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Dortmund is situated at an altitude of 50 m at the northern edge of the Ruhrgebiet industrial region between the rivers Ruhr and Lenne and the Datteln-Hamm canal, and at the end of the Ems-Dortmund canal. Dortmund was first mentioned as Throtmani in a document of between AD 880 and 890. In the 13th century, Dortmund was one of the richest and most important towns of the Hanse federation of trading towns. The town was unsuccessfully besieged by an army of 1,200 men led by 45 princes in 1388–1390 (the 'Dortmunder Fehde'). During the Thirty Years' War, Dortmund was conquered by the infamous General Pappenheim in 1632. Until 1803 the town had the status of a free imperial town. Until 1806 it was ruled by Nassau-Orange. In 1808 it came under French rule and became part of the Grand Duchy of Berg. Dortmund participated in the war against Napoleon at the side of Prussia which ended the French occupation in 1813. The industrial development of the town was boosted by the opening in 1847 of the railway line from Cologne via Dortmund to Minden. In order to establish a cheaper means of transport to the North sea harbours, the Dortmund-Ems canal was built between 1892 and 1899. At that time, Dortmund was the largest and most important industrial town of the Ruhr region. After World War I, Dortmund was occupied by France between 1923 and 1924. During World War II, 95% of the historical parts of the town and 59% of the residential quarters were destroyed. Today, Dortmund is a thriving city with 580,000 inhabitants.

The Stadttheater (old municipal theatre) [left] was built in 1903–1904 by the architect Martin Dülfer. In its place, the new Opera House was built in 1966.

Constructions on the Dortmund Port [left], which terminates the Dortmund-Ems Canal connecting Dortmund to the North Sea, started in 1895. It was opened 1899 by Emperor Wilhelm II. At the beginning of the 20th century the port was mainly used for the import and export of wheat, coal and ore. The port was expanded in the 1920s and 1930s by adding new docks as well as on the administrative infrastructure (Dortmunder Hafenamt). Today Dortmund Port is the biggest European canal port with 10 docks and a pier-length of 11 km. [Text adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dortmund_Port]

The Hauptbahnhof is the mail railway station for the city of Dortmund. The station's origins lie in a joint station of the Köln-Mindener Eisenbahn and Bergisch-Märkische Eisenbahn which was built north of the city centre in 1847. That station was replaced by a new station, erected in 1910 at the current site (depicted on glass no.2341). It featured raised embankments to allow a better flow of traffic. At the time of its opening, it was one of the largest stations in Germany. It was, however, destroyed in an Allied air raid on October 6, 1944. The main station hall was rebuilt in 1952 in a contemporary style. Its stained glass windows feature then-common professions of Dortmund. Dortmund Hauptbahnhof is the third largest long distance traffic junction in Germany and even one of the most important train stations in Europe. [Text adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dortmund_Hauptbahnhof]

The Hohensyburg [right] is an elevated plateau (245 m) in the south of the city of Dortmund near the river Rughr. Syburg was first mentioned in AD 775 after the Saxon fort Sigiburg had been conquered by Charlemagne. Syburg was an independent community in the domain Westhofen which until 1806 was in possession of the Counts von der Mark. In 1806 it became part of Prussia. In 1929 it became part of Dortmund, at first as part of the borough Wellinghofen, since 1975 it is part of the borough Hörde.

The Kaiser-Wilhelm-Denkmal [right] on the Hohensyburg was built in 1893–1903 in memory of the first German Emperor, Wilhelm I, who had died in 1888. Although Dortmund in 1889 lost the competition for the construction of the central monument for the province of Westfalia to Porta Westfalica, a regional committee soon proposed plans for another monument for the former County of Mark. The designs were drawn by the architect Hubert Stier. The equestrian monument of Emperor Wilhelm and the statues of Otto von Bismarck, Helmuth von Moltke, Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm (Emperor Friedrich III) and Prince Friedrich Karl (nephew of Wilhelm I), were designed and executed by Adolf Donndorf and his son Karl. The central tower has a total height of 34 m. The monument was unveiled on the 30th of June 1902 in the presence of Emperor Wilhelm's great-grandson, Crown Prince Wilhelm, son of the reigning German emperor, Wilhelm II. During extensive reconstructions in 1935/36 the statues of Friedrich Wilhelm and Friedrich Karl were removed, and the two other statues were repositioned.

Glass no.2005 [left] is marked "Andenken an den Kaiserbesuch 10. Aug. 1909". It was sold as a souvenir on the occasion of the visit of Emperor Wilhelm II, on the occasion of the celebrations of 300th anniversary of the affiliation of the Counties Mark and Ravensburg to Brandenburg-Preußen.

Several glasses of this collection show other monuments for Wilhelm I.

The Fredenbaum [right] is the oldest and second-largest (ca. 65 ha) municipal park in Dortmund. Until about 1835 the forest "Westerholz" marked the northern city border between Dortmund and the county of Mark. A border station finally gave the forest its modern name, "Fredenbaum", a contraction of the words "Frede" (Freiheit, freedom) and "Baum" (Schlagbaum, toll bar). In the late 19th century, the forest became a popular resort place and amusement venue. The building depicted on glass no.2078 [right] is the Fredenbaumsaal, which was opened in 1889. At its time it was one of the largest amusement building in the German empire. The large festive hall wit its 1,185 seats covered 1,400 m², the winter garden had 800 m², the buffet added another 300 m². In 1912 a large Luna park was opened, modeled on the Tivoli in Copenhagen. During World War II, in 1940, the Luna park was closed and its buildings, except the Fredenbaumsaal, were to be demolished. Due to the war, the demolision works were apparently not carried out, but in 1943 the park was razed Allied bombs. The ruins of the Fredenbaumsaal and the remains of the Aquarium were finally torn down in 1958. The Fredenbaum-Park as we know it today was laid out after the war.