Essen: From Krupp Steel to European Green Capital, the Ruhr's Reinvention
Essen sits at the heart of the Ruhrgebiet, Germany's former industrial powerhouse. The population is around 593,000. The Krupp dynasty built their steel empire here from the 1810s onwards, and at its height the Krupp works were the largest company in Europe. The last coal mine in Essen closed in 1986. The Zeche Zollverein, a former coal mine and coking plant, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001 and now houses the Ruhr Museum and design centre. Essen won the European Green Capital Award in 2017, a remarkable turnaround for a city synonymous with heavy industry.
Essen Hauptbahnhof connects to ICE services and the Ruhr S-Bahn network. ThyssenKrupp (now split into multiple companies), RWE, and E.ON have headquarters here. The Grugapark, opened for a garden exhibition in 1929, covers 70 hectares in the city's south. The Baldeneysee, a reservoir on the Ruhr, is the largest lake in the Ruhrgebiet. Adult companionship in Essen falls under NRW's relatively straightforward regulatory approach.
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Essen sits at the heart of the Ruhrgebiet, Germany's former industrial powerhouse. The population is around 593,000. The Krupp dynasty built their steel empire here from the 1810s onwards, and at its height the Krupp works were the largest company in Europe. The last coal mine in Essen closed in 1986. The Zeche Zollverein, a former coal mine and coking plant, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001 and now houses the Ruhr Museum and design centre. Essen won the European Green Capital Award in 2017, a remarkable turnaround for a city synonymous with heavy industry.
Essen Hauptbahnhof connects to ICE services and the Ruhr S-Bahn network. ThyssenKrupp (now split into multiple companies), RWE, and E.ON have headquarters here. The Grugapark, opened for a garden exhibition in 1929, covers 70 hectares in the city's south. The Baldeneysee, a reservoir on the Ruhr, is the largest lake in the Ruhrgebiet. Adult companionship in Essen falls under NRW's relatively straightforward regulatory approach.
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