Duisburg

River port and industrial city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, at the confluence of the Rhine and Ruhr rivers, 20 km/12 mi northwest of Düsseldorf; population (2003 est) 513,400. It is the largest inland river port in Europe. Located at the western end of the Ruhrgebiet (Ruhr District), Duisburg possesses the major Rhine docks at Ruhrort through which raw materials, such as iron ore and petroleum are imported. It has the largest concentration of heavy industry (iron and steelmaking, oil refining, heavy engineering, chemicals, and barge building) in the Ruhr. One of the world's longest span truss bridges, the Duisburg-Neuenkamp Bridge, stretches 350 m/1,148 ft across the Rhine.

A port since Roman times, Duisburg became a member of the Hanseatic League trade federation in the 13th century, and was acquired by Brandenburg (later Prussia) in 1614. Its growth as an industrial centre dates from c. 1850. The 14th-century Salvatorkirche is the tomb of the geographer and cartographer Gerardus Mercator; the modern Mercatorhalle is named after him. As a centre of the German armaments industry, it was heavily bombed during World War II, and two-thirds of the city was destroyed. It was the first German city to conclude a twinning agreement with a British city (Portsmouth) after 1945. There is a modern unversity in the city and an annual Schubert Festival is held in October.

Sport The town is the home of the West German football, canoe, and table-tennis federations. The large sports arena at Wedau caters for these and many other sports.