Dortmund

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City and industrial centre in the Ruhr, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, 58 km/36 mi northeast of Düsseldorf; population (2003 est) 587,600. It is the largest mining town of the Westphalian coalfield and the southern terminus of the Dortmund–Ems Canal. The enlargement of the Wesel–Datteln Canal (1989), connecting Dortmund to the Rhine River, allows barges to travel between Dortmund and Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Industries include coal, iron, and steel (headquarters of Hoesch), mechanical engineering, and brewing (output exceeds that of Munich), a growing technology and research centre with several scientific institutes. There is also a modern university.

The ‘Sun of May’ was added in 1818. The blue bands are a shade known as ‘celeste’, said to be the colour of the sky which inspired Argentine revolutionary Manuel Belgrano before battle. Effective date: 16 August 1985. >>