Dortmund, once an industrial metropolis and known above all as a mining centre for the coal and steel industries, has developed to become an important location for the service and technology sectors in North Rhine-Westphalia, and it forms one of the commercial and trading centres of Westphalia. The city has much to offer to both the inhabitant and the visitor: surrounded by the Münsterland and Sauerland regions, the area not only has attractive excursion destinations. Dortmund itself, with its museums, the concert house, the Westfalen Park and a varied events calendar, also provides wide-ranging recreational and cultural opportunities and is furthermore an ideal conference location. The brewing museum, the Westfalen Park or a trip to the Hohensyburg are only some of the possibilities offered to Dortmund residents and visitors. The former industrial culture continues to live on in monuments and museums.