The Medienhafen is Düsseldorf's former inner harbour, a stretch of 19th-century dock warehouses that was redeveloped from the 1990s onward into a district of architecture offices, advertising agencies, restaurants, and bars. It is the showpiece of the city's post-industrial reinvention and worth visiting for the buildings alone.
The three Neuer Zollhof towers by Frank Gehry — one clad in steel, one in brick, one in white plaster, all three twisting and bulging on their plots — are the most striking. But the Medienhafen also has work by Claude Vasconi, David Chipperfield, and Joe Coenen, making it a coherent architectural tour in a compact area. The harbour itself retains some of its original dock infrastructure, and the waterfront terrace is one of the better spots in Düsseldorf for a summer evening drink.