A densely populated, relatively young region
North Rhine-Westphalia's major urban centers are home to the majority of its inhabitants, with just over a million people living in Cologne, 620,000 in Düsseldorf and 587,000 in Dortmund, to name the three most populous cities in the state. Throughout its history, the region's economic attractiveness has made it a magnet for people from Germany and abroad in search of work and better living conditions. At 44.2 years, the average age is lower than the national average, partly due to high levels of immigration, major university centers and attractive cities for young working people. The under-18s account for 18% of the Land's total population, while the 65-year-olds represent around 22%.
Immigration as a real marker in a working-class region
At the height of the industrial era, the Ruhr mining basin and the entire North Rhine-Westphalia region acted as a magnet for immigrant populations. At the end of the 19th century, it was the Poles who came to meet the labor needs of the region's mining and steel industries. In the post-war period, North Rhine-Westphalia regained its position as a dynamic, economically flourishing region, offering numerous opportunities for foreign workers, known in German as "Gastarbeiter". These foreign workers were invited to work for a pre-established period in Germany before returning to their homeland. However, many families settled permanently. The immigrant communities found in Cologne, Düsseldorf and the rest of the Land are mainly from Turkey (approx. 492,000 people), Poland (approx. 286,000 people), Italy (over 250,000 people), but also more recently from Syria and Ukraine. Some of these newcomers have become Germans through naturalization, but the vast majority do not have German citizenship. These different cultural contributions are reflected in the region's gastronomic diversity, with a large number of Turkish, Italian and Greek restaurants. Statistics also show that 29% of young children in the region speak a language other than German at home. Most speak Turkish, Arabic, Polish or Russian.
As for the French, they account for almost 17,000 people in North Rhine-Westphalia, or 15% of the French community in Germany. This figure relates only to French people registered with the consulate, and there are likely to be many more French people in Cologne, Aachen and Düsseldorf, as well as in all the major centers of the region.
A web of languages and dialects
The strong presence of immigrant communities means that the many languages spoken in the Land have influenced and enriched the German language. As is the case everywhere, a multitude of foreign words have become an integral part of the language of the younger generation, who also use many Anglicisms, influenced by social networking. A few dialects are also still present, but these are not languages but patois, spoken locally, reminding us that the standardization of the German language was only very late in coming, and has not erased local particularities. Notable dialects include"Kölsch", which is not just the name of Cologne's beer. Impossible to miss on your visit to the city, this dialect is a strong cultural and identity marker, still very much alive today, in music and at carnival, for example. It has its origins in Latin, recalling the city's Roman roots, but is also influenced by neighboring Dutch. In Bonn, some people speak"Bönnsch", while in Aachen, it's"Öcher Platt" that is still spoken in certain popular haunts of Charlemagne's city. Finally, Cologne's great rival, Düsseldorf, is known for its"Düsseldorfer Platt". Less spoken and less assertive than Cologne's Kölsch, it is less guttural and closer to"Hochdeutsch", in other words, sustained "High German", while also having Dutch influences. If you want to declare your love for your loved one, instead of the traditional national"Ich liebe dich", say"Isch leev dich" in Cologne or"Ech han dech jään" in Düsseldorf.
