Sense of Place

Pier One and Plange Mühle Campus are in the heart of it all – in Düsseldorf, Europe, and the world. Its friendly and open atmosphere nurtures the art and creative scenes; the world of finance and night life exist side by side; museums meet high-end shopping on Königsallee.

The Düsseldorf port – today the third largest inland port in Germany – is a living myth. In 1886, the first port facility was opened here. It was one of the most modern of its time and accelerated Düsseldorf’s rise as a major hub of trade and industry. With its five port basins, the city became the leading transhipment centre on the Rhine River.

The origins of the Georg Plange company lie in the small city of Soest, where Georg August Plange operated a water mill starting in 1775; over time, the business expanded. In 1906, the company inaugurated its second steam mill, the Diamant Flour Mill in Düsseldorf. Hamburg architects Raabe and Wöhleke designed its striking ensemble of buildings at the tip of an embankment. The prominent clock tower was crowned by a bronze eagle with outstretched wings, and the mill complex became a port landmark.

The Port of Düsseldorf flourished economically during the post-war reconstruction period in the 1950s, and Plange Mühle continued to expand. The port was at its largest in the mid-1960s, growing to eight harbour basins.

After a phase of restructuring, development of the popular Media Harbour began in 1990, followed by the renovation and repurposing of Plange Mühle in 2001 – marking the transformation from industry to commerce.

Music, fashion, art, industry, shopping – Düsseldorf has it all. The who’s who of the international fashion scene have their flagship stores on Königsallee. Here, the whole world comes together to shop, stroll along the Rhine, and discover the local foodie scene in the evening. Art, architecture, theatre, ballet, opera, jazz, beach, sailing, parties, indie films, and international flair – myriad facets converge in this city like no other.

An incredible density of architectural highlights can be experienced at the Media Harbour, which serves as a hot- spot for the creative industries and a global destination for architecture lovers. Gehry’s Zollhof, Helmut Jahn’s Sign!, the Stadttor (City Gate), Renzo Piano’s Float, Will Alsop’s Colorium, David Chipperfield, Christoph Ingenhoven, Steven Holl …

The Media Harbour is the city’s architectural calling card. With Pier One and Plange Mühle Campus it gains two more must-sees, which also serve as central urban hubs.