History

<h2>From Shipping harbour to Media harbour</h2>Although the Düsseldorf shipping harbour was in existence since the 1500s (as did its crest with an anchor symbol), it did not see much shipping traffic.The Rhine and its harbour came only into real use in 1866 when the harbour warehouse was built.It all came to fruition in 1880 when an architect from Berlin by the name of Mr. Plock was consigned to further develop the harbour.The Rhine harbour Düsseldorf was officially opened in 1896 and covered an area of 80 hectares.Soon after, the burgeoning trade along the Rhine created a need for customs support and this ultimately gave birth to the Düsseldorf Royal Customs House in 1901-1902.We know this fine building today as THE RED – Living Suites by The Rhine.The Second World War in the 1940s saw the destruction of the harbour and its infrastructure which unfortunately included the Royal Customs House.This building was re-built thereafter, but not to its original splendour.

Circa 1905 – A dramatic photograph taken from an airship. This shows the northern part of Düsseldorf overlooking the harbour.

Circa 1930 – A photograph of the fine city of Düsseldorf, showcasing the Rhine Harbour.

To meet shipping demands in the following years, the harbour grew in size.There were other changes too, for example, the harbour was originally located at the southerly border of Düsseldorf, whereas today it belongs to the downtown area.Its location is 500 meters to the Altstadt (the historic part of town) and 1200 meters to the Königsallee (the “5th Avenue” of Düsseldorf).The meaning of the harbour changed starting from the '70s.

Circa 1970 -The view from the top of the Mannesmann Tower which oversees the Berger Hafen (Berger Harbour).The Rheinkniebrücke (bridge), which was opened in 1969, is in the foreground with the Zollhafen (Customs Harbour) featured here.The parliament’s president building may be seen here at the bottom-left corner.

In 1973 the port report of the “Ritter planning group” was handed over to the city.She recommended a concentration and reorganization of the port as well as a new urban use geared towards the proximity to the city and the particularly favorable location on the Rhine.In 1974 the city council decided to shrink the port by 33 hectares.Building on this, the city planning office and Stadtwerke AG developed a concept for the future of the Düsseldorf port.In the first development phase, the Rhine Tower and the state parliament were built opposite the "Royal Main Tax Office", which was now used as Düsseldorf's main customs office.In 1988, the "Royal Main Tax Office" was listed as a monument because of its importance for Düsseldorf's architectural, economic and city history.In 2010 , the "Royal Main Tax Office" was acquired by the current owner after it had been vacant for a long time and lovingly restored with a lot of effort, taking into account its history and the preservation of historical monuments.

In March 2013 THE RED welcomed its first guest.

In November of the same year THE RED won the 1st place in the category “The Little Finest” at the So!Apart Award in Hamburg.

In March 2014 THE RED turned 1 year old and had already hosted many guests.

In 2015 the THE RED has been awarded the 1st place in the category “The Little Finest” once again at the So!Apart Award in Berlin.

At the beginning of 2017 the interior of the apartments was renovated and modernized.At the end of 2017 THE RED won the Consumer Award for Serviced Apartments in the category “the most popular little one”.