Kölner Straße – Around the world in two hours

Oberbilk’s heart beats along the Kölner Straße. Starting at Pempelforter Straße, crossing Worringer Platz, past Oberbilker Markt and all the way to Oberbilker Allee — there it is: a road, 2.6 km long, the centre of this vibrant area, which constantly supplies Düsseldorf with new ideas, open minded people and – last but not least – a rich array of products. Although until now largely ignored by the the city‘s organised tourism, this area has everything it takes to make it the city’s ‘hot spot’. So it is about time to have a closer look at this part of the ‘real’ Düsseldorf.

*** Hier geht es zu deutschen Version des Beitrags / Click here for the German version of the article ***

Walking down Kölner Straße there are only a few signs indicating that it used to look quite different around here … Oberbilk was central Düsseldorf’s first working class area, defined by its local industry. It was here where fortune hunters and day labourers were drawn to in their quest to find work. However, searching today you will find quite a different sort of treasure: over 100 retailers take you on a journey to explore a huge variety of cultures and their particular specialties. Morocco, Turkey, the Lebanon, Africa, Iran and India are just a few of this journey’s stopovers waiting to be discovered.

Apart from cultural diversity Kölner Straße offers an impressive product portfolio: a hairdresser next to a delicatessen, a translation agency next to an artists’ association, a long established draper’s opposite a Persian pastry shop … you can find anything here — or at least almost anything. It is precisely this international atmosphere which gives this road its inimitable and unique character. Anyone strolling past the 381 houses of Kölner Straße is indeed journeying around the world.

Our photographer Sabrina Weniger has captured the faces and shops of this historically important and multicultural neighbourhood, illustrating the allure of its diversity.

DISTANCE 2.6 KM • FOOD & DRINK MORE THAN 30 SPOTS • HOUSE NUMBERS 1 — 381 • AGE 150 YEARS • SHOPS MORE THAN 100 RETAILERS

Editor’s choice on Kölner Straße

FOOD

EXPRESS MARKET 24
Fruit and vegetables, grocery and butcher shop
Kölner Straße 53 • 40211 Düsseldorf • Stadtmitte

IMBISS BEIRUT
Lebanese food truck
Oberbilker Markt 1 • 40227 Düsseldorf • Oberbilk
imbissbeirut.de

KONDITOREI RADIN
Persian bakery
Kölner Straße entrance Karl-Anton Straße 35 • 40211 Düsseldorf • Stadtmitte

MARNY’S & ALEX.T. CAFE (now ALEX.T. CAFE & DIE BLUMENBINDER
Café and flower shop
Ellerstraße 219 /corner Kölner Straße • 40227 Düsseldorf • Oberbilk
facebook.com/cafebar.alex.t

PIZZERIA BELLA MIA
Tiny, but very nice place for tasty pizza and delicious pasta
Kölner Straße 43 a • 40211 Düsseldorf • Stadtmitte

ROLL INN
Turkish restaurant serving “Hatay Rolls”
Kölner Straße 238 • 40227 Düsseldorf • Oberbilk
roll-inn.de

SANNIN
Lebanese restaurant – THE DORF favourite!
Kölner Straße 61 • 40211 Düsseldorf • Stadtmitte

ART & PUBS

KÜNSTLERVEREIN WP8
Art club and pub
Kölner Straße 73 • 40211 Düsseldorf • Stadtmitte
wp8.org

FRANKS BILLARD CAFÉ
Old school billard café
Kölner Straße 40 a • 40211 Düsseldorf • Stadtmitte
franksbillard-cafe.de

SHOPS

DER TERRARISTIKLADEN
Reptiles, food and terrariums
Kölner Straße 149 • 40227 Düsseldorf • Oberbilk
terraristikladen.de

INTERDANCE (closed)
Specialty shop for ballet dance and dancing
Kölner Straße 9 • 40211 Düsseldorf • Stadtmitte

SCHÄFER INNENEINRICHTUNG
Furniture, interior and art since 1902
Kölner Straße 286 • 40227 Düsseldorf • Oberbilk
schaefer-inneneinrichtung.de

SPECIAL HIFI
Hi-fi, record and vinyl shop plus repair shop for old hi-fi systems
Kölner Straße 13 • 40211 Düsseldorf • Stadtmitte
special-hifi.de

SPORTS

UFD GYM
University of Fighting in Duesseldorf is well known professional martial arts gym and one off the most successful martial arts gyms in Europe
Kölner Straße 65 • 40211 Düsseldorf • Stadtmitte
ufd-gym.de