cityscape. ________________________________________________

After visiting the Ruhr area three years ago, I did a revisit, since there was still so much to see. In less than six days I visited six cities, two museums, and I did some extensive car spotting by bicycle. I have hundreds of car spots to share and took photos of the historic or interesting buildings.

The Ruhr area ('Ruhrgebiet') is named after the river that borders it to the south and is the largest urban area in Germany with over five million people. It is mostly known as a densely-populated industrial area. By 1850 there were almost 300 coal mines in operation in the Ruhr area. The coal was exported or processed in coking ovens into coke, used in blast furnaces, producing iron and steel. Because of the industrial significance, it had been a target from the start of the war, yet "the organized defences and the large amount of industrial pollutants produced a semi-permanent smog or industrial haze that hampered accurate bombing". During World War II, the industry and cities in the Ruhr area were heavily bombed. The combination of the lack of historic city centres, which were burned to ashes, (air) pollution, and urban decay has given the area and the cities a bad reputation.