North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine-WestphaliaorNorth-Rhine/Westphalia,commonly shortened toNRW,is astate(Bundesland) inWestern Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is themost populousstate in Germany. Apart from the city-states (Berlin,HamburgandBremen), it is also themost denselypopulated state in Germany. Covering an area of 34,084 km(13,160 sq mi), it is thefourth-largestGerman state by size.
North Rhine-Westphalia features 30 of the 81 German municipalities with over 100,000 inhabitants, includingCologne(over 1 million), the state capitalDüsseldorf(630,000),DortmundandEssen(about 590,000 inhabitants each) and other cities predominantly located in theRhine-Ruhrmetropolitan area, the largest urban area in Germany and the fourth-largest on theEuropean continent. The location of the Rhine-Ruhr at the heart of the EuropeanBlue Bananamakes it well connected to other major European cities and metropolitan areas like theRandstad, theFlemish Diamondand theFrankfurt Rhine-Main Region.
North Rhine-Westphalia was established in 1946 afterWorld War IIfrom thePrussianprovinces ofWestphaliaand the northern part ofRhine Province(North Rhine), and theFree State of Lippeby theBritish military administrationinAllied-occupied Germanyand became a state of theFederal Republic of Germanyin 1949. The city ofBonnserved as the federal capital until thereunification of Germanyin 1990 and as theseat of governmentuntil 1999.
Culturally, North Rhine-Westphalia is not a uniform area; there are significant differences, especially in traditional customs, between the Rhineland region on the one hand and the regions of Westphalia and Lippe on the other.Its economyis the largest amongGerman states by GRDPbut is below the national averagein GRDP per capita.
The state of North Rhine-Westphalia was established by theBritish military administration's "Operation Marriage" on 23 August 1946 by merging theprovince of Westphaliaand the northern parts of theRhine Province, both being political divisions of the formerstate of Prussiawithin theGerman Reich.On 21 January 1947, the former state ofLippewas merged with North Rhine-Westphalia.Theconstitution of North Rhine-Westphaliawas then ratified through areferendum.
The first written account of the area was by its conqueror,Julius Caesar, the territories west of the Rhine were occupied by theEburonesand east of the Rhine he reported theUbii(across from Cologne) and theSugambrito their north. The Ubii and some other Germanic tribes such as theCugerniwere later settled on the west side of the Rhine in the Roman province ofGermania Inferior. Julius Caesar conquered the tribes on the left bank, and Augustus established numerous fortified posts on the Rhine, but the Romans never succeeded in gaining a firm footing on the right bank, where the Sugambri neighboured several other tribes including theTencteriandUsipetes. North of the Sigambri and the Rhine region were theBructeri.
As the power of the Roman empire declined, many of these tribes came to be seen collectively asRipuarian Franksand they pushed forward along both banks of the Rhine, and by the end of the fifth century had conquered all the lands that had formerly been under Roman influence. By the eighth century, the Frankish dominion was firmly established in western Germany and northern Gaul, but at the same time, to the north, Westphalia was being taken over bySaxonspushing south.
TheMerovingianandCarolingianFranks eventually built an empire which controlled first their Ripuarian kin, and then the Saxons. On the division of theCarolingian Empireat theTreaty of Verdun, the part of the province to the east of the river fell toEast Francia, while that to the west remained with the kingdom ofLotharingia.
By the time ofOtto I(d. 973), both banks of the Rhine had become part of theHoly Roman Empire, and the Rhenish territory was divided between the duchies ofUpper Lorraineon theMoselleandLower Lorraineon the Meuse. TheOttonian dynastyhad both Saxon and Frankish ancestry.
As the central power of the Holy Roman Emperor weakened, the Rhineland split into numerous small, independent, separate vicissitudes and special chronicles. The old Lotharingian divisions became obsolete, although the name survives for example inLorrainein France, and throughout the Middle Ages and even into modern times, the nobility of these areas often sought to preserve the idea of a preeminentdukewithin Lotharingia, something claimed by theDukes of Limburg, and theDukes of Brabant. Such struggles as theWar of the Limburg Successiontherefore continued to create military and political links between what is now Rhineland-Westphalia and neighbouringBelgiumand theNetherlands.
In spite of its dismembered condition and the sufferings it underwent at the hands of its French neighbours in various periods of warfare, the Rhenish territory prospered greatly and stood in the foremost rank of German culture and progress. Aachen was the place of coronation of the German emperors, and the ecclesiastical principalities of the Rhine bulked largely in German history.
Prussia first set foot on the Rhine in 1609 by the occupation of theDuchy of Clevesand about a century laterUpper GueldersandMoersalso became Prussian. At the peace of Basel in 1795, the whole of theleft bank of the Rhinewas resigned to France, and in 1806, the Rhenish princes all joined theConfederation of the Rhine.
After the Congress of Vienna, Prussia was awarded the entireRhineland, which included theGrand Duchy of Berg, the ecclesiastic electorates ofTrierandCologne, the free cities ofAachenand Cologne, and nearly a hundred small lordships and abbeys. The PrussianRhine provincewas formed in 1822 and Prussia had the tact to leave the lower Rhenish districts in undisturbed possession of the liberal institutions to which they had become accustomed under the republican rule of the French.In 1920, the districts ofEupenandMalmedywere transferred to Belgium (seeGerman-speaking Community of Belgium).
Around AD 1, numerous incursions occurred through Westphalia and perhaps even some permanentRomanor Romanized settlements. TheBattle of Teutoburg Foresttook place near Osnabrück and some of theGermanic tribeswho fought at this battle came from the area of Westphalia.Charlemagneis thought to have spent considerable time inPaderbornand nearby parts. HisSaxon Warsalso partly took place in what is thought of as Westphalia today. Popular legends link his adversaryWidukindto places nearDetmold,Bielefeld,Lemgo, Osnabrück, and other places in Westphalia. Widukind was buried inEnger, which is also a subject of a legend.
Along withAngria,Eastphalia, andNordalbingia, Westphalia (Westfalahi) was originally a district of theDuchy of Saxony. In 1180, Westphalia was elevated to the rank of a duchy by EmperorBarbarossa. TheDuchy of Westphaliacomprised only a small area south of theLippe River.
Parts of Westphalia came underBrandenburg-Prussiancontrol during the 17th and 18th centuries, but most of it remained divided duchies and other feudal areas of power. ThePeace of Westphaliaof 1648, signed in Münster and Osnabrück, ended theThirty Years' War. The concept of nation-state sovereignty resulting from the treaty became known as "Westphalian sovereignty".
As a result of theProtestant Reformation, there is no dominant religion in Westphalia. Catholicism andLutheranismare on relatively equal footing. Lutheranism is strong in the eastern and northern parts with numerous free churches.Münsterand especiallyPaderbornare thought of as Catholic. Osnabrück is divided almost equally between Catholicism and Protestantism.
After the defeat of thePrussian Armyat theBattle of Jena-Auerstedt, theTreaty of Tilsitin 1807 made the Westphalian territories part of theKingdom of Westphaliafrom 1807 to 1813. It was founded byNapoleonand was aFrenchvassal state. This state only shared the name with the historical region; it contained only a relatively small part of Westphalia, consisting instead mostly ofHessianandEastphalianregions.
After theCongress of Vienna, theKingdom of Prussiareceived a large amount of territory in the Westphalian region and created theprovince of Westphaliain 1815. The northernmost portions of the former kingdom, including the town ofOsnabrück, had become part of the states ofHanoverandOldenburg.
Theflag of North Rhine-Westphaliais green-white-red with the combined coats of arms of theRhineland(white line before green background, symbolizing the river Rhine),Westfalen(the white horse) andLippe(the red rose). After the establishment of North Rhine-Westphalia in 1946, the tricolor was first introduced in 1948, but was not formally adopted until 1953.The plain variant of the tricolor is considered thecivil flagand state ensign, while government authorities use thestate flag(Landesdienstflagge) which is defaced with thestate's coat of arms.The state ensign can easily be mistaken for a distressedflag of Hungary, as well as the former nationalflag of Iran(1964–1980). The same flag was used by theRhenish Republic(1923–1924) as a symbol of independence and freedom.
The horse on the coat of arms is a reference to theSaxon Steed, a heraldic motif associated with both Westphalia andLower Saxony. The horse first featured in the 15th century coat of arms of the Duchy of Westphalia, before being inherited by the Prussian province of Westphalia and finally the modern state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
North Rhine-Westphalia encompasses the plains of theLower Rhineregion and parts of theCentral Uplands(die Mittelgebirge) up to the gorge ofPorta Westfalica. The state covers an area of 34,083 km(13,160 sq mi) and shares borders withBelgium(Wallonia) in the southwest and theNetherlands(Limburg,GelderlandandOverijssel) in the west and northwest. It has borders with the German states ofLower Saxonyto the north and northeast,Rhineland-Palatinateto the south andHesseto the southeast.
Approximately half of the state is located in the relative low-lying terrain of theWestphalian Lowlandand theRhineland, both extending broadly into theNorth German Plain. A few isolated hill ranges are located within these lowlands, among them the Hohe Mark, theBeckum Hills, theBaumbergeand theStemmer Berge.The terrain rises towards the south and in the east of the state into parts of Germany'sCentral Uplands. These hill ranges are theWeser Uplands– including theEgge Hills, theWiehen Hills, theWesergebirgeand theTeutoburg Forestin the east, theSauerland, theBergisches Land, theSiegerlandand theSiebengebirgein the south, as well as the left-RhenishEifelin the southwest of the state. TheRothaargebirgein the border region withHesserises to height of about 800 m above sea level. The highest of these mountains are theLangenberg, at 843.2 m above sea level, theKahler Asten(840.7 m) and the Clemensberg (839.2 m).
The planimetrically determined centre of North Rhine-Westphalia is located in the south of Dortmund-Aplerbeckin the Aplerbecker Mark (51° 28' N, 7° 33' Ö). Its westernmost point is situated nearSelfkantclose to the Dutch border, the easternmost nearHöxteron theWeser. The southernmost point lies nearHellenthalin theEifelregion. The northernmost point is the NRW-Nordpunkt nearRahdenin the northeast of the state. The Nordpunkt has located the only 100 km to the south of the North Sea coast. The deepest natural dip is arranged in the district Zyfflich in the city ofKranenburgwith 9.2 m above sea level in the northwest of the state. Though, the deepest point overground results from mining. The open-pit Hambach reaches atNiederziera deep of 293 m below sea level. At the same time, this is the deepest human-made dip in Germany.
The most important rivers flowing at least partially through North Rhine-Westphalia include: theRhine, theRuhr, theEms, theLippe, and theWeser. The Rhine is by far the most important river in North Rhine-Westphalia: it enters the state asMiddle Rhinenear Bad Honnef, where still being part of theMittelrhein wine region. It changes into theLower Rhinenear Bad Godesberg and leaves North Rhine-Westphalia near Emmerich at a width of 730 metres. Almost immediately after entering the Netherlands, the Rhine splits into many branches.
ThePader, which flows entirely within the city ofPaderborn, is considered Germany's shortest river.
For many, North Rhine-Westphalia is synonymous with industrial areas and urban agglomerations. However, the largest part of the state is used for agriculture (almost 52%) and forests (25%).
The state consists of fivegovernment regions(Regierungsbezirke), divided into 31 districts (Kreise) and 23urban districts(kreisfreie Städte). In total, North Rhine-Westphalia has 396 municipalities (1997), including the urban districts, which are municipalities by themselves. The government regions have an assembly elected by the districts and municipalities, while theLandschaftsverbandhas a directly elected assembly.
The five government regions of North Rhine-Westphalia each belong to one of the twoLandschaftsverbände:
The state's area covers a maximum distance of 291 km from north to south, and 266 km from east to west. The total length of the state's borders is 1,645 km. The following countries and states have a border with North Rhine-Westphalia:
North Rhine-Westphalia has a population of approximately 18.1 million inhabitants (more than the entireformer East Germany, and slightly more than theNetherlands) and is centred around the polycentricRhine-Ruhrmetropolitan region, which includes the industrialRuhrregion with the largest city ofDortmundand the Rhenish cities ofBonn,CologneandDüsseldorf. 30 of the80 largest cities in Germanyare located within North Rhine-Westphalia. The state's capital is Düsseldorf; the state's largest city is Cologne. In 2022, there were 164,496 births and 234,176 deaths.
The following table shows the ten largest cities of North Rhine-Westphalia:
The following table shows the population of the state since 1930. The values until 1960 are the average of the yearly population, from 1965 the population at year end is used.
Source:Statistische Ämter des Bundes Und der Länder
As of 2020, 50% of the population of the state adhered to theRoman Catholic Church, 22% to theProtestant Church in Germany, and 28% of the population isirreligiousor adheres to other denominations or religions. North Rhine-Westphalia ranks first in population among German states for both Roman Catholics and Protestants.
In 2016, the interior ministry of North Rhine-Westphalia reported that the number of mosques with aSalafistinfluencehad risen from 3 to 9, which indicated both an actual increase and improved reporting.According to German authorities,Salafismis incompatible with the principles codified in theConstitution of the Federal Republic of Germany, in particular:democracy, therule of law, and political order based onhuman rights.
The politics of North Rhine-Westphalia takes place within a framework of afederalparliamentaryrepresentative democraticrepublic. The two main parties are, as on the federal level, the centre-rightChristian Democratic Unionand the centre-leftSocial Democratic Party. From 1966 to 2005, North Rhine-Westphalia was continuously governed by the Social Democrats or SPD-led governments.
The state's legislative body is theLandtag("state parliament house").It may pass laws within the competency of the state, e.g. cultural matters, the education system, matters of internal security, i.e. the police, building supervision, health supervision and the media; as opposed to matters that are reserved to Federal law.
North Rhine-Westphalia uses the same electoral system as the Federal level in Germany: "Personalized proportional representation". Every five years the citizens of North Rhine-Westphalia vote in a general election to elect at least 181 members of the Landtag. Only parties who win at least 5% of the votes cast may be represented in parliament.
The Landtag, the parliamentary parties and groups consisting of at least 7 members of parliament have the right to table legal proposals to the Landtag for deliberation.The law that is passed by the Landtag is delivered to the Minister-President, who, together with the ministers involved, is required to sign it and announce it in the Law and Ordinance Gazette.
The vote was held on 15 May, 2022. In the aftermath of the 2022 election, the Christian Democrats (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) both had talks with the Greens. An alliance between the Greens and the SPD would have required the help of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) to gain a majority, but the FDP did not take part in these conversations. Rather, its top candidate believed that a Green/CDU alliance was the most likely outcome.All mainstream parties tend to refuse to cooperate with the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD).Ultimately, the CDU/Green alliance was the one that prevailed.The new coalition reelectedHendrik Wüst, who had been the Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia during the last portion of the previous CDU/FDP coalition on 28 June, 2022.
These are theminister-presidents of North Rhine-Westphalia:
For further information on the current state government, seeWüst cabinet.
The state hasAachen Cathedral, theCologne Cathedral, theZeche ZollvereininEssen, theAugustusburg PalaceinBrühland theImperial Abbey of CorveyinHöxterwhich are allWorld Heritage Sites.
North Rhine-Westphalia hosts film festivals inCologne, Bonn,Dortmund,Duisburg,Münster,OberhausenandLünen.
Other large festivals includeRhenish carnivals,Ruhrtriennale.
Every yearGamescomis hosted inCologne. It is the largest video game convention in Europe.
North Rhine-Westphalia has always been Germany's powerhouse with the largest economy among theGerman states by GDP figures.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Westphalia was known asLand von Kohle und Stahl(Land of Coal and Steel). In the post-World War II recovery, theRuhrwas one of the most important industrial regions in Europe, and contributed to the GermanWirtschaftswunder. As of the late 1960s, repeated crises led to contractions of these industrial branches. On the other hand, producing sectors, particularly in mechanical engineering and metal and iron working industry, experienced substantial growth. Despite this structural change and an economic growth which was under national average, the 2018 GDP of 705 billion euro (1/4 of the total German GDP) made NRW the economically strongest state of Germanyby GRP figures, as well as one of the most important economical areas in the world.Of Germany's top 100 corporations, 37 are based in North Rhine-Westphalia. On a per capita base, however, North Rhine-Westphalia remains one of the weaker among theWestern Germanstates.
North Rhine-Westphalia attracts companies from both Germany and abroad. In 2009, the state had the most foreign direct investments (FDI) anywhere in Germany.Around 13,100 foreign companies from the most important investment countries control their German or European operations from bases in North Rhine-Westphalia.
There have been many changes in the state's economy in recent times. Among the many changes in the economy, employment in the creative industries is up while the mining sector is employing fewer people.Industrial heritage sitesare now workplaces for designers, artists and the advertising industry.TheRuhrregion has – since the 1960s – undergone a significant structural change away from coal mining and steel industry. Many rural parts of EasternWestphalia,Bergisches Landand theLower Rhineground their economy on "Hidden Champions" in varioussectors.
As of June 2014, the unemployment rate is 8.2%, second highest among all western German states.In October 2018 the unemployment rate stood at 6.4% and was higher than the national average.
With its central location in themost important European economic area, high population density, strong urbanization and numerous business locations, North Rhine-Westphalia has one of the densest transport networks in the world.
The regional rail network is organised around the big cities on the Rhine and Ruhr such asCologne,DüsseldorfandDortmund. The public transport companies in the Ruhr area and Düsseldorf are run under the umbrella of theVerkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr, which provides a uniform ticket system valid for the area. The region of Cologne and Bonn is run under theVerkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg. There is also a ticketing system calledNRW-Tarifwhich offers tickets between all the regions of North Rhine-Westphalia. The state is well-integrated into the national rail system, theDeutsche Bahn, for both passenger and goods services, each city in the region has at least one or more train stations. The bigger central stations have frequent direct connections to most bigger German cities and European cities such asAmsterdam,Brussels,ParisandBasel. Some direct trains run toViennaandZürich.
The Rhein-Ruhr area also contains some of the longesttramsystem in the world, with tram andStadtbahnservices fromWittentoKrefeldin the VRR zone andColognetoBad HonnefandSiegburgviaBonnwithin the VRS zone. Besides the local public transportation there is an interconnected commuter rail network, with theRhine-Ruhr S-Bahnnetwork serving the Ruhr area as well as Düsseldorf and theS-Bahn Kölnserving the area around Cologne.
As of 2012, the VRR network alone consists of 978 lines,of which there are:
In 2022 the VRS and AVV areacontains
North Rhine-Westphalia has the densest network ofAutobahns in Germanyand similar Schnellstraßen (expressways). The Autobahn network is built in a grid network, with five east–west (A2,A4,A40,A42,A44) and eight north–south (A1,A3,A43,A45,A52,A57,A59,A61) routes. The A1, A2, A3, A4 and A61 are mostly used by through traffic, while the other autobahns have a more regional function.
Both the A44 and the A52 have several missing links, in various stages of planning. Some missing sections are currently in construction or planned to be constructed in the near future.
Additional expressways serve as bypasses and local routes, especially around Dortmund and Bochum. Due to the density of the autobahns and expressways,Bundesstraßenare less important for intercity traffic. The first Autobahns in the Region opened during the mid-1930s. Due to the density of the network, and the number of alternative routes, traffic volumes are generally lower than other major metropolitan areas in Europe. Traffic congestion is an everyday occurrence, but far less so than in theRandstadin the Netherlands, another polycentric urban area. Most important Autobahns have six lanes.
The region benefits from the presence of several airport infrastructure. The main airport isDüsseldorf Airport, world class, which hosted 25.5 million passengers in 2019 and offers flights to various international destinations. Düsseldorf is the fourth-largest airport in Germany afterFrankfurt,MunichandBerlinand serves as ahubforEurowingsand as focus city for several more airlines. The airport has three passenger terminals and two runways and can handle wide-body aircraft up to theAirbus A380.
The second airport is theinternational airportofGermany's fourth-largest cityCologne, and also servesBonn, former capital ofWest Germany. With around 10 million passengers passing through it in 2023, it is the sixth-largest passenger airport in Germany and the third-largest in terms of cargo operations. It is also a hub for Eurowings, but also for some cargo airlines. By traffic units, which combines cargo and passengers, the airport is in fifth position in Germany.As of March 2015, Cologne Bonn Airport had services to 115 passenger destinations in 35 countries.It is named afterKonrad Adenauer, a Cologne native and the first post-war Chancellor of West Germany.
Third airport in the region,Dortmund Airportis a minorinternational airportlocated 10 km (6.2 mi) east ofDortmund. It serves the easternRhine-Ruhr area, the largesturban agglomerationinGermany, and is mainly used for low-cost and leisure charter flights. In 2019 the airport served 2,719,563 passengers.
There are three more minor airports within the state:Münster Osnabrück Airport,Airport WeezeandPaderborn Lippstadt Airport.
TheRhineflows through North Rhine-Westphalia. Its banks are usually heavily populated and industrialized, in particular theagglomerationsCologne,DüsseldorfandRuhr area. Here the Rhine flows through the largest conurbation in Germany, theRhine-Ruhrregion.Duisburg Inner Harbour(Duisport) andDortmund Portare large industrial inland ports and serve as hubs along the Rhine and the German inland water transport system. The country is crossed by many canals likeRhine–Herne Canal(RHK), derWesel-Datteln-Kanal(WDK), derDatteln-Hamm-Kanal(DHK) andDortmund-Ems-Kanal(DEK) an important role for inland navigation.
RWTH Aachenis one of Germany's leading universities of technology and was chosen byDFGas one of the GermanUniversities of Excellencein 2007, 2012 and again in 2019. North Rhine-Westphalia is home to14 universities and over 50 partly postgraduate colleges, with a total of over 742,000 students.Largest and oldest university is theUniversity of Cologne(Universität zu Köln), founded in 1388 AD, since 2012 also one of Germany's eleven Universities of Excellence.University of Duisburg-Essen(Universität Duisburg-Essen), is also well known and is one of the largest universities in Germany.
NRW is home to several football clubs of theBundesligaincludingBayer 04 Leverkusen,Borussia Dortmund,Borussia Mönchengladbach,1. FC KölnandVfL Bochumand the2. BundesligaincludingFortuna Düsseldorf,FC Schalke 04andSC Paderborn 07and the3. LigaincludingArminia Bielefeld,MSV Duisburg,Rot-Weiß Essen,Preußen Münster,Rot-Weiß Oberhausen,FC Viktoria KölnandSC Verl.
Since the formal establishment of the German Bundesliga in 1963,Borussia DortmundandBorussia Mönchengladbachhave been the most successful teams in the state, with both winning five titles.1. FC Kölnwon two titles, including the first in 1963. Before the league's establishment, North Rhine-Westfalian teams competed for the title of Deutscher Fußballmeister (German Football Champion). Here,FC Schalke 04brought home seven titles, while Dortmund and Köln won an additional three and one title(s), respectively.Fortuna DüsseldorfandRot-Weiß Essenhave each been German Champion once. North Rhine-Westphalia has been a very successful footballing state having a combined total of 25 championships, fewer only thanBavaria.
The state is also home to several professional basketball teams that currently either compete in theBasketball BundesligaorProAor have competed there in the past. 
These teams includeTelekom Baskets Bonn,Bayer Giants Leverkusen,Paderborn Baskets,Uni Baskets Münster,VfL SparkassenStars Bochum,Phoenix HagenandAlemannia Aachen.
North Rhine-Westphalia is home to current and formerDELteamsDüsseldorfer EG,Kölner Haie,Krefeld Pinguine, andIserlohn Roosters.