Dortmund, the largest city in the Ruhr area, was once dominated by the heavy industries of coal and steel and is today a high-tech manufacturing city. From a city that shows its modernity all around, there are still tell-tell signs of its ancient past. Admire the famous U-Tower or Dortmunder U, a Dortmund high-rise landmark since 1927 and once home of the Dortmunder Union Brauerei, for a while the most productive brewery in West Germany. The “U” on top was only added at the end of the 60’s and stands nine metres tall. With the selection as the European Capital of Culture in 2010, the former brewery was remodelled into a cultural centre that includes the Ostwall Museum, which houses an expressionist exhibition, by artists like Emil Nolde, Kandinsky, Kirchner, Franz Marc and August Macke. From later movements, there are works by Alberto Giacometti, Otto Dix, Paul Klee, Picasso, Chagall, Joan Miró and Salvador Dalí. Find your stomping grounds at Westenhellweg, the shopping haven of Dortmund and one of Germany’s most frequented shopping streets, receiving an average of 13,000 visitors per hour. Our journey will take us from a walk from the heart of Dortmund, through its old and modern streets, to see both signs of an ancient city and the throbbing modern heart of German ingenuity.