Duisburg Inner Harbour

The Innenhafen in Duisburg, Germany, is connected to the Rhine River, encompasses an area of 89ha. For over a hundred years during the high point of the Industrial Revolution, it was the central harbour and trading point of the town. Since the mid 1960s, the importance of the harbour declined and it lay in a disused condition for 20 years, before plans for renovation were drawn up. This former industrial area has been fundamentally transformed, a process which started as a part of the International Building Exhibition Emscher Park which ran from 1989 until 1999.The basis for this model of development in the Ruhr district was delivered in 1994 by the British architect Norman Foster. Since then, the Inner Harbor has transformed itself into a district combining employment, housing, culture and water-based leisure activities. Today, the Inner Harbour is both an industrial monument and a main stop on the Route der Industriekultur. It is also the world's largest inland port.HistoryWhere the Inner Harbour is today, the Rhine flowed many centuries ago. Up until the 5th century, the boundary of the Roman Empire ran through this locality. During the Middle Ages a Frankish regal court was built on the banks of the Rhine, today that place is occupied by the Rathaus. On the same area were to be found the old Duisburg town church, the Salvatorkirche, the market hall and the city walls.