Introduction
From the 'History' section: 1716, Ruhrort basin opened to receive barges transporting coal to the Rhine, put under Prussian government control forty years later. Nearby port development in Duisburg which town will eventually own both harbours. Iron and steel industry plus railroads stimulate activity. Joint venture between Ruhrort and Duisburg in 1905 in a way paralleled by merger of these towns plus nearby Meiderich. Further development including links to important inland canals. After WW1, port becomes a joint-stock company, process finalized in 1926. Extensive damage to infrastructure and fleets caused by WW2: resuming transportation focuses on nourishing the population. Economic upswing in West Germany relaunches Duisburg ports e.g. growing importance of mineral oil but coal will remain important for some time. Continued expansion and transformation, backfilling basins where necessary. Modern trends such as push navigation and container traffic influence infrastructure e.g. by building terminals for roll-on/roll-off traffic, and intermodal transportation. Economic slump in the 'eighties is fought by government help and the establishment of a free port area operational from 1991 on while the decade sees urban development on land no longer used by the ports. At the end of the century local industry has been transformed if not disappeared and the main idea is now to become a transportation hub of the first rank but simultaneously to cooperate with other ports not limited to Europe. New name since 1 March 2000, 'Duisburger Hafen AG' (meaning port - singular - of Duisburg) of which 'duisport' is the marketing brand. Building of terminals and establishments of logistics firms continue.
Reason to Be Selected
The Port of Duisburg is in western Germany where the Rhine and Ruhr Rivers meet, and it's connected to the North Sea by the Herne and Dortmund-Ems Canals.Port HistoryRomans called it Castrum Deutonis, and Frankish kings who took over the Roman settlement in 420 AD called it Diuspargum. In 883, Normans conquered it briefly and called it Duisburg for the first time.The Port of Duisburg became a free imperial city in 1129, but it fell under the influence of Cleves in 1290 and of Brandenburg in 1614. The city suffered during the Dutch wars for independence and the Third Years?War, but it reclaimed its strength to become a center for Protestantism from 1655 to 1818.After 1880, the Port of Duisburg began to industrialize and absorb neighboring communities, including the harbor at Ruhrort. Joining of Duisburg and surrounding urban areas made it an important iron and steel center for Europe and one of the biggest inland ports in the world.Little of the city's history survived World War II, even though it was the site of the Frankish court and the foundation of the Knights of the Teutonic Order. However, the 12th Century Premonstratensian Abbey Church and 14th Century Salvator Church remain. Due to its importance to German's chemical and iron and steel industries, the Port of Duisburg was a major target for Allied bombers. It is considered by some historians to be the most heavily-bombed German city of World War II. In 1941, British bombers visited 445 tons of bombs there.Port CommerceToday, the Port of Duisburg's economy is still based on the port. Yet it is also a major center for coal mining and manufacture of iron and steel products. Other important manufacturing sectors include foodstuffs, beer, chemicals, paint, and ships.The Port of Duisburg, or Duisport, is the biggest inland port in the world. It is considered a seaport because sea-going river vessels go from there to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Every year, more than 70 million tons of cargo are handled there, and over 20 thousand ships visit the port. The harbor facilities occupy almost three square miles, and its 21 docks cover nearly 445 acres with 25 miles of wharf. The logistics center alone occupies over one square mile.The Port of Duisburg includes five container terminals, two with train tracks for quick transport of cargo. It has eight covered ship loading and unloading facilities. The port offers a coal-blending and loading facility, five coal unloading terminals, and five steel service centers. It has two roll-on/roll-off facilities and 19 liquid cargo transfer facilities. The Port of Duisburg offers over 370 acres of storage area, including 148 acres of warehouse. Further, over 100 thousand tons of scrap are sorted there every month for processing at Germany's steel mills.
As stated, many companies are located in Duisburg the house flags of which (including the hazy Walrhein!) may be seen here.In fact the list of firms is not only impressive but instructive as they are often presented with their symbols - this merits further study!
| Lat: | 51.4467 |
| Lng: | 6.72797 |
| Type: | |
| Region: | Europe |
| Scale: | City |
| Field: | Compositive |
| City: | Duisburg |