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Destinations · Europe · germany · Düsseldorf · Architecture ·

Düsseldorf's old trade port has undergone dramatic changes during the last two decades and is now a popular tourist destination known as the Media Harbour, or MedienHafen. During the late 1980s and 1990s, renowned architects from Germany and other countries transformed the former warehouse and silo district into one the most modern and attractive parts of the city, where the heart of Düsseldorf's creative quarter is also located.

Three odd, asymmetrical office buildings stand out prominently in the district. One has a mirror facade that glimmers in the sunlight, the second is of red brick, while the third encased in white plaster. Designed by Canadian architect Frank O. Gehry, the three sisters of Der Neuer Zollhof were erected between 1996 and 1999. They are now among the most photographed and talked-about edifices in the city, leading the New York Times to rhetorically ask why these towers hadn't been built in Manhattan.
The multi-coloured Colorium is another Media Harbour attraction. Built in 2001 and designed by London architect William Allen Alsop, this 62-metre office tower has 18 storeys and can be seen from practically anywhere in the district. Its dominating element consists of coloured glass panels. Other noteworthy edifices include the office and studio building designed by British architect David Chipperfield (on Kaistrasse 16) and the Solitaire by Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki.
The Living Bridge, a 150-metre pontoon structure designed for pedestrians and cyclists, was built together with a two-storey metal and glass bridge house near its centre, where one can stop to have a beer at the Lido brasserie.
The locals like to term the Media Harbour as Düsseldorf's Architectural Zoo, which is not far from the truth, particularly on days when hordes of tourists, maps in hand, swarm the district with their photo cameras, taking pictures of one building after the other. Most of the district's office towers house the headquarters of various media, advertising, communications and tourism companies (hence the name Media Harbour), as well as a number of fashion house showrooms.
The city's trendiest cafés and restaurants can also be found here, including the recently opened Gehry's, which is appropriately located in the white tower that was designed by the architect himself. The spacious premises, with their contemporary interior, are frequented by a jovial and well-to-do clientele.
Despite the construction of a whole array of modern buildings in the district, the transformed Media Harbour has managed to maintain part of the feel of its first incarnation as a trade port. A number of cobbled streets, cargo cranes, rail tracks, quay walls and warehouses have been preserved and are now protected historical monuments.

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