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Art and culture thrives today in the silent Zeche Zollverein, the former coal mine
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Change through Culture, Culture through Change
On a first visit to Essen, a stroll through this city of 600,000 people reveals very little about its long history. The center of this Ruhr metropolis, which lies in the heart of the densely populated Ruhr region, was almost completely destroyed in World War Two air raids. Today, Essen's streets are dominated by architectural experiments from the 1960s and 1970s.
1,000 Years of Women\'s Power
These first impressions are deceiving. In the very center of the city, not far from the main railway station, there is the Essen Cathedral, hidden between department stores and fast-food restaurants. This is the place where for almost 1,000 years, the fate of the city was influenced by women -- more precisely, by the abbesses of the medieval convent. Today, the Essen Cathedral\'s treasury offers one of the most prominent collections of sacral art in Germany.
Europe\'s Mining Center of the 20th Century
Essen, one of Germany's 10 largest cities, became known as a mining industry center. Mining was carried out in the city for centuries. But it was the discovery and extraction of black coal that transformed Essen into Europe's largest mining city in the 20th century.
This mining history influences Essen even today, mainly in the form of art and culture on the former mining sites. The Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex is a landmark of the Ruhr region and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001. And around this "Eiffel Tower of the Ruhr," cultural events such as concerts, theater performances, comedy shows and parties take place, attracting up to 800,000 visitors annually.
A Designated University District
Essen's industrial culture is also reflected by the Villa Huegel, the former residence of the entrepreneurial Krupp family. It's a palace-like residence with 220 rooms, surrounded by extensive parks. Today, chamber music concerts and art exhibitions take place here. Theater, opera and concert lovers are welcomed by the Aalto Theater opera house, named after the famous Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, as well as the Grillo Theater and Essen Philharmonics.
The vicinity of the university is an especially young part of Essen. It was founded in 1972 and merged with Duisburg University in 2003. In the 2008/2009 winter semester, there were 30,000 students enrolled at the Duisburg-Essen University. A new district has formed in the north of Essen due to the university's presence: Universitaetsviertel.
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