A river as a backbone
First and foremost, when it comes to the geography of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Rhine is a key element
Westphalia, it's essential to mention the Rhine. This wide, impressive river, long a frontier between peoples and so important, crosses the region for just over 225 kilometers, forging its cultural identity as a veritable local pride. The very name of the Rhineland region draws its inspiration from the river. The Rhine was originally named after an ancient Celtic etymology probably meaning "flowing river", Renos, which the Romans translated into Latin, Renus.
The Rhine has been a major trade route on the European continent for many centuries. During the industrial era, it even became a kind of river highway, linking Rotterdam in the Netherlands to Basel in Switzerland from north to south, via major ports such as Duisburg. In particular, it enables goods to be transported from the Ruhr basin to the ports of Northern Europe. Further south, the river transports pleasure boats in romantic settings.
In recent years, the Rhine has also become a river with calmer, redesigned banks, with promenades laid out in urban areas such as Cologne and Düsseldorf. The long-established nature and vineyard cruising areas around Bonn contrast with the highly urbanized north of the state. Finally, there are five other rivers in the region: Ruhr, Ems, Lippe, Weser and Sieg. All these rivers have contributed to the industrial and commercial development of the state.
At the crossroads of Europe's age-old traffic routes
The "NRW" (Nordrhein-Westfalen) region is bordered by the Netherlands and Belgium to the west, Lower Saxony to the north, Hesse to the east and Rhineland-Palatinate to the south. Many major cities are interconnected by a dense road and rail network. It's easy to get from one town to the next, with some communities clustered together like neighborhoods in a metropolis. Düsseldorf is the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, while Cologne is the largest city. Other important cities include Dortmund, Essen, Duisburg and Bochum, all located in the mining basin that has long been the region's source of wealth. To the west, Krefeld, cradle of the silk industry, opens the road to the Netherlands. Finally, to the south of Cologne, on the banks of the Rhine, Bonn, modest in size, is a historic city with a rich past, as it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990. Like a gateway to the world, Düsseldorf International Airport connects North Rhine-Westphalia to the whole world.
Gentle hillsides, fertile plains and river valleys
The region is characterized by a varied relief ranging from vast plains to moderate hills. The flat Westphalian plain in the north (the only area where agriculture has developed) is followed by the undulating schistous terrain of the south, including the Eifel and Sauerland mountain ranges. Woodland density is fairly moderate compared to other regions, but some areas, such as Bergisches Land, are covered by vast, pleasant forests. Immersing yourself in large natural areas will be easy for those who want to go green. A number of protected nature parks will be your refuge, including Naturpark Eifel and Rothaargebirge. With the end of industrialization, the emphasis has shifted to ecological restoration in a region that had been massively polluted and neglected for too long. Get on your bike and set off along the byways to get a good idea of the different geographical and natural facets of this anything but monotonous region.
A future zone for an entire country
Today, as in the past, this vast region of Germany has a major role to play in the country's future
country's future. The challenges of ecological transition are central to the region, and its position as a European crossroads is increasingly decisive at a time when the cohesion of the continent needs to be rethought. Its geographical assets cannot be overlooked, and the omnipresence of the Rhine, used since the dawn of time as an axis of circulation, is a fine example of this.
