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Passion for Culture and Soccer
Dortmund is the heart of the Ruhr. Coal and steel are indissolubly joined to this city. But this old mining zone has turned into the technology center of the future in the last decade. There is only one thing that remains the same: soccer is still first. Every year, millions of fans go to Westfalen Stadium to see their club play, the Borussia de Dortmund.
The history of Dortmund goes back to ancient times. Thanks to archeological discoveries found in the heart of the city we know that 1000 years B.C., the city was densely populated. In 1907, some construction workers made a spectacular discovery: they found a treasure made up of old pieces dating back to the year 410, which included 444 gold coins, 16 silver coins and a gold necklace from the late Roman era.
In a monastery record book kept between years 880 and 884, the settlement of Throtmani was mentioned for the first time, which would evolve until receiving the current name, Dortmund. During the Staufer period, in the 12th and 13th centuries, Dortmund was granted the status of Imperial City In those times it was surrounded by a wall known nowadays as Wallring. An example of the city's autonomy is the seal that was used to certify documents and contracts, called “Tower Seal”.
During the Middle Ages and thanks to merchants and craftsmen, Dortmund became one of the most important cities of the Hanseatic League. It used to trade with England and Flanders, where it would sell among other merchandise, wool, cloth, wine, and iron and steel products. But the War of the Thirty Years ruined the city. Lutheran Dortmund with its imperial citizens was the enemy that had to be destroyed and it was occupied on multiple occasions. The old Imperial and Hanseatic City became a small farming town. |
