Essen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the city in Germany. For other places with the same name, see Essen (disambiguation).
| Essen | |
|---|---|
| Image:Stadtwappen der kreisfreien Stadt Essen.png | Image:Lage der Stadt Essen in Deutschland.png |
|
| |
| Country | Germany |
| State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Administrative region | Düsseldorf |
| District | urban district |
| Population | 584,295 source (2006) |
| Area | 210.32 km² |
| Population density | 2,787 /km² |
| Elevation | 116 m |
| Coordinates | 51°27′ N 7°1′ E |
| Postal code | 45001-45359 |
| Area code | 0201, 02054 |
| Licence plate code | E |
| Mayor | Wolfgang Reiniger (CDU) |
| Website | essen.de |
Essen [ˈɛsn̩] is a city in the center of the Ruhr Area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Located on the Ruhr River, its population of approximately 584,295 (as of December 31, 2005) makes it the 7th- or 8th-largest city in Germany. The city was recently appointed European Capital of Culture for 2010 and is both member of and seat to several regional development organizations, most importantly the Regionalverband Ruhrgebiet.
Formerly one of Germany's most important centers of coal and steel, Essen has developed a strong tertiary sector of industry and is seat to 13 of the 100 largest German corporations. Due to its industrial history, the city in 1958 was chosen as seat to a roman-catholic diocese, the Diocese of Essen (Ruhrbistum). In early 2003, the universities of Essen and its neigboring city of Duisburg (both established in 1972) were merged into the University of Duisburg-Essen with campuses in both cities and a university hospital in Essen.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
[edit] Location
Essen lies in the center of the Ruhr area north of the Ruhr river, which forms the artificial Lake Baldeney in the boroughs of Kupferdreh, Heisingen and Werden. The lake dates from 1931 - 1933, when 10,000 unemployed coal miners dredged it in exchange for bread and beer [1]. The lowest point can be found in the Northern borough of Karnap at 26.5 m, the highest point in the borough of Heidhausen (202,5 m). The average elevation is 116 m. The city extends over 21 km from north to south and 17 km in west-eastern direction.
[edit] Neighbouring communes
The following towns and communes border on Essen in clockwise direction: Gelsenkirchen, Bochum, Hattingen (Ennepe-Ruhr district), Velbert, Heiligenhaus, Ratingen (both Mettmann district), Mülheim an der Ruhr, Oberhausen, Bottrop as well as Gladbeck (Recklinghausen district).
[edit] City districts
Essen is subdivided into 19 suburban districts called stadtbezirke. Each stadtbezirk has a local body (19 members each) that has limited authority. Stadtbezirke have names that are often derived from the boroughs they comprise and are also referred to using roman numerals. Essen has a total of 50 boroughs, most of which have originally been independent municipalities but were incorporated from 1901 - 1975. The long-lasting process of city growth incorporation has lead to a strong identification of the population with "their" boroughs and to a rare peculiarity: The borough of Kettwig, located south of the Ruhr river and incorporated as late as in 1975, has an own area code. Additionally (allegedly because of relatively high church tax incomes), the Archbishop of Cologne managed to keep Kettwig part of the Archbishopric of Cologne, whereas all other boroughs of Essen and some neighbouring cities constitute the Diocese of Essen.
[edit] Climate
The average temperature is 9.6 °C, the average annual precipitation 829 mm. The coldest month of the year is January with an average temperature of 1.5 °C, the warmest month July with 17.5 °C. Most rain falls in August (90 mm).
[edit] History
[edit] Origin of the name
Image:Essen-Kupferstich-Merian.png Contrary to relatively popular belief, the name Essen does not refer to food (also Essen in German), but seems to have originated from the very old word Asnithi which may have either referred to a region in the East or to a region where many Ash trees (Eschen) could be found.
[edit] Early history
The oldest archeological finds date back to 280.000 B.C. (Vogelheimer Klinge, named after the borough of Vogelheim), further finds are between 120.000 and 10.000 years old.
Essen was part of the settlement areas of multiple Germanic peoples (Chatti, Bructeri, Marsi), although a clear distinction between these is difficult.
The Alteburg castle in the South of Essen dates back to Celtic times (around 0), the Herrenburg to the 8th century.
[edit] Medieval and recent history
Essen was founded around 845 as a monastery for women. It was among the most important monasteries in the 10th century, when it was led by Mathilde, a granddaughter of emperor Otto I, and two other women who were related to the Ottonian emperors: Sophia, a sister of Otto III and Theophanu, a granddaughter of Otto II. After the end of the Ottonian dynasty Essen lost its importance and remained a rather insignificant agricultural town until the 19th century. The mining of coal and ore led to the growth of the city and of the entire Ruhr area. The Krupp family comes from Essen; their works established steel production in Essen in 1811. After having undergone major economic changes after World War II, Essen now hosts a high-class college of art, many industrial sites (such as Zeche Zollverein) and a major collection of art (Museum Folkwang). On April 11, 2006 "Essen for the Ruhrgebiet" was declared European Capital of Culture for 2010. This decision is yet to be ratified by the European Culture Council.
[edit] Politics
Image:Muenster Rathaus Essen.jpg
[edit] Historical development
The administration of Essen had for a long time been in the hands of the princess-abbesses as heads of the Imperial Abbey. From the 14th century on, the city council gained more and more importance. In 1335, it started choosing two burgomasters, one of them also in charge of the treasury. In 1377, Essen was granted Reichsunmittelbarkeit <ref>History of Essen (in German)</ref> but had to abandon this privilege later. Between the early 15th and 20th century, the political system of Essen underwent several changes, most importantly the introduction of the Reformation in 1563, the Prussian annexation of 1802 and the subsequent secularization of the principality in 1803.
During the time of Nazi Germany, the Lord Mayors were installed by the NSDAP. After World War II, the military government of the British occupation zone installed a new lord mayor and a municipal constitution modeled on that of British cities. Later, the Rat der Stadt was elected by the population again. The Lord Mayor was elected by the council as its head and main representative of the city. The administration was lead by a full time Oberstadtdirektor. In 1999, the position of Oberstadtdirektor was abolished in North Rhine-Westphalia and the Lord Mayor became both main representative and administrative head. Additionally, the population now elects the Lord Mayor directly.
[edit] City council
The last local elections took place on September 26 2004. As a result, Dr. Wolfgang Reiniger (CDU) was elected Lord Mayor and the following political parties gained seats in the city council:
| CDU | SPD | GRÜNE | Essener Bürgerbündnis | FDP Alternative Essen | REP | PDS | DKP | Essen steht AUF (MLPD) | Total |
| 32 | 28 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 82 |
[edit] Coat of arms
Image:Stadtwappen der kreisfreien Stadt Essen.png Image:Hotel Handelshof Essen.jpg The coat of arms of the city of Essen is a heraldic peculiarity: Granted in 1886, it is a so-called Allianzwappen (Arms of alliance) and consists of two separate shields under a single crown. Most other coats of arms of cities show a wall instead of a crown. The crown, however, does not refer to the city of Essen itself but the secularized ecclesiastical principality of Essen under the reign of the princess-abbesses. The heraldically right shield shows the double-headed Imperial Eagle of the German Empire, granted to the city in 1623. The left shield is one of the eldest arms of Essen and shows a sword that people believed was used to behead the city's patrons Saints Cosmas and Damian. The sword in the Cathedral Treasury referred to, however, seems to be much younger <ref>Origin of the sword in the Essen Cathedral Treasury</ref>. A slightly modified and more heraldically correct version of the arms can be found on the roof of the Handelshof hotel near the main station.
[edit] Sister Cities
Essen's sister cities are:
|
|
[edit] Industry and infrastructure
[edit] Major companies based in Essen
Essen is seat to several large companies, amongst them Germany's 5th-largest industrial enterprise RWE AG. The ThyssenKrupp industrial conglomerate with its seats in Essen and Duisburg originates from a 1999 merger between Duisburg-based Thyssen AG and Essen-based Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp. Other companies include Germany's largest construction company Hochtief AG, a former RWE subsidiary, as well as ALDI North, KarstadtQuelle AG, Medion AG and Deichmann, Europe's largest shoe retailer. With Eon-Ruhrgas AG, Germany's largest gas company also has its seat in Essen. Until 2003, The Coca-Cola Company also had its German headquarters in Essen, when it was eventually moved to Berlin.
[edit] Fairs
On the MESSE ESSEN fair grounds, some 50 trade fairs are held each year, amongst them the world's biggest consumer fair for gaming (SPIEL, also occasion of the presentation of the Essen Feather and of the Deutscher Spiele Preis), the FIBO (fitness & wellness) and YOU, the largest European youth fair. Other important fairs include E-WORLD - ENERGY & WATER, 'Security' (security and fire protection) and Essen Motor Show.
[edit] Media
The Westdeutscher Rundfunk has a studio in Essen that is responsible for the central Ruhr Area, producing a daily 30-minutes regional evening news magazine called Lokalzeit Ruhr, a 5-minutes afternoon news program and several radio news programs. The Essen-based WAZ-Mediengruppe (WAZ Media Group) is one of the most important (print) media companies in Europe and issues the Ruhr Area's two most important daily newspapers, Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (WAZ; 580.000 copies) and Neue Ruhr/Rhein Zeitung (NRZ; 180.000 copies). In Essen, the WAZ Group also issues the local Borbecker Nachrichten (at times Germany's largest local newspaper) and Werdener Nachrichten, both of which are formerly independent weekly newspapers for parts of Essen.
[edit] Education
One renowned educational institution in Essen is the Folkwang Hochschule, a University of the Arts founded in 1927, with locations in Essen, Duisburg, Bochum and Dortmund.
The University of Duisburg-Essen, a 2003 merger between the universities of Essen and its neighboring city of Duisburg (both universities established in 1972), is one of Germany's "youngest" universities. One of its primary research focuses is on urban systems (i.e., sustainable development, logistics and transportation), a theme largely inspired by the highly urbanized Ruhr area. Other fields include nano technology, discrete mathematics and "education in the 21st century". Another university in Essen is the private Fachhochschule für Oekonomie und Management, a university of applied sciences with over 6000 students and branches in 15 other major cities throughout Germany.
[edit] Medicine
Essen offers a highly diversified health care system with more than 1,000 resident doctors, 350 dentists and almost 6,000 beds in 13 hospitals, including a university hospital. The university hospital dates back to 1909, when the city council established a municipal hospital, which was largely destroyed during World War II, generously rebuilt afterwards and finally gained the title of a university hospital in 1963. It focuses on diseases of the circulatory system (West German Heart Centre Essen), oncology and transplantation medicine, with the department of bone marrow transplantation being the second-largest of its kind in the world.
[edit] Transportation
Image:A40-Ruhrschnellweg-Huttrop.jpg The road network of Essen consists of 3,227 streets with a total length of 1,595 km.
[edit] Freeways
The Ruhrschnellweg (A40) runs directly through the city, dividing it roughly in half. A tunnel was built in the 1970s when the then-Bundesstraße was upgraded to autobahn standards, so in the inner city district near the main station, the A40 is hidden from public view. As with most freeways in the Ruhr Area, the Ruhrschnellweg suffers from congestion during rush hours, which is why many people in the area do not call it Ruhrschnellweg (Ruhr fast way) but Ruhrschleichweg (Ruhr crawling way). Other major autobahns include the A52 which crosses the city limits at Kettwig, continues past the fairground through the southern borough of Rüttenscheid, then merges with the Ruhrschnellweg at the Autobahndreieck Essen-Ost junction. (A proposed extension to replace B224 in the northern boroughs has not been built yet.) In the northern borough of Karnap, the A42 briefly touches Essen territory, serving as an interconnection between the cities of Oberhausen and Gelsenkirchen.
[edit] Public transport
Local transport is carried out by Essener Verkehrs-AG, a public company operating the Essen Stadtbahn (partly with used Docklands Light Rail stock), 7 tram and 48 bus lines (83 and 459 km total length, respectively). As a speciality, Essen has a Spurbus guided bus line on the median of the A40 autobahn connecting the city centre to the borough of Kray, as well as a Stadtbahn line on the median of the same autobahn leading towards Mülheim.
Via Essen Hauptbahnhof, the city is connected to the InterCityExpress network of high-speed trains and the general long distance networks operated by state-owned Deutsche Bahn. Minor so-called Regionalbahnhöfe (regional railway stations) are situated in the boroughs of Altenessen, Borbeck, Kray (south) and Steele, and 20 further S-Bahn stations in the whole urban area. The first railway line to run over now-Essen territory was the Köln-Mindener Eisenbahn with a stop at Altenessen, opening in 1847. The station still exists, albeit it has been renamed from just Essen to Essen-Altenessen when the Bergisch-Märkische Eisenbahn from Mülheim an der Ruhr to Bochum opened in 1862.
All local and DB regional traffic is subject to the fare structure of the VRR transport association.
[edit] Sights in Essen
Image:Zollverein Schacht 12.jpg Image:Aalto-Theater 02.jpg Image:RWE Turm Essen.jpg Image:Deutschlandhaus Essen Jacob Koerfer 1928.jpg
- Zeche und Kokerei Zollverein: Coal mine (built in 1932, closed in 1986) and coking plant (built in 1961, closed in 1993). Visitors now have access to the precincts, which frequently house temporary art exhibitions. Once the largest coal mine in the world, it has been awarded World Cultural Heritage status by UNESCO.
- Villa Hügel: Built at the end of the 19th century by industrial magnate Alfred Krupp, the real estate register used to define the 269-room mansion (8100 m²) as a single-family home. Today it often houses temporary art exhibitions and music concerts.
- Essener Münster: 14th-century cathedral with a westwork and crypt from the 10th century, rebuilt in 1958; not spectacular in appearance, but having some exquisite objects on display in the attached treasure house: Artworks from around 1000 AD, a crown of Emperor Otto III), the oldest preserved sculpture of the Virgin Mary in the world (Goldene Madonna, vernacularly referred to Essen sein Schatz, or in English, Essen's Treasure).
- Alte Synagoge: The Jewish community inaugurated the synagogue in 1913. Destroyed by fire in the Nazi pogroms of 1938, it was restored after World War II. It stands as the largest synagogue north of the Alps.
- Essen city hall: Germany's highest city hall (106 metres), built from 1971 to 1979. Free guided tours offer a view from the 22nd floor, overlooking the city from 100 m above ground.
- RWE tower: One of the largest skyscrapers in the Ruhr Area and corporate headquarters of the second largest electric power company in Germany (after E.ON) RWE AG, situated across the street from the Aalto theatre (Opernplatz 1).
- Aalto Theater: Popular theatre designed by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, opened in 1988.
- Essen-Werden: Once a town of its own, it became a borough of Essen in 1929; the center of the town has partly retained its medieval townscape with many pubs and restaurants. It stands near the Lake Baldeney and hosts the Folkwang College of Music and Performing Arts.
- Kettwig: Located south of the Ruhr river, and also once a town of its own, it was incorporated in 1975. Until today, residents of Kettwig can only be called using an area code different from that of the rest of Essen. Additionally (allegedly because of relatively high church tax incomes), the Archbishop of Cologne managed to keep Kettwig part of the Archbishopric of Cologne, whereas all other parts of Essen and some neighbouring cities constitute the Diocese of Essen (Ruhrbistum).
- Baldeneysee: The big lake in the south of the city, a popular recreation area. It dates from 1931 - 1933, when 10,000 unemployed coal miners dredged it in exchange for bread and beer [2].
- The Essen fair grounds (Messe Essen) often host large exhibitions, such as the Spiel game fair (October, also occasion of the presentation of the Essen Feather and of the Deutscher Spiele Preis), YOU (the largest European youth fair), Equitana (equitation) and Essen Motor Show.
[edit] Notable people born in Essen
- Christian Keller (born 1972) – medley and freestyle swimmer
- Jens Lehmann (born 1969) – German footballer, goalkeeper
- Carl Humann (born 1839) – Discoverer of the Pergamon Altar.
[edit] External links
- Official city website
- Essen City Panoramas — Panoramic Views and virtual Tours
- University of Duisburg-Essen
- Folkwang Museum, collections of 19th and 20th century German art
- Zollverein, a former mine converted to a world-class design center
- Folkwang Hochschule school of art
- [3] Lichtburg Essen], "the largest film theater in Germany"
- Werden Abbey
- Essen Philharmonia
- Theater in Essen
- Pictures from Kettwig
- Christmas market in Essen
- Essen Light Weeks (in December)
<references/>
| Urban districts and Districts in the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Urban |
Aachen | Bergisch Gladbach | Bielefeld | Bochum | Bonn | Bottrop | Dortmund | Duisburg | Düsseldorf | Essen | Gelsenkirchen | Hagen | Hamm | Herne | Köln (Cologne) | Krefeld | Leverkusen | Mönchengladbach | Mülheim | Münster | Oberhausen | Remscheid | Solingen | Wuppertal | |
|
Districts |
Aachen | Borken | Kleve (Cleves) | Coesfeld | Düren | Ennepe-Ruhr | Euskirchen | Gütersloh | Heinsberg | Herford | Hochsauerland | Höxter | Lippe | Märkischer Kreis | Mettmann | Minden-Lübbecke | Oberbergischer Kreis | Olpe | Paderborn | Recklinghausen | Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis | Rhein-Erft-Kreis | Rhein-Kreis Neuss | Rhein-Sieg-Kreis | Siegen-Wittgenstein | Soest | Steinfurt | Unna | Viersen | Warendorf | Wesel |
Aachen Cathedral · Abbey and Altenmünster of Lorsch · Augustusburg and Falkenlust · Bamberg · Bauhaus Sites · Berlin Museum Island · Classical Weimar · Cologne Cathedral · Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm · Dresden Elbe Valley · Goslar with Mines of Rammelsberg · Lübeck · Luther Memorials in Eisleben and Wittenberg · Maulbronn Monastery Complex · Messel Pit Fossil Site · Muskauer Park (w/ Poland) · Monastic Island of Reichenau · Old Town of Quedlinburg · Pilgrimage Church of Wies · Regensburg · Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St. Peter and Church of Our Lady, Trier · Sanssouci, New Palace, Berlin Pfaueninsel · St. Mary's Cathedral and St. Michael's Church, Hildesheim · Speyer Cathedral · Stralsund and Wismar · Town Hall and Roland in Bremen · Upper German Raetian Limes · Upper Middle Rhine Valley · Völklingen Ironworks · Wartburg Castle · Würzburg Residence · Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex, Essen
ca:Essen cs:Essen da:Essen de:Essen et:Essen el:Έσσεν es:Essen eo:Essen fr:Essen hr:Essen id:Essen, Nordrhein-Westfalen it:Essen he:אסן la:Assindia lv:Esene lt:Esenas nl:Essen (Duitsland) ja:エッセン no:Essen nds:Essen pl:Essen pt:Essen ro:Essen ru:Эссен simple:Essen sk:Essen sr:Есен fi:Essen sv:Essen tl:Essen, Alemanya th:เอสเซ่น tr:Essen vo:Essen (Reinän) zh:埃森
