Timeline of Düsseldorf

Prior to 19th century

1186 – Counts of Berg in power.

1285 – St. Sebastianus Bruderschaft Kaiserswerth (militia) formed.

1288 – Town privileges granted by Adolf V of Berg.

1316 – St.-Sebastianus-Schützenvereins Düsseldorf (militia) established.

1385 – Residence of the Counts of Berg established in Düsseldorf.

1567 – Rathhaus built.

1609 – Residence of the Electoral Palatinate relocates to Düsseldorf from Heidelberg.

1629 – Church of St. Andrew built.

1684 – Evangelishche Kirche built.

1710 – Electoral palace remodelled.

1716

Residence of the Electoral Palatinate relocates to Heidelberg.

Neustadt laid out (approximate date).

1760 – Jagerhof (electors' hunting lodge) built.

1762 – Art Academy founded.

1767 – Hofgarten laid out.

1774 – School of Law established (approximate date).

1787 – Karlstadt laid out.

1794 – Town besieged by French forces.

19th century

1800 – Musik-Academie established.

1802 - Fortifications demolished.

1804 – Kastanienallee laid out.

1805

Town becomes capital of Grand Duchy of Berg.

Palace art collection relocates to Munich.

1806 – French in power.

1812 – Breidenbacher Hof in business.

1813 – Hof-Garten expanded.

1815

Prussians in power.

Engelbert Schramm becomes mayor.

1818 – Lower Rhenish Music Festival held.

1819 – Dusselthal Asylum established.

1829 – Artists' Society for the Rhinelands and Westphalia founded.

1838 – Bergisch-Märkische railway station opens.

1841 – Düsseldorf–Elberfeld railway constructed.

1845 – Cologne-Minden railway station opens.

1846 – Ducal palace restored.

1852

August: Singing festival held.

Population: 31,000.

1860 – Malkasten artists' club established.

1864 – Düsseldorfer Symphoniker (orchestra) active.

1867 – Galerie Paffrath in business.

1872 – Electoral palace burns down.

1875

Church of St. John built.

City Theatre opens.

1876

Trams begin operating.

Zoological Gardens established.

1877 – Rhenish railway station built.

1879 – Düsseldorf-Derendorf–Dortmund Süd railway, House of the Rhenish Estates, and Academy of Art building constructed.

1881 – Kunsthalle built.

1884 – Düsseldorf Exchange founded.

1885

City public library established.

Population: 115,190.

1891 – Düsseldorf Central Station opens.

1893 – Mannesmann (manufacturer) relocates to Düsseldorf.

1895 – Population: 175,985.

1896 – Industrial art museum built.

1898 – Bridge constructed.

1899 – Apollo-Theater opens.

20th century

1900 – Peek & Cloppenburg in business.

1902 – Rhine Promenade laid out.

1903 – Great Synagogue built.

1904 – Löbbecke Museum opens.

1905

Schauspielhausgebäude (theatre) opens.

Population: 252,630.

1907 – Hospitals built.

1909 – Ceramics museum founded.

1910

Königsallee Moving Pictures cinema opens.

Largest Fair on the Rhine relocates to fairgrounds in Oberkassel district.

1911 – Population: 312,000.

1920 – Labor strike.

1921 – Max Planck Institute for Iron Research GmbH relocates to Düsseldorf.

1924 – Wilhelm Marx House (high-rise) built.

1926 – Planetarium and Rheinstadion built.

1927 – Airport opens.

1929 – Kaiserswerth becomes part of city.

1935

Robert Schumann Hochschule formed.

Ice stadium opens on Brehmstraße.

1936 – Düsseldorf Central Station rebuilt.

1937 – Reich's Exhibition of a Productive People held.

1945 – April 16: German Resistance launches Aktion Rheinland; April 17: City taken by U.S. 97th Infantry Division.

1946

City becomes capital of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Handelsblatt and Rheinische Post newspapers begin publication.

1947

28 March: Food protest.

Kom(m)ödchen premieres.

1950 – Institut Français Düsseldorf founded.

1951 – Drupa printing equipment trade fair begins.

1955 – Deutsche Oper am Rhein established.

1956 – Opernhaus Düsseldorf re-opens.

1957 – North bridge constructed.

1958 – New Synagogue built.

1960

Willi Becker becomes mayor.

Dreischeibenhaus built.

1961 – Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen founded.

1962 – Tausendfüßler bridge built.

1965 – Marionetten-Theater housed in Palais Wittgenstein.

1966 – University of Düsseldorf established.

1967 – Kunsthalle Düsseldorf built.

1968

Düsseldorf Grand Prix tennis tournament begins.

Komödie Düsseldorf founded.

1969

Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus built.

Düsseldorf Boat Show begins.

1971

Fachhochschule Düsseldorf founded.

Philips Halle arena opens.

1974 – Botanical garden established.

1975 – City districts shaped (approximate date).

1979 – Tonhalle Düsseldorf and Flehe Bridge open.

1981

Düsseldorf Stadtbahn (light rail) begins operating.

Rheinturm built.

1982 – Collections Premieren Düsseldorf clothing trade fair begins.

1984 – Von hier aus art exhibit held.

1986 – Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen building inaugurated.

1987 – Aquazoo–Löbbecke Museum opens.

1993 – Rheinufer Tunnel opens.

1994 – Schadow Arkaden shopping mall built.

1996 – Capitol Theater opens.

1998 – Neuer Zollhof and Stadttor built.

1999 – Joachim Erwin becomes mayor.

21st century

2000 – Düsseldorf Airport railway station opens.

2001

Arag-Tower built.

Museum Kunstpalast opens.

2002 – Japan Day festival begins.

2005

Lichtburg Studio Theater opens.

AMD Academy of Fashion and Design founded.

2006 – ISS Dome arena opens.

2007 – Kunst im Tunnel established.

2008 – Dirk Elbers becomes mayor.

2011

Eurovision Song Contest 2011 held.

Population: 592,393.

2014 – June: Storm.