Timeline of Düsseldorf

The following is a timeline of the history of Düsseldorf, Germany.

Prior to 19th century

 * 1186 – Counts of Berg in power.
 * 1285 – St. Sebastianus Bruderschaft Kaiserswerth (militia) formed.
 * 1288 – Town privileges granted by Adolf VIII 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.
 * 1800 – Musik-Academie established.

19th century

 * 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 – New Kunstakademie Düsseldorf founded as Königlich Preußische Kunstakademie (Royal Prussian Academy of Art); Dusselthal Asylum established.
 * 1829 – Artists' Society for the Rhinelands and Westphalia (Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westphalen) 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.
 * 1861 – 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 – Road bridge constructed, carries the electric tram-line to "Crefeld".
 * 1899 – Apollo-Theater opens.
 * 1900 – Peek & Cloppenburg in business.

20th century

 * 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.
 * 1913 - Museum Kunstpalast opened in its current form.
 * 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.
 * 1 October: Consulate of Poland relocated from Essen to Düsseldorf.
 * 1937
 * Reich's Exhibition of a Productive People held.
 * July: Nazi camp for Sinti and Romani people established (see also Porajmos).
 * 1943
 * 28 May: Kalkum forced labour camp established by the SS. Its prisoners were mostly Poles, Russians, Belgians, Dutchmen and Germans.
 * 1 November: Berta forced labour camp established by the SS. Its prisoners were mostly Russians, Poles, Czechs, Ukrainians, Lithuanians and Yugoslavs.
 * 1944
 * March/April: DESt forced labour camp established by the SS. Its prisoners were mostly Poles, Russians, Belgians, Dutchmen and Germans.
 * 17 May: Kalkum, Berta and DESt forced labour camps converted into subcamps of the Buchenwald concentration camp.
 * 1 September: Berta II subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp established. Its prisoners were mostly Poles, Russians and Czechs.
 * 1945
 * March: Berta, Berta II and DESt subcamps dissolved, prisoners deported to the main Buchenwald camp.
 * 10 April: Kalkum subcamp dissolved, prisoners deported to the main Buchenwald camp.
 * 16 April: German Resistance launches Aktion Rheinland.
 * 17 April: 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
 * February–March: City co-hosts the 1955 Ice Hockey World Championships.
 * 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).
 * 1977 – City hosts the 1977 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
 * 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
 * Polish Institute founded.
 * Rheinufer Tunnel opens.
 * 1994 – Schadow Arkaden shopping mall built.
 * 1996
 * 11 April: Düsseldorf Airport fire.
 * Capitol Theater opens.
 * 1998 – Neuer Zollhof and Stadttor built.
 * 1999 – Joachim Erwin becomes mayor.
 * 2000 – Düsseldorf Airport railway station opens.

21st century

 * 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.
 * 2015 – General-Consulate of China opened.
 * 2017 – City hosts the 2017 World Table Tennis Championships.
 * 2018 – Honorary Consulate of Monaco opened.