Best Cities in Germany
Want to know the best cities in Germany to visit? This selection of Germany's top cities and destinations gives you a great introduction to the best city vacations Germany has to offer.
1. Berlin
Berlin is both the German capital and the biggest city in Germany. After being separated into East and West during the Cold War, Berlin was reunited in 1990; it quickly emerged as the most cosmopolitan and exciting city in Germany for art, architecture, and nightlife.
Background:
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union. Located in northeastern Germany, it is the center of the Berlin-Brandenburg Metropolitan Region, which has 4.4 million residents from over 190 nations. Located in the European Plains, Berlin is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. Around one third of the city's area is composed of forests, parks, gardens, rivers and lakes.
Berlin is a world city of culture, politics, media, and science. Its economy is primarily based on the service sector, encompassing a diverse range of creative industries, media corporations, and convention venues. Berlin also serves as a continental hub for air and rail transport,and is a popular tourist destination. Significant industries include IT, pharmaceuticals, biomedical engineering, biotechnology, electronics, traffic engineering, and renewable energy.
Berlin is home to renowned universities, research institutes, orchestras, museums, and celebrities, as well as host of many sporting events. Its urban settings and historical legacy have made it a popular location for international film productions. The city is well renowned for its festivals, diverse architecture, nightlife, contemporary arts, public transportation networks and a high quality of living.
2. Munich
Munich, the capital of Bavaria and gateway to the Alps, is one of the most beautiful and green cities in Germany. It offers first class museums and traditional German architecture, a salute to Bavaria's royal past. Get a true taste of Munich's hospitality, culture and world-famous beer at its Oktoberfest, which attracts more than 6 million visitors every year.
Background:
Munich is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the River Isar north of the Bavarian Alps. Munich is the third largest city in Germany, behind Berlin and Hamburg. About 1.35 million people live within the city limits. Munich hosted the 1972 Summer Olympics.
The city's motto is "München mag Dich" (Munich likes you). Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" (Cosmopolitan city with a heart). Its native name, München, is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat of arms. Black and gold—the colours of the Holy Roman Empire—have been the city's official colours since the time of Ludwig the Bavarian.
Munich is not the only location within Bavaria known as "München". Three such locations exist: one that is known as "Munich", another that is located northeast of the city of Nuremberg, and a third, Hutthurm, that is located north of Passau.
Modern Munich is a financial and publishing hub, and a frequently top-ranked destination for migration and expatriate location in livability rankings. Munich achieved 7th place in frequently quoted Mercer livability rankings in 2010. For economic and social innovation, the city was ranked 15th globally out of 289 cities in 2010, and 5th in Germany by the 2thinknow Innovation Cities Index based on analysis of 162 indicators. In 2010, Monocle ranked Munich as the world's most livable city.
3. Frankfurt
Thanks to its International Airport, Frankfurt is the major hub for Germany and Europe. The city is also the financial center of the country, which is reflected in Frankfurt’s gleaming skyscrapers. Frankfurt is host to many important events, among them the International Book Fair in October, the biggest of its kind in the world.
Background:
Frankfurt am Main, commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The city is located on an ancient ford on the river Main, the German word for which is "Furt". A part of early Franconia, the inhabitants were the early Franks. Thus the city's name reveals its legacy as being the "ford of the Franks".
Frankfurt is considered an alpha-minus world city,as listed by the Loughborough University group's 2008 inventory, is ranked 21st among global cities by Foreign Policy's 2008 Global Cities Index and is an international centre for commerce, finance, culture, transport, education, and tourism. According to the Mercer cost of living survey, Frankfurt is Germany’s second most expensive city, and the 48th most expensive in the world. Frankfurt also ranks among the top 10 most livable cities in the world according to Mercer Human Resource Consulting
4. Hamburg
Hamburg is the country's second largest city and located in the North of Germany. It boasts one of the biggest harbors in the world and is famous for its legendary nightlife hub "Reeperbahn", which is also home to the city’s red light district. With several waterways running through its center, Hamburg has maritime charm – with more bridges than Amsterdam and Venice combined.
Background:
is the second-largest city in Germany and the seventh-largest city in the European Union. The city is home to over 1.8 million people, while the Hamburg Metropolitan Region (including parts of the neighbouring Federal States of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein) has more than 4.3 million inhabitants. The port of Hamburg is the third-largest port in Europe (after the Port of Rotterdam and the Port of Antwerp) and it is among the twenty largest in the world.
Hamburg is a major transport hub in Northern Germany and is one of the most affluent cities in Europe. It has become a media and industrial centre, with plants and facilities belonging to Airbus, Blohm + Voss and Aurubis. The radio and television broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk and publishers such as Gruner + Jahr and Spiegel-Verlag are pillars of the important media industry in Hamburg. In total there are more than 120,000 enterprises.
The city is a major tourist destination both for domestic and overseas visitors, receiving about 7.7 million overnight stays in 2008. Hamburg ranked 23rd in the world for livability in 2009, higher in some alternate rankings and in 2010 the city ranked 10th in the world.
5. Cologne
Cologne, founded by the Romans, is one of Germany's oldest cities. The soaring Cathedral of Cologne is the centerpiece of the city and its rich architectural history. Cologne is well-known for its contemporary art scene, excellent museums, and the largest carnival celebrations in Germany.
Background:
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city (after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich), and is the largest city both in the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.
Cologne is a major cultural centre of the Rhineland and has a vibrant arts scene. Cologne is home to more than 30 museums and hundreds of galleries. Exhibitions range from local ancient Roman archeological sites to contemporary graphics and sculpture. The Cologne Trade Fair hosts a number of trade shows such as Art Cologne, imm Cologne, Gamescom and the Photokina.
6. Dresden
Dresden, spread out on both banks of the river Elbe in Saxony, is also called "Florence at the Elbe", due to its idyllic location, excellent examples of baroque architecture, and world-renowned art treasures. Although 80% of Dresden’s historic center was destroyed in World War II, all landmarks have been rebuilt to their former splendor.
Background:
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area.
Dresden has a long history as the capital and royal residence for the Electors and Kings of Saxony, who for centuries furnished the city with cultural and artistic splendour. The city was known as the Jewel Box, because of its baroque and rococo city centre. Controversial Allied aerial bombing towards the end of World War II killed thousands of civilians and completely destroyed the entire city. The impact of the bombing and 40 years of urban development during the East German communist era have considerably changed the face of the city. Some restoration work has helped to reconstruct parts of the historic inner city, including the Katholische Hofkirche, the Semper Oper and the Dresdner Frauenkirche. Since the German reunification in 1990, Dresden has regained importance as one of the cultural, educational, political and economic centres of Germany.
7. Leipzig
Leipzig has been home to some of Germany’s best-known artists for a long time; Goethe was a student in Leipzig, Bach worked here as a cantor, and today, the New Leipzig school brings fresh wind into the art world. Besides being a center for German art and culture, the city also became famous in Germany’s recent history, when Leipzig demonstrators initiated the peaceful revolution, which lead to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
Background:
Leipzig is, with a population of appr. 525,000, the largest city in the federal state of Saxony, Germany and in the new states of Germany. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Weisse Elster, Pleisse and Parthe in the Leipzig Bay (German: Leipziger Tieflandsbucht).
In the 17th century, Leipzig was one of the major European city-centres of learning and culture in fields such as music, astronomy and optics. After World War II, Leipzig became a major urban centre within the Communist German Democratic Republic.
Leipzig later played a significant role in the fall of communism in Eastern Germany, through events taken place in and around St. Nikolai Church. Since the Reunification of Germany, Leipzig has undergone significant change with the restoration of historical buildings and the development of a modern transport infrastructure. In 2006, Leipzig hosted key games in the FIFA World Cup.
In 2010, Leipzig was ranked 68th in the world as a livable city, by consulting firm Mercer in their quality of life survey. In 2009, Leipzig was ranked 35th in the world out of 256 cities for cultural, economic and social innovation.
8. Heidelberg
Heidelberg is one of the few German cities that wasn't destroyed in World War II; plenty of old world charm fills the narrow cobble stone streets of its Old Town, which was the center for Germany's romantic period. The ruins of the once grand Heidelberg castle, the oldest university in the country, and the idyllic river valley make Heidelberg one of the most picturesque destinations in Germany.
Background:
Heidelberg is a German city situated in the south-west of the country. The fifth largest city of the German State of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim, Karlsruhe and Freiburg im Breisgau, Heidelberg is part of a densely populated region known as the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region. As of 2009, over 145,000 people live within the city's area. Heidelberg lies on the River Neckar in a steep valley in the Odenwald.
Heidelberg — having been a former residence of the Electoral Palatinate in the past — is the seat of the University of Heidelberg, which is well-known far beyond its and Germany's borders. Heidelberg is also a popular tourist destination due to its romantic and picturesque cityscape's character, including the Heidelberg Castle and the baroque style Old Town. The US Army has had a military base in Heidelberg since 1951.
9. Weimar
Weimar is the heart of German culture. This city in the East of Germany was home to many of Germany’s artists and thinkers; Goethe, Bach, and Nietzsche, just to name a few, shaped the intellectual zeitgeist of Weimar. The city is also the cradle of the Bauhaus movement, which revolutionized the aesthetics of the 20th century.
Background:
is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia (German: Thüringen), north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899. Weimar was the capital of the Duchy (after 1815 the Grand Duchy) of Saxe-Weimar (German Sachsen-Weimar).
Weimar's cultural heritage is vast. It is most often recognised as the place where Germany's first democratic constitution was signed after the First World War, giving its name to the Weimar Republic period in German politics, of 1918–1933. However, the city was also the focal point of the German Enlightenment and home of the leading characters of the literary genre of Weimar Classicism, the writers Goethe and Schiller. The city was also the birthplace of the Bauhaus movement, founded in 1919 by Walter Gropius, with artists Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Oskar Schlemmer, and Lyonel Feininger teaching in Weimar's Bauhaus School. Many places in the city centre have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
10. Dusseldorf
Düsseldorf in the Rhineland offers an interesting mix of old and new, from traditional breweries to futuristic architecture by Ghery and Chipperfield. It is famous for its luxury shopping street Koenigsallee, and hosts the world’s biggest fashion trade fair. The Düsseldorf Art Academy is an integral part of the city's art scene, and graduated the likes of Joseph Beuys, Jörg Immendorff, and Gerhard Richter.
Background:
Dusseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and center of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.
Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial center and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the city is headquarter to five Fortune Global 500 and several DAX companies. Messe Düsseldorf organizes nearly one fifth of all world‘s premier trade shows.
Culturally, Düsseldorf is known for its academy of fine arts (Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, e.g. Joseph Beuys, August Macke, Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke and Andreas Gursky), its influence on early electronic music (Kraftwerk) and its large Japanese community. As a city by the river Rhine, Düsseldorf is a stronghold for Rhenish Carnival celebrations. Every year in July more than 4.5 million people visit the city's Largest Fair on the Rhine funfair.
As the seventh most populous city in Germany by population within city limits and an urban population of 1.5 million, Düsseldorf is one of the country's five global cities. The Mercer's 2009 Quality of Living survey of cities with the highest quality of life ranked Düsseldorf sixth worldwide and first in Germany.
Want to know the best cities in Germany to visit? This selection of Germany's top cities and destinations gives you a great introduction to the best city vacations Germany has to offer.
1. Berlin
Berlin is both the German capital and the biggest city in Germany. After being separated into East and West during the Cold War, Berlin was reunited in 1990; it quickly emerged as the most cosmopolitan and exciting city in Germany for art, architecture, and nightlife.
Background:
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union. Located in northeastern Germany, it is the center of the Berlin-Brandenburg Metropolitan Region, which has 4.4 million residents from over 190 nations. Located in the European Plains, Berlin is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. Around one third of the city's area is composed of forests, parks, gardens, rivers and lakes.
Berlin is a world city of culture, politics, media, and science. Its economy is primarily based on the service sector, encompassing a diverse range of creative industries, media corporations, and convention venues. Berlin also serves as a continental hub for air and rail transport,and is a popular tourist destination. Significant industries include IT, pharmaceuticals, biomedical engineering, biotechnology, electronics, traffic engineering, and renewable energy.
Berlin is home to renowned universities, research institutes, orchestras, museums, and celebrities, as well as host of many sporting events. Its urban settings and historical legacy have made it a popular location for international film productions. The city is well renowned for its festivals, diverse architecture, nightlife, contemporary arts, public transportation networks and a high quality of living.
2. Munich
Munich, the capital of Bavaria and gateway to the Alps, is one of the most beautiful and green cities in Germany. It offers first class museums and traditional German architecture, a salute to Bavaria's royal past. Get a true taste of Munich's hospitality, culture and world-famous beer at its Oktoberfest, which attracts more than 6 million visitors every year.
Background:
Munich is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the River Isar north of the Bavarian Alps. Munich is the third largest city in Germany, behind Berlin and Hamburg. About 1.35 million people live within the city limits. Munich hosted the 1972 Summer Olympics.
The city's motto is "München mag Dich" (Munich likes you). Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" (Cosmopolitan city with a heart). Its native name, München, is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat of arms. Black and gold—the colours of the Holy Roman Empire—have been the city's official colours since the time of Ludwig the Bavarian.
Munich is not the only location within Bavaria known as "München". Three such locations exist: one that is known as "Munich", another that is located northeast of the city of Nuremberg, and a third, Hutthurm, that is located north of Passau.
Modern Munich is a financial and publishing hub, and a frequently top-ranked destination for migration and expatriate location in livability rankings. Munich achieved 7th place in frequently quoted Mercer livability rankings in 2010. For economic and social innovation, the city was ranked 15th globally out of 289 cities in 2010, and 5th in Germany by the 2thinknow Innovation Cities Index based on analysis of 162 indicators. In 2010, Monocle ranked Munich as the world's most livable city.
3. Frankfurt
Thanks to its International Airport, Frankfurt is the major hub for Germany and Europe. The city is also the financial center of the country, which is reflected in Frankfurt’s gleaming skyscrapers. Frankfurt is host to many important events, among them the International Book Fair in October, the biggest of its kind in the world.
Background:
Frankfurt am Main, commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The city is located on an ancient ford on the river Main, the German word for which is "Furt". A part of early Franconia, the inhabitants were the early Franks. Thus the city's name reveals its legacy as being the "ford of the Franks".
Frankfurt is considered an alpha-minus world city,as listed by the Loughborough University group's 2008 inventory, is ranked 21st among global cities by Foreign Policy's 2008 Global Cities Index and is an international centre for commerce, finance, culture, transport, education, and tourism. According to the Mercer cost of living survey, Frankfurt is Germany’s second most expensive city, and the 48th most expensive in the world. Frankfurt also ranks among the top 10 most livable cities in the world according to Mercer Human Resource Consulting
4. Hamburg
Hamburg is the country's second largest city and located in the North of Germany. It boasts one of the biggest harbors in the world and is famous for its legendary nightlife hub "Reeperbahn", which is also home to the city’s red light district. With several waterways running through its center, Hamburg has maritime charm – with more bridges than Amsterdam and Venice combined.
Background:
is the second-largest city in Germany and the seventh-largest city in the European Union. The city is home to over 1.8 million people, while the Hamburg Metropolitan Region (including parts of the neighbouring Federal States of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein) has more than 4.3 million inhabitants. The port of Hamburg is the third-largest port in Europe (after the Port of Rotterdam and the Port of Antwerp) and it is among the twenty largest in the world.
Hamburg is a major transport hub in Northern Germany and is one of the most affluent cities in Europe. It has become a media and industrial centre, with plants and facilities belonging to Airbus, Blohm + Voss and Aurubis. The radio and television broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk and publishers such as Gruner + Jahr and Spiegel-Verlag are pillars of the important media industry in Hamburg. In total there are more than 120,000 enterprises.
The city is a major tourist destination both for domestic and overseas visitors, receiving about 7.7 million overnight stays in 2008. Hamburg ranked 23rd in the world for livability in 2009, higher in some alternate rankings and in 2010 the city ranked 10th in the world.
5. Cologne
Cologne, founded by the Romans, is one of Germany's oldest cities. The soaring Cathedral of Cologne is the centerpiece of the city and its rich architectural history. Cologne is well-known for its contemporary art scene, excellent museums, and the largest carnival celebrations in Germany.
Background:
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city (after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich), and is the largest city both in the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.
Cologne is a major cultural centre of the Rhineland and has a vibrant arts scene. Cologne is home to more than 30 museums and hundreds of galleries. Exhibitions range from local ancient Roman archeological sites to contemporary graphics and sculpture. The Cologne Trade Fair hosts a number of trade shows such as Art Cologne, imm Cologne, Gamescom and the Photokina.
6. Dresden
Dresden, spread out on both banks of the river Elbe in Saxony, is also called "Florence at the Elbe", due to its idyllic location, excellent examples of baroque architecture, and world-renowned art treasures. Although 80% of Dresden’s historic center was destroyed in World War II, all landmarks have been rebuilt to their former splendor.
Background:
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area.
Dresden has a long history as the capital and royal residence for the Electors and Kings of Saxony, who for centuries furnished the city with cultural and artistic splendour. The city was known as the Jewel Box, because of its baroque and rococo city centre. Controversial Allied aerial bombing towards the end of World War II killed thousands of civilians and completely destroyed the entire city. The impact of the bombing and 40 years of urban development during the East German communist era have considerably changed the face of the city. Some restoration work has helped to reconstruct parts of the historic inner city, including the Katholische Hofkirche, the Semper Oper and the Dresdner Frauenkirche. Since the German reunification in 1990, Dresden has regained importance as one of the cultural, educational, political and economic centres of Germany.
7. Leipzig
Leipzig has been home to some of Germany’s best-known artists for a long time; Goethe was a student in Leipzig, Bach worked here as a cantor, and today, the New Leipzig school brings fresh wind into the art world. Besides being a center for German art and culture, the city also became famous in Germany’s recent history, when Leipzig demonstrators initiated the peaceful revolution, which lead to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
Background:
Leipzig is, with a population of appr. 525,000, the largest city in the federal state of Saxony, Germany and in the new states of Germany. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Weisse Elster, Pleisse and Parthe in the Leipzig Bay (German: Leipziger Tieflandsbucht).
In the 17th century, Leipzig was one of the major European city-centres of learning and culture in fields such as music, astronomy and optics. After World War II, Leipzig became a major urban centre within the Communist German Democratic Republic.
Leipzig later played a significant role in the fall of communism in Eastern Germany, through events taken place in and around St. Nikolai Church. Since the Reunification of Germany, Leipzig has undergone significant change with the restoration of historical buildings and the development of a modern transport infrastructure. In 2006, Leipzig hosted key games in the FIFA World Cup.
In 2010, Leipzig was ranked 68th in the world as a livable city, by consulting firm Mercer in their quality of life survey. In 2009, Leipzig was ranked 35th in the world out of 256 cities for cultural, economic and social innovation.
8. Heidelberg
Heidelberg is one of the few German cities that wasn't destroyed in World War II; plenty of old world charm fills the narrow cobble stone streets of its Old Town, which was the center for Germany's romantic period. The ruins of the once grand Heidelberg castle, the oldest university in the country, and the idyllic river valley make Heidelberg one of the most picturesque destinations in Germany.
Background:
Heidelberg is a German city situated in the south-west of the country. The fifth largest city of the German State of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim, Karlsruhe and Freiburg im Breisgau, Heidelberg is part of a densely populated region known as the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region. As of 2009, over 145,000 people live within the city's area. Heidelberg lies on the River Neckar in a steep valley in the Odenwald.
Heidelberg — having been a former residence of the Electoral Palatinate in the past — is the seat of the University of Heidelberg, which is well-known far beyond its and Germany's borders. Heidelberg is also a popular tourist destination due to its romantic and picturesque cityscape's character, including the Heidelberg Castle and the baroque style Old Town. The US Army has had a military base in Heidelberg since 1951.
9. Weimar
Weimar is the heart of German culture. This city in the East of Germany was home to many of Germany’s artists and thinkers; Goethe, Bach, and Nietzsche, just to name a few, shaped the intellectual zeitgeist of Weimar. The city is also the cradle of the Bauhaus movement, which revolutionized the aesthetics of the 20th century.
Background:
is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia (German: Thüringen), north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899. Weimar was the capital of the Duchy (after 1815 the Grand Duchy) of Saxe-Weimar (German Sachsen-Weimar).
Weimar's cultural heritage is vast. It is most often recognised as the place where Germany's first democratic constitution was signed after the First World War, giving its name to the Weimar Republic period in German politics, of 1918–1933. However, the city was also the focal point of the German Enlightenment and home of the leading characters of the literary genre of Weimar Classicism, the writers Goethe and Schiller. The city was also the birthplace of the Bauhaus movement, founded in 1919 by Walter Gropius, with artists Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Oskar Schlemmer, and Lyonel Feininger teaching in Weimar's Bauhaus School. Many places in the city centre have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
10. Dusseldorf
Düsseldorf in the Rhineland offers an interesting mix of old and new, from traditional breweries to futuristic architecture by Ghery and Chipperfield. It is famous for its luxury shopping street Koenigsallee, and hosts the world’s biggest fashion trade fair. The Düsseldorf Art Academy is an integral part of the city's art scene, and graduated the likes of Joseph Beuys, Jörg Immendorff, and Gerhard Richter.
Background:
Dusseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and center of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.
Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial center and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the city is headquarter to five Fortune Global 500 and several DAX companies. Messe Düsseldorf organizes nearly one fifth of all world‘s premier trade shows.
Culturally, Düsseldorf is known for its academy of fine arts (Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, e.g. Joseph Beuys, August Macke, Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke and Andreas Gursky), its influence on early electronic music (Kraftwerk) and its large Japanese community. As a city by the river Rhine, Düsseldorf is a stronghold for Rhenish Carnival celebrations. Every year in July more than 4.5 million people visit the city's Largest Fair on the Rhine funfair.
As the seventh most populous city in Germany by population within city limits and an urban population of 1.5 million, Düsseldorf is one of the country's five global cities. The Mercer's 2009 Quality of Living survey of cities with the highest quality of life ranked Düsseldorf sixth worldwide and first in Germany.