  The Cygnus X region is one of the most nearby massive star forming regions
within our Galaxy, recognised by prominent emission throughout the entire
electromagnetic spectrum, from radio to gamma-ray waves. This paper reviews our
current knowledge about this region by describing its multi-wavelength
characteristics. Particular emphasis will be given to the central stellar
cluster Cyg OB2 that dominates the energetics and kinematics in the area. The
cluster is also believed to be an active site of nucleosynthesis, as traced by
the observation of the 1809 keV gamma-ray line, attributed to radioactive decay
of 26Al. New observations obtained by the SPI telescope onboard the INTEGRAL
gamma-ray observatory will be presented that corroborate this hypothesis, and
that for the first time allow to measure the kinematics of the gas in the hot
Cygnus X superbubble.
