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essen

Located in the heart of the Ruhrgebiet, Essen belongs to the largest metropolitain area of Europe with more than 4.5 million people. This is the place where I work and where the University of Duisburg-Essen is located.

kulturhauptstadt.2010

Next year, Essen will be the cultural capital of Europe, hoping to attract people from all over the world. You can find the program here. At university various projects are going on to this event.

sightseeing

Due to its importance for the arms industry (Krupp) in World War II Essen was almost entirely destroyed by the Allies by the end of the war. Thus, most of the infrastructure and buildings were constructed in the industrial era in the late 40s and early 50s. Since the whole area is rich on black coal, many mining site can still be visited today.

Here is a selection of sites to be visited in and around Essen:

• Zeche Zollverein:
  This old mine hosts today many restaurants, museums, and clubs. It's considered the cultural center of Essen. Don't miss the red.dot design museum.
• Baldeney-See:
  Hard to believe that there is such a beautiful spot in this heavily industrialized area - visit the Baldeney lake (which is actually not a lake but the Ruhr river) to go for a walk or bike / skate around it. Simply take S6 from Essen central station.
• Villa Hügel:
  Being the former residene of the steel tycoon Krupp, this mansion is located in a beautiful location high above the Baldeney lake with amazing view. Visit the museum and learn a lot of interesting things (e.g. the Chrylser building was built with Krupp steel).