Düsseldorf is the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia and, with almost 635,000 inhabitants, is the second largest city in the state after Cologne. The city owes its name, which literally means "village of the Düssel", to a very small river, the Düssel. It is in Düsseldorf that this tributary of the Rhine with its four arms and a length of only 40 kilometres flows into the Rhine.Unlike other cities along the Rhine, such as Cologne and Bonn, the centre of Düsseldorf is located on the right bank of the Rhine. The city as we know it today grew from several small centres and towns and obtained the status of a city in 1288 and, in 1882, that of a large city with more than 100,000 inhabitants.In 1946, the British military government brought together the provinces of North Rhine-Westphalia and North Rhine-Westphalia to create the new federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with Düsseldorf as its regional capital. There were several reasons for giving Düsseldorf this important role: because of its central location, the city was still an important administrative centre in the Ruhr region; moreover, it was less destroyed than other cities, such as Cologne, and it was also the seat of the British military government. Since 1988, the Parliament Building of North Rhine-Westphalia, designed by architects Eller, Maier, Moser, Walter & Partner, has been located at the entrance to the media port (Medienhafen). This first completely new parliament building in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany is a relatively small building, 105 m wide, 195 m long and 21 m high. Its circular shape, on the other hand, is quite impressive, as is the sum of 160 million German marks, which was well invested.In 2017, the Grand Départ du Tour de France, the flagship event of cycling, took place in Düsseldorf! From 29 June to 2 July, the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia welcomed Tour de France participants and cyclists.With about 7,000 Japanese, this city of art, fashion and luxury, fairs and festivals, is also the third largest Japanese municipality in Europe, after London and Paris.The city is particularly well known and famous for its bars, and when you walk through the alleys of the Altstadt, the old town, you can easily understand why. There are about 260 bars, brasseries, bistros and restaurants on only one square kilometre. The nickname "the longest bar in the world" is well deserved! Everyone comes out, locals and tourists alike, businessmen and students alike. In the evening and on weekends, the gastronomic establishments, terraces and alleys are full of people who come for an aperitif, dinner or just for fun.As everywhere in the Rhineland, there is also a fifth season in Düsseldorf, the carnival season. Carnival always begins on November 11 at 11:11 am with the awakening of Hoppeditz, a fictional character from the Düsseldorf carnival. This joker gets up in a large mustard tree, located in front of the equestrian statue of Jean-Guillaume de Neubourg-Wittelsbach (1658-1716), prince-elector of the Palatinate, in front of the town hall, and makes his virulent opening speech for the new carnival season. During the carnival weeks, there is a wide variety of events for carnival participants. The highlight is always the parade on the Monday before mardi gras, two days before the fifth season ends with the incineration of Hoppeditz on Ash Wednesday. In Düsseldorf, carnival participants greet each other with "Helau". Attention: it is not to be confused with the "Alaaf" of the Cologne carnival!

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Vue aérienne de Düsseldorf. Tupungato  - iStockphoto
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