Dortmunder U

Dortmund


You can see it from afar – the golden ‘U’ atop the tower once used for beer storage by the now defunct Union Brauerei. Once one of Dortmund’s largest and most famous breweries, the protected landmark has been reborn as a progressive centre for art and creativity in the digital age. Tenants include the prestigious art museum Museum am Ostwall and the Hartware Medienkunstverein (adult/concession €5/2.50), an organisation dedicated to promoting an appreciation for Brutalist architecture.

Cineasts are drawn to the art-house cinema on the ground floor.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Dortmund attractions

1. Museum am Ostwall

The 4th and 5th floors of the Dortmunder U creative complex are home to the Museum am Ostwall, an art-world star thanks to its far-reaching collection of…

2. Deutsches Fussball Museum

0.25 MILES

This vast shrine to the nation's passion and obsession is a place of pilgrimage not only for German football fans. Inside a futuristic building next to…

3. Petrikirche

0.31 MILES

The 14th-century Petrikirche's showstopper is the massive Antwerp altar (1520), featuring 633 individually carved and gilded figurines in scenes depicting…

4. Mahn- und Gedenkstätte Steinwache

0.46 MILES

This municipal memorial uses the original rooms and cells of a Nazi prison as a backdrop for a grim exhibit about Dortmund during the Third Reich. Over 66…

5. Marienkirche

0.62 MILES

Marienkirche is the oldest of Dortmund’s churches, and its Romanesque origins are still visible in the round-arched nave. The star exhibit here is the…

6. Reinoldikirche

0.63 MILES

Dating to 1280, the Reinoldi church is named after the city’s patron saint. As the story goes, after Reinold was martyred in Cologne, the carriage…

7. Brauerei-Museum Dortmund

1.17 MILES

Dortmund is not only famous for its football team but also has a long tradition of beer-making. This museum is in the machine and production halls of the…

8. Zeche Zollern

5.17 MILES

The Zollern II/IV Coal Mine was considered a 'model mine' when operation began in 1902. It boasted state-of-the-art technology and fantastic architecture,…