Essen

Essen is a 583,109 inhabitants city located in the central part of North Rhine-Westphalia by the rivers Ruhr and Emscher. Essen is the 10th largest city in Germany and the 4th largest in North Rhine-Westphalia. It has suffered radical changes recently, transforming its industrial and mining core into an artistic one. Therefore Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex was placed at UNESCO World Heritage list in 2001. Essen was awarded the title of European Capital of Culture (on behalf of the whole Ruhr area) in 2010 and European Green Capital for 2017.

How do I arrive to Essen?

  Essen is quite well connected with the whole Ruhr region as well as other places in North Rhine-Westphalia state. 

• Train: there are trains every 10 minutes to Duisburg (aprox. 10 minutes) and to Oberhausen and Bochum (aprox. 20 minutes). There are trains every 20 minutes to Dortmund and Düsseldorf (aprox. 30 minutes), every 10 minutes to Cologne and Münster (aprox. 1 hour). It also has trains to Bielefeld (aprox. 1 hour 30 minutes). 
• Bus: there are many buses from Essen to the main important cities in the state and the rest of Germany.
• Car: if you rented a car, from Essen it can be reached Bochum and Gerlsenkirchen (aprox. 20 minutes), Duisburg (aprox. 25 minutes), Dortmund (aprox. 30 minutes), Düsseldorf (aprox. 35 minutes), Cologne (aprox. 1 hour), Münster (aprox. 1 hour 10 minutes) or Bonn (aprox. 1 hour 10 minutes).

History

There are objects that witness human presence since Stone Age, being afterwards part of settlement areas of Germanic peoples (Chatti, Bructeri, Marsi). The first settlement in current Essen is due to St. Altfrid, who founded an abbey for women (845) quite linked to the Ottonian emperors and the one founded by St. Liudger in Werden (799). During the Thirty Years' War the Protestant city and the Catholic abbey opposed each other. Coal mines opened in Essen at the end of the 16th century and it earned its name as a center of weapons industry, linked to Krupp family. In 1811 Friedrich Krupp founded Germany's first cast-steel factory in Essen (enterprise which would be the largest enterprise in Europe for a couple of decades). Essen was occupied by France and Belgium in 1923 (to comply the demands of the Treaty of Versailles), ending in 1925. In the Kristallnacht Steele synagogue was destroyed (but the Old synagogue survived). During WW2 Essen was a major target for Allied bombing (destroying 90% of the center and 60% of the suburbs) and after the war Essen was assigned to the British Zone of Occupation. During the second part of the 20th century it took place an industrial transformation; although weaponry is no longer produced in Essen, old industrial enterprises like ThyssenKrupp and RWE remain large employers in the city.
 

What can I visit in Essen?

 The most interesting in Essen to be visited are Zollverein (former mining area with a huge cultural offer), the Old Town and Werden (oldest district in the city which preserves historic homes and alleyway and allows to imagine how was Essen before the First Industrial Revolution). There's a card that includes touristic attractions and free public transportation, Ruhr.TopCard (56€/ 36€/  adults/ kids) and it lasts 1 year.

These are Essen's main attractions:

Essen Cathedral

• Folwang Museum (10-18 Tue-Wed and Sat-Sun, 10-20 Thu-Fri; free, only the permanent collection): museum designed by the famous architect David Chipperfield and considered one of the best ones in Germany. It hosts works of art from the 19th and 20th centuries by Paul Gauguin, Van Gogh or Mark Rothko displayed in radial galleries. Some of its most important works of arts are Porträt des Armand Roulin by Vicent Van Gogh, Junges Mädchen mit Fächer by Paul Gauguin or Hutladen by August Macke. 
• Essen Cathedral (6:30-18:30 Mon-Fri, 9-19:30 Sat-Sun; free): cathedral, first built in 958 as a convent one of the most outstanding religious institutions for women in Germany in the early and high Middle Ages. It was damaged during WW2 and elevated to cathedral status in 1958. It can also be visited Essen Dom Treasury (11-17 Tue-Sun; 8€/ 5€/ free  adults/ students/ kids under 18), museum with sacred utensils and artwork of Essen Abbey from the middle of the 9th century until 1902, with an important collection of Ottonian-Salian goldsmith art and golden artefacts such as the Golden Madonna of Essen (oldest surviving sculpted figure of Mary in Western art) and Processional Cross (11th-12th century).

  

  Essen Old Synagogue

• Essen Old Synagogue (10-18 Tue-Sun; free): synagogue built in 1913 that survived Kristallnacht and WW2. Since 1980 it's home of a Jewish cultural center.
• Maria in der Not Collegiate Church: 11th century Romanesque basilica home to the discalced Carmelites. Its baptismal font from the 12th century is particularly worth seeing.
• St. Nikolaus Catholic Church: 20th century Art Nouveau style church made of red sanstone.
• Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex: former coal mine complex of the German Customs Union which was used till 1986. Since then it has been transformed as a cultural spot with museums like Ruhr Museum or Red Dot Design Museum, cafes, gardens... It was recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2001.

  

  Zollverein Coal Mine
  Industrial Complex

• Ruhr Museum (10-18; 8€/ 5€/  adults/ students/ people under 18): interesting museum located in a Bauhaus style former coal washing facilities that shows the history of Ruhr historic region and the industrial transformation that is still suffering, connection cultural and natural history. One of the most shocking sections is the one dedicated to the working conditions (and the strike attempt in 1920 known as Ruhr uprising, solved with brutality and summary executions). In the upper part there's a viewing point, Panorama (10-18) that shows the huge dimensions of Zollverein Complex and Ruhr region.

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  Ruhr Museum

  Red Dot Design Museum (11-18 Tue-Sat; 6€/ 4€/ free  adults/ students/ kids under 12): museum placed in the boiler house of the former mine, adapted by Norman Foster. It has world’s largest exhibition of contemporary design and its decoration, using daily mining objects like helmets, made it be awarded with Red Dot Design Award (considered the design version of the Oscars).
• Gruga Park (9-nightfall; 4€/ 2.50€/ 1.20€  adults/ students/ kids under 12): central park in the city first opened in 1929 and located adjacent to Grugahalle concert hall and the Messe Essen exhibition center.
• Blücher Tower: former judgement tower of Rellinghausen Abbey, scene of witch trials from 1571 to 1595.
• Schellenberg Castle: castle first mentioned in the 12th century that has evolved with the passing of generations and owners from a simple moated castle to today castle.
• Villa Hügel (10-18 Tue-Sun; 5€): 19th century estate located over the lake Baldeney. It belongs to Krupp family, has 269 rooms with valuable tapestries, sumptuous Italian coffered ceilings and a remarkable library.

  

  St. Ludgerus Basilica

• St. Lucius Catholic Church: 11th century church, regarded as one of the oldest parish churches to the north of the Alps, in the district of Werden. It was secularised and re-consecrated in 1965.
• St. Ludgerus Basilica (10-12 and 15-17 Tue-Sun; 3€/ 2€  adults/ reduced): late-Romanesque style church built in 1175 where the Frisian missionary Liudger is buried. Its outter part is impressing, its inner part has many wooden works of arts and its treasury has many valuable pieces.

Josef Albers Museum in Bottrop

Going 14 km north it's located Oberhausen, a city with 210,829 inhabitants which is home of International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, one of the oldest of its kind. Here it can be visited the art gallery Gasometer Oberhausen (10-18 Tue-Sun; variable prices) located in a gas tank. It's one of the temporary exposition sites in whole Germany and on its top there's an observation deck (117 m) with views of the western part of Ruhr region. Continuing 10 km east it's placed the city of Bottrop (117,383 inhabitants), known for being the birthplace of Josef Albers, a popular Bauhaus artist that emigrated to USA to space from the Nazis. At Josef Albers Museum (11-17 Tue-Sat, 10-17 Sun; 8€/ 6€  adults/ reduced for temporary collections; permanent collections are free) the visitor can gain knowledge about this artist and its abstract works of arts with intense colours and geometrica shapes. Some of its most outstanding pieces are the serie Homage to the Square. On the other side of the city it can be found the sculpture Tetraeder in a former dumping site. It seems to be floating and has nice views of the green but industrial Bottrop. The sculpture is iluminated at night.

Where can I eat in Essen?

 Essen doesn't have an extraordinary culinary offer, being one of the best choices is walking Rüttenscheider Straße. Some of the best choices are the Turkish bar Orkide Döner Kebab (Klarastraße 1) or the cafe Miamamia (Rüttenscheider Straße 74A). One of the most interesting choices to enjoy Essen's nightlife is Zeche Carl (Wilhelm-Nieswandt Allee 100) located in a former coal mine.

Posted in: Europe,Germany,North Rhine-Westphalia