The Dortmunder U is the city's most recognisable cultural landmark — a seven-storey former brewery tower that now houses three separate cultural institutions under one roof. The Museum Ostwall, which holds the city's collection of modern and contemporary art, occupies the upper floors; the Hartware Medienkunstverein presents media and digital art; the lower levels host the Dortmund University of Applied Sciences' design faculty and rotating exhibitions.
The building itself is the attraction as much as anything inside it. The art nouveau and industrial facades have been preserved while the interior has been gutted and rebuilt with glass floors that allow light to penetrate from the roof down through all seven levels. The rooftop terrace offers a panorama over the city. The ground-floor cafe is a reasonable place for a coffee between galleries.