Dortmund is the economic center of the Ruhr region, where more than 587,000 people live and is located in the center of the state of North Rhine Westphalia. Dortmund is incredibly colorful and characterized above all by its contrasts. While coal and steel once formed the image of Dortmund, a flourishing cultural region has emerged over the past decades. This includes industrial monuments, green parks, re-cultivated heaps and great museums.

The Florian Tower (der Florianturm) - The 209m high tower is the tallest building in the city. Therefore, the Florian tower is an important and defining element of the Dortmund skyline. Dortmund’s inhabitants affectionatly call the tower "Florian". One of the landmarks of the city is a viewing platform and a rotating restaurant.

Signal Iduna Park - the largest soccer stadium in Germany and the home stadium of the BVB. A total of 81,359 spectators can be found during the Bundesliga games in the impressive Stadionplatz. The South grandstand itself can  fit almost 25,000 fans of the German football giant, which makes it the largest grandstand in Europe.

Westfalenpark Dortmund - The approximately 70 hectare park is a mecca for nature enjoyment, active recreation and a paradise for families. These include, for example, wide lawns and meadows, as well as theme gardens, pond systems and playgrounds. A highlight among the attractions in the Westfalenpark is the Rosarium. With more than 3,800 different types of roses from all over the world, this is the third largest rosarium in the world.

If you want to enjoy your holiday in Dortmund, the Dortmund U is the right place. The Dortmund U is the center for art and creativity. It is located in the former fermenter and warehouse building of the Union Brewery (once the largest brewery in West Germany). On the roof of the high-rise is a golden "U", which welcomes visitors from afar.

The Fredenbaumpark is a popular tourist destination for residents of Dortmund and for tourists alike. The park in the northern part of the city is ideal for active recreation in nature, for sport activities and for numerous leisure activities.

The Old Market (Alter Markt) - More than 800 years ago, merchants, craftsmen and citizens met here to do business. This activity is still reminiscent of the Bläserbrunnen, which is located in the Old Market. The Old Market in Dortmund has always been a popular and favourite meeting place.

Dortmund is a city of contrasts - and that is precisely why it is exciting. With various historical nad cultural sights of the city, you will get to know the charm of Dortmund - with its corners and edges, its past and future and its sense of humor.

Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It's located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. Its name translates to "White city". The urban area of the City of Belgrade has a population of 1.23 million, while over 1.65 million people live within its administrative limits. Its metropolitan territory is divided into 17 municipalities, each with its own local council. Belgrade is classified as a Beta- Global City.

One of the most important prehistoric cultures of Europe, the Vinča culture, evolved within the Belgrade area in the 6th millennium BC. In antiquity, Thraco-Dacians inhabited the region, and after 279 BC Celts conquered the city, naming it Singidūn.

In 1521, Belgrade was conquered by the Ottoman Empire and became the seat of the Sanjak of Smederevo. It frequently passed from Ottoman to Habsburg rule, which saw the destruction of most of the city during the Austro-Ottoman wars. Belgrade was again named the capital of Serbia in 1841. Northern Belgrade remained the southernmost Habsburg post until 1918, when the city was reunited. As a strategic location, the city was battled over in 115 wars and razed 44 times. Belgrade was the capital of Yugoslavia from its creation in 1918.

During the post-war period, Belgrade grew rapidly as the capital of the renewed Yugoslavia, developing as a major industrial center. In 1948, construction of New Belgrade started. In 1958, Belgrade's first television station began broadcasting. In 1961, the conference of Non-Aligned Countries was held in Belgrade under Tito's chairmanship. In 1962, Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport was built.

Belgrade hosts many annual international cultural events, including the Film Festival, Theatre Festival, Summer Festival, Music Festival, Book Fair, Eurovision Song Contest 2008, and the Beer Fest. The Nobel Prize winning author Ivo Andrić wrote his most famous work, The Bridge on the Drina, in Belgrade.Other prominent Belgrade authors include Branislav Nušić, Miloš Crnjanski, Borislav Pekić, Milorad Pavić and Meša Selimović.

Most of Serbia's film industry is based in Belgrade. FEST is an annual film festival that held since 1971, and, through 2013, had been attended by four million people and had presented almost 4,000 films.

The city was one of the main centers of the Yugoslav new wave in the 1980s: VIS Idoli, Ekatarina Velika, Šarlo Akrobata and Električni Orgazam were all from Belgrade. Other notable Belgrade rock acts include Riblja Čorba, Bajaga i Instruktori and Partibrejkers.

There are many foreign cultural institutions in Belgrade, including the Spanish Instituto Cervantes, the German Goethe-Institut and the French Institut français, which are all located in the central pedestrian area of Knez Mihailova Street. Other cultural centers in Belgrade are American Corner, Austrian Cultural Forum, British Council, Chinese Confucius Institute, Canadian Cultural Center, Hellenic Foundation for Culture, Italian Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Iranian Culture Center, Azerbaijani Culture Center and Russian Center for Science and Culture. European Union National Institutes for Culture operates a cluster of cultural centres from the EU.

Belgrade has a reputation for offering a vibrant nightlife; many clubs that are open until dawn can be found throughout the city. The most recognizable nightlife features of Belgrade are the barges (splav), spread along the banks of the Sava and Danube Rivers. Many weekend visitors prefer Belgrade nightlife to that of their own capitals, due to a perceived friendly atmosphere, plentiful clubs and bars, cheap drinks, the lack of language difficulties, and the lack of restrictive night life regulation.

The city is home to Serbia's two biggest and most successful football clubs, Red Star Belgrade and Partizan Belgrade. Red Star won the 1991 UEFA Champions League (European Cup). The two major stadiums in Belgrade are the Marakana (Red Star Stadium) and the Partizan Stadium. The rivalry between Red Star and Partizan is one of the fiercest in world football.