Duisburg lies at the junction of the Ruhr and Rhine rivers. The river port at this intersection between two major transport routes has grown to become one of the largest in the world, and Duisburg is internationally renowned for its port. The importance and the history of river shipping are also the subject of the Inland Shipping Museum.
The Ruhr region as a whole - and hence the German economy during various periods of history - would not have become what it was without the possibility of transporting coal and ore on the Rhine and Ruhr. In economic terms, the Ruhr region has changed, and with it the former coal and steel metropolises of the region. Duisburg, too, is using its past heritage for new purposes. Landschaftspark Nord, once a productive industrial plant, is now a popular attraction for holiday-makers and sports enthusiasts.
Diving in a gasometer is certainly a very special kind of experience, and one that you won't find in the Mediterranean or Caribbean. Setting up the underwater landscape was a very elaborate business, but the result is unique - as are the light installations in the landscape park. When the old chimneys and sheds light up in bright colours at night, you feel as if you had been transported into another world.