Ruhr

• 1. The Polycentric Landscape

  ›

  A map of the Ruhr reveals a single urban mass stretching from the Lower Rhine Basin to the Westphalian Plain. No administrative center governs this territory, yet 5 million people live here in 2017. The population density reaches 1,160 inhabitants per square kilometer across the region. This polycentric structure differs sharply from monocentric cities like Munich. Individual boroughs grew independently during the Industrial Revolution rather than absorbing smaller villages. Cities such as Duisburg, Essen, and Dortmund sit side by side without visible breaks between them. The river Ruhr runs through the center, while the Rhine borders the west and the Lippe flows to the north. Coal-bearing layers from the upper Carboniferous period lie beneath the surface. These seams reach the earth's surface along the river before dipping downward toward the north. At depths of 600 to 800 meters below the Lippe, miners once drilled for resources. The thickness of these coal layers varied between one and three meters.

• 2. Mills And Mines Rise

  ›

  Water-powered mills produced textiles and iron in automated processes around 1820. Hundreds of workshops in the hills manufactured knives, tools, weapons, and harnesses using water, coal, and charcoal. Steam power replaced water power, making locally mined coal expensive. The Bergische industry ordered more coal from new mining areas along the Ruhr. Railways constructed through the hilly Wupper region brought coal and steel inward. By 1850, almost 300 coal mines operated within central cities like Duisburg, Essen, Bochum, and Dortmund. Iron works built within present-day Oberhausen followed the construction of the Cologne-Minden railway in the late 19th century. Towns with populations of only 2,000 to 5,000 people grew to over 100,000 in the following century. Skilled mineworkers recruited from other regions joined unskilled laborers moving into the area. From 1860 onwards, large-scale migration of Polish speakers arrived from Silesia, Pomerania, East Prussia, and Posen. These workers became known as Ruhrpolen. They faced treatment as second-class citizens until a revolt erupted in Herne in 1899. Young Polish workers established a Workers' Union after the uprising. Over 3 million people lived in the Ruhrgebiet by 1870.

• 3. Weapon Factories And Occupation

  ›

  During World War I, the Ruhrgebiet functioned as Germany's central weapon factory. At F. Krupp A.G., employee numbers rose from 40,000 to 120,000 or more within four years. Women and forced laborers comprised part of this workforce. In March 1920, nationalist elements attempted to overthrow the Weimar Republic government. The Reichswehr put down the rebellion in early April 1920 with assistance from Freikorps units. An estimated 1,000 insurgents and 200 soldiers died in the battles. French and Belgian troops occupied Duisburg in March 1921 under the Treaty of Versailles. The entire district fell under occupation in January 1923 after Germany failed to fulfill reparation payments. German hyperinflation resulted from production and transport coming to a standstill during passive resistance. The Dawes Plan led to troop withdrawal in 1925. Adolf Hitler sent 30,000 troops into the Rhineland on the 7th of March 1936 without international intervention. During World War II, bombing raids between 1940 and 1944 caused a loss of 30% of plant and equipment. A second battle began on the 6th of October 1944 with an attack on Dortmund. More than 4,800 tons of bombs dropped through the city center on the 12th of March 1945 set a record for a single target. The Allies trapped several hundred thousand Wehrmacht troops in the Ruhr Pocket in April 1945.

• 4. Crisis And Restructuring

  ›

  Germany faced a worldwide economic crisis after 1973 with soaring oil prices and increasing unemployment. Unemployment jumped from 300,000 in 1973 to 1.1 million in 1975. Easy-to-reach coal mines became exhausted, making German coal uncompetitive. Steel industry prices were undercut by lower-cost suppliers such as Japan. Factories reduced their labor force and concentrated on high-profit specialty items. Demand for coal decreased after 1958, triggering phases of structural crisis. The area moved from traditional heavy industry into service industries and high technology. Air and water pollution issues largely disappeared, though some problems took decades to solve. Essen served as the official candidate for European Capital of Culture nomination in 2005. The region developed new parks and recreation areas on brownfield land. The Emscher Landschaftpark lies along the river Emscher, formerly an open sewer. Parts of this park underwent natural restoration to connect strips of parkland running north to south. Regional planning in the 1920s formed a green belt between cities from east to west.

• 5. Heritage Sites Reborn

  ›

  The Industrial Heritage Trail links tourist attractions related to the European Route of Industrial Heritage. Three major opera houses and more than 10 theaters operate within the Ruhr area. Bochumer Symphoniker, Duisburg Mercatorhalle, Saalbau Essen, and Dortmunder Philharmoniker host special classical music halls. The Klavier-Festival Ruhr takes place each spring with 50 to 80 events of classical and jazz music. Over 50 museums exist here, creating one of Europe's largest museum varieties. Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. Gasometer Oberhausen and Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord transformed industrial structures into cultural spaces. The German Mining Museum sits at Bochum while the German Football Museum stands in Dortmund. Essen represented the Ruhr as European Capital of Culture for 2010. The Council of the European Union selected the city that year. Revierderby rivalry exists between Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke 04 in association football.

• 6. Migration And Dialects

  ›

  Up to 500,000 ethnic Poles, Masurians, and Silesians migrated from East Prussia and Silesia during the nineteenth century. This movement known as Ostflucht brought immigrants from over 140 countries to the region. By 1925, the Ruhrgebiet had around 3,800,000 inhabitants. Most new inhabitants came from Eastern Europe, though some arrived from France, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Almost all descendants today speak German as their first language. Many do not identify with Polish roots or traditions despite family names remaining as signs of the past. A local regiolect called Ruhrdeutsch influences working-class sociolects across the area. Locals often call the Ruhr either Pott or Revier based on coal mining tradition. The ten largest cities include Dortmund with 587,696 people and Essen with 582,415 residents. Duisburg holds 495,885 inhabitants while Bochum contains 364,454. Gelsenkirchen has 259,105 people living within its borders. Oberhausen houses 209,566 residents and Hagen contains 188,687. Hamm supports 178,967 people and Mülheim an der Ruhr holds 170,921. Herne completes the top ten with 156,940 inhabitants.