When Dusseldorf decided to modernize its harbor, the city invited famous architects who were given an empty canvas to create. One of these architects was Frank O. Gehry, and what he designed for the town became Neuer Zollhof, aka the Gehry Buildings, one of the main sights of this German city by the Rhine River.
Düsseldorf-Hafen, known in english as the Dusseldorf Harbor, is a district of Dusseldorf where the harbor of the city is located. For a long time, this part of the city used to be an area of workers, industry and a lot of trade but it all started going downhill when Mannesmann stopped producing tubes in the city.
Since there was another harbor nearby, there was no reason to have a harbor in the middle of the city. This is why the area started redeveloping until it became what it is today.
Even though the area was modernized, it still carries the feeling of a harbor and this was one of my favorite things about the area. When I first stepped in the harbor, I was expecting something different. I thought it would look like a gentrified area or something completely fake. But it looks more like an architectural masterpiece than anything else.
This was the reason why I wanted to visit this part of Dusseldorf. I love architecture and I remember seeing pictures from the Gehry Buildings when I was a teenager and I loved everything about them.
The Gehry Buildings of Dusseldorf Harbor
The official name for the buildings is Der Neue Zollhof and they were completed back in 1998. Three different buildings look similar but have other external materials. The tallest building is 14 stories high, and I was surprised when I read about it because it must be less than 50 meters high!
According to our guide, all the buildings in the Dusseldorf Harbor have something related to ships, boats, or some harbor-like activity. The Gehry Buildings follow that as well, and they are supposed to look like the moving sails of a ship.
These buildings spiral and stretch into the sky in an iconic style. They mirrored each other and reflected the sunny days in Dusseldorf. The Gehry Buildings of Dusseldorf Harbor don’t have the same utility as the shipyards of other times. Still, their beautiful facades illustrate exactly what the new harbor means for a city like Dusseldorf.
Besides Frank O. Gehry, other architects left their mark in the area. David Chipperfield, Joe Coenen, Steven Holl and Claude Vasconi have buildings there, but when I visited the neighborhood, I was focused on the Gehry Buildings. You have to forgive me for that.
The Gehry Buildings of Dusseldorf Harbor
Am Handelshafen 30, 40221 Düsseldorf
I had the pleasure of visiting the Düsseldorf-Hafen on a cloudy day in July 2016 with the fantastic people from Visit Dusseldorf.
