Die vermutlich auf eine karolingische Reichshofgründung zurückgehende, einst wichtige Reichs- und Hansestadt entwickelt sich heute von einer Industriemetropole zu einem in Nordrhein-Westfalen bedeutenden Dienstleistungs- und Technologiestandort: Früher vor allem bekannt durch Stahl, Kohle und Bier ist Dortmund heute ein Zentrum der Versicherungswirtschaft und des Einzelhandels, Neuansiedlungen und Existenzgründungen entstehen bevorzugt in den Bereichen Logistik, Informations- und Mikrosystemtechnik. Trotz des weitgehend vollzogenen Strukturwandels besitzt die Stadt noch eine der höchsten Arbeitslosenquoten in Westdeutschland. Dortmund ist der wichtigste Verkehrsknoten im östlichen Ruhrgebiet und Anziehungspunkt für das vor allem östlich der Stadt ländlich geprägte Umland.

Wahrzeichen der Stadt sind die Reinoldikirche, das Dortmunder U und der Florianturm. Sportliches Aushängeschild der Stadt ist der Fußballverein Borussia Dortmund.
 

1895 überschritt die Stadt Dortmund die Grenze von 100.000 Einwohnern, was sie zur Großstadt machte. Nach der Eingemeindung der Stadt Hörde und der Landkreise Dortmund und Hörde lebten 1929 etwa 536.000 Personen in der Stadt. Der Zweite Weltkrieg entvölkerte das zerstörte Dortmund. Im April 1945 zählte man 340.000 Menschen. Danach siedelten sich viele ins ländliche Umland evakuierte Menschen und Flüchtlinge in Dortmund an. Die Einwohnerzahlen stiegen rasch. 1965 wurde mit 657.804 Bürgern ein Höchststand erreicht. Stadtplaner träumten von einer Millionenmetropole, doch wie in den umliegenden Städten des Ruhrgebiets sank die Bevölkerungszahl drastisch. Zuletzt, am 30. Juni 2008, betrug die Amtliche Einwohnerzahl für Dortmund nach Fortschreibung des Landesamtes für Datenverarbeitung und Statistik Nordrhein-Westfalen 585.670^[33] (nur Hauptwohnsitze und nach Abgleich mit den anderen Landesämtern).

Damit ist die absolute Bevölkerungszahl im Vergleich zum Jahr 2005 (588.168 Stand 31. Dezember 2005) um knapp 2.500 Einwohner gesunken. Seit 1965 ist ein Rückgang um elf Prozent (rund 70.000 Personen) zu registrieren. Einer aktuellen Studie des Wirtschaftsmagazin Capital zufolge soll Dortmund entgegen dem allgemeinen deutschen Trend bis zum Jahr 2013 dennoch einen Einwohnerzuwachs von 0,9 % zu verzeichnen haben.
( Quelle : Wikipedia )

Dortmund – future-oriented and positive

Like almost no other German city, Dortmund has seen enormous change in recent years. The former “steel city” developed into a modern and cosmopolitan metropolis, acquiring renown all across Europe as an innovative location for technological development. But the biggest city in the Ruhr Valley also scores with a wide range of possibilities in the cultural and sporting sector, with extensive greens and a high quality of life.

Impressions from Dortmund

Dortmund has entered the third millennium with its own target: building on existing strengths and creating new potential in the process. An aim that is met with evident success: counting 586,000 inhabitants, the city alongside the ancient German trading route (the “Hellweg”) is one of the biggest cities of the Federal Republic of Germany and the economic and cultural centre of Westphalia. Dortmund was founded as „Throtmani” around the year 880. Called “Dorpmunde” throughout the Middle ages, it was one of the richest and most important cities of the Hanseatic League for a long time. Coal, steel and beer guaranteed economic prosperity beyond the middle of the past century. In the course of structural change, however, new branches like IT, micro systems technology, logistics, communications- and media technology have re-shaped Dortmund’s corporate landscape.

The dortmund-project: fresh ideas and new industries

One of the triggers for Dortmund’s metamorphosis into a modern technology location was the dortmund-project. A local initiative for the new Dortmund, it was started in 2000 with the goal of furthering structural change from within. The dortmund-project is pooling the strengths of city, economy and science in an unusual network, creating the framework for locating new businesses and enterprises from technology-oriented sunrise industries. The initiative „start2grow“, for instance, which supports founders in realizing their plans for new business ideas, has found a competent partner in the dortmund-project.
 
But Dortmund can also play trump cards in other sectors. The insurance industry is represented with three important companies, and so is the finance sector with 45 banks and 5,500 employees. One of the city’s major locational advantages are its excellent transport links: the Dortmund airport, the third-biggest Intercity nodal point in Germany, a highway ring around the city and the biggest European canal port make Dortmund easily accessible from every direction.

Dortmund has entered the third millennium with its own target: building on existing strengths and creating new potential in the process. An aim that is met with evident success: counting 586,000 inhabitants, the city alongside the ancient German trading route (the “Hellweg”) is one of the biggest cities of the Federal Republic of Germany and the economic and cultural centre of Westphalia. Dortmund was founded as „Throtmani” around the year 880. Called “Dorpmunde” throughout the Middle ages, it was one of the richest and most important cities of the Hanseatic League for a long time. Coal, steel and beer guaranteed economic prosperity beyond the middle of the past century. In the course of structural change, however, new branches like IT, micro systems technology, logistics, communications- and media technology have re-shaped Dortmund’s corporate landscape.  One of the triggers for Dortmund’s metamorphosis into a modern technology location was the . A local initiative for the new Dortmund, it was started in 2000 with the goal of furthering structural change from within. The is pooling the strengths of city, economy and science in an unusual network, creating the framework for locating new businesses and enterprises from technology-oriented sunrise industries. The initiative „start2grow“, for instance, which supports founders in realizing their plans for new business ideas, has found a competent partner in the But Dortmund can also play trump cards in other sectors. The insurance industry is represented with three important companies, and so is the finance sector with 45 banks and 5,500 employees. One of the city’s major locational advantages are its excellent transport links: the Dortmund airport, the third-biggest Intercity nodal point in Germany, a highway ring around the city and the biggest European canal port make Dortmund easily accessible from every direction.

Traditional locations with a modern face
 
Trend-setting industries can find new, spacious homes in old branches of industry restored for the purpose. The former army barracks area at Dortmund’s main traffic artery, the B1, were converted into a new service- and commercial estate, the Stadtkrone Ost, also including high-quality real estate. The area offers modern office space to enterprises dealing in electronic- and mobile-business.
 
The development of the former furnace site PHOENIX West is a is a further example of an area converted to suit the needs of the micro system technology- (MST) and the IT sector. Framed by industrial plants of the past, new small and mediumsized MST and IT businesses will fi nd a home here over time. The MST.factory dortmund broke the first ground in 2005, being the first and (up until now) the only competence centre that exclusively provides MST-specific infrastructure and services for prototype development.