The largest city of the Ruhr region, Dortmund was formerly a coal mining and steel producing centre. Today, its coking towers and steel plants have fallen silent, and been replaced by hi-tech companies and tourism. The vast Zollern coal mine II/IV, built in 1904 as a symbol of the region's industrial strength, is now a museum showing what life was like at the coalface. The once thriving port, with its 10 docks and 11km of quayside, is about to reinvent itself as a centre for e-commerce and IT. The city whose streets bore carts laden with salt and silk is still trading, however. After Berlin, Hamburg and Frankfurt, Dortmund is the largest shoppers' magnet in Germany, drawing visitors from 100km away.
Other popular haunts are the city's arthouse theatres, new concert hall and casino offering all manner of musical and theatrical offerings. And then there's the hallowed building they call Bundesliga's opera house, the stadium that is home to the Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund. One of Germany's oldest football clubs, Borussia was founded in 1909 by members of the Catholic youth group, citing that: "We as footballers have systematically been fought and defamed. We can no longer accept that. It is necessary to form a club."
Sporting pedigree
Dortmund is known for its love of football. Borussia Dortmund has the highest average attendance of any football club in Europe, with a record average of 78,808 spectators in the 2003-2004 season. In 1974, the city's Westfalenstadion was scene of the Holland v Bulgaria match, which in which Holland gave a demonstration of "Total Football" and became the favourites to win the Cup. They later lost to Germany, of course.
1966 and all that ...
Dortmund's vast annual Christmas market plays host to one of the largest Christmas trees in the world, formed by stacking hundreds of trees into the shape of a pyramid. The city also boasts the "world's biggest Native North American wigwam".
Where to stay
· Search for a range of accommodation on this Dortmund hotels site.
· Rooms at more than 550 German hotels can also be booked during the World Cup through Fifaworldcup.com). The hotels will be rated from two to five stars and all will be close to match venues. Visitors simply specify which team they want to follow and what time period they would like to be in Germany.
· Soccerphile in partnership with tour company VIP Hanse Touring is offering World Cup tour packages including hospitality, hotel bookings, venue and match day transfers and city tours.
· Hotel.de offers a selection of hotels available in the 12 participating World Cup cities along with information on draw dates and venues.
· World Cup Trips organises accommodation and tours incorporating transport to and from matches.
· Find accommodation in each of the World Cup host cities at Walking-in-Germany.co.uk.
· Find people with rooms to rent in the host cities at ImmobilienScout24.
· Fanproject 2006 is offering accommodation at giant campsites around Germany during the World Cup.
Getting there
By air: Dortmund Airport (DTM) is serviced by direct easyJet flights from Luton. Trains from the airport to Dortmund's Hauptbahnhof (Central Station) take around 36 minutes and run every half-hour. An alternative is to fly to Frankfurt, which is about a 90-minute train ride away. Dusseldorf is also an option.
By rail: Almost all trips to and from the city start at the Hauptbahnhof. Every day, 130 trains run from here to European destinations. European Rail offers transport to all the World Cup destinations. Also, check out special offers from Deutsch Bahn for World Cup travel.
By road: Eurolines, the overseas wing of National Express, offer return fares from the UK to all major German cities. Within Germany, Eurolines is represented by Deutsche Touring or tickets are available from Deutsche Bahn ticket agents in major railway stations.
The stadium
Set in a large park with adjoining sports complex complete with restaurants and a theatre, Dortmund's Westfalenstadion is home to Bundesliga team Borussia Dortmund. The stadium has a capacity of almost 83,000. The Westfalenhallen sports and events complex is notable for its environmental credentials; it is German football's biggest producer of solar energy. Each year it produces 550,000 kilowatt-hours of energy, enough to power the six Fifa World Cup games being held in Dortmund as well as the media centre.
· Where is it? From the Hauptbahnhof, take the train to Iserlohn/ Soest or the U-Bahn (underground) U45 to Westfalenstadion. The journey time is a few minutes and services run every 10 to 15 minutes.
Or watch it in a bar
The Boomerang Bar screens football, has a range of draught beers and also serves some interesting tucker allegedly involving kangaroo, crocodile and emu.
