Port of Duisburg turns 300

What started out as a small reloading point on the Rhine is today Germany's biggest inland port, handling 130 million tons of cargo every year and ranking Duisport among the 40 busiest harbors worldwide - seaports included. Trading extends as far as to the growth markets of Asia.

Over the centuries, the port grew bigger and bigger, spreading beyond Ruhrort and into neighboring Duisburg. Eventually Duisburg absorbed Ruhrort. Quite to the chagrin of Ruhrorters, the port changed its name too. And Duisport continues enlarging. On the 40-hectare (99-acre) site of a former paper factory, new logistics firms plan to set up shop.

Scenes from bygone days, like in this picture dating to the 1920s, show that the port mainly used to handle iron ore, coal and building materials at the time. Situated in Germany's former Ruhr Valley industrial heartland, it was a pivotal lifeline for industry.

Flourishing business in the 1930s, however, came to an abrupt standstill as the Second World War broke out, Aerial bombardments left docks and warehouses in ruins. What's come to be known as the German economic miracle of the 1950s briefly reinvigorated port activity before the decline of the German steel and coal industry hit the whole region in the 1960s.

Adapting to the change with a new focus on global trade, operators Duisport Group have transformed the company, making it a healthy medium-seized business that generates 210 million euros ($234 million) in revenues. For Duisburg the port is vital, providing jobs for more than a thousand people and tax income for the struggling municipality.

Surprisingly, coal has remained the main commodity shipped through Duisport. But today its no longer extracted from the Ruhr valley mines, but comes from as far away as Australia and China, arriving on barges from Rotterdam seaport. The last Duisburg coal mine shut down a few years ago, although its former customers - the steelworks of ThyssenKrupp and ArcelorMittal - are still in operation.

These days, up to 45,000 jobs are linked to the port's activities. In 21 docks and eight container terminals, about 3.4 million containers are shipped every year, making Duisport a beneficiary of growing global trade. There's nothing the port cannot handle, from electronic waste to high-tech gadgets made in Asia.

Ruhrort is also home of Haniel Group - a holding company run by the Haniel family, who made its fortune from coal and steel, but diversified its business to include holdings such as German retail group Metro and many others today. There is hardly any other family that has left as much a mark on Ruhrort as this.

Tourists from all over the world flock to Duisport, seeking to go on one of the famous boat trips through the docklands. They start off at the Ruhrort Schifferbörse - Shippers' Exchange - meandering through 25 kilometers (15 miles) of waterways along docks as well as old and new industrial architecture.

The twin towers sitting at the entrance of the Friedrich Ebert bridge have long been landmarks for Ruhrort and its port. The bridge links Ruhrort with another Duisburg district, Homberg. Built in 1907, the towers have welcomed ships into the port for more than a hundred years, while also providing housing for the harbor master.

Situated in the center of Duisburg, the Inner Harbor was long an industrial wasteland until 1994, when British architect Norman Foster and other urban planners redeveloped the site following the pattern set by London's revived Docklands. Today, Duisburg Inner Harbor is a trendy downtown area, boasting upscale restaurants and business locations and inviting tourists to go shopping.