Dortmund

Dortmund is a major city in the west of Germany, in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with 587,696 inhabitants. It is the ninth-largest city in Germany and the third-largest in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf. Dortmund is part of the Rhine-Ruhr region and the largest city in the Ruhr area. It belongs to Westphalia and is part of the administrative district of Ansberg.

Once known primarily for steel, coal, and beer, the city is changing from an industrial metropolis to a global service and technology center. After many years, Dortmund has developed into a center for the insurance industry and retail trade. With around 53,000 students at six universities, including Technical University and 19 other academic institutions, Dortmund is one of Germany's ten largest university cities. It is also a major center for science and high technology. New commercial enterprises are founded primarily in logistics, information technology, and microsystems technology.