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Essen - Culture |
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The largest city in the Ruhr region, Essen has a population of 598,968 and holds many key functions:
The Ruhr's International
Exhibition and Trade Fair Centre, the German Science Foundation, the seat
of the Ruhr diocese, the Municipal Association for the Ruhr Area, the
Environmental Office and also the German Weather Service. Founded in 852
as an aristocratic convent, Essen was governed by abbesses over the period
of a thousand years before turning into what used to be the largest mining
town in Europe dominated by the coal and steel industries. After
far-reaching structural transformation the city is now a services and
economic centre in which 11 of the top hundred German businesses have
their head offices.
Essen offers excellent
facilities as regards education, culture and entertainment: the city
boasts a university with 13 faculties as well as the Folkwang Hochschule
for music, theatre and dance, the Aalto Theater (opera), Grillo Theater
(drama), the Museum Folkwang, the German Posters Museum, the design centre
of North Rhine-Westphalia, the old synagogue as a Jewish memorial and the
Villa Hügel. Perhaps the most popular and well-known attractions in
Essen are the Baldeney Lake and the Grugapark, which is rated as one of
the most attractive and extensive public parks in Germany.
Creative
Essen - a city of culture
The Aalto Theatre sets high
standards with its spectacular operas and ballet performances as well as
with its bold architecture designed by Alvar Aalto, the world famous
Finnish architect. Dramatic arts can be enjoyed in the Grillo Theatre,
which conceals the latest stage technology behind its historical façade.
Inside the Grugahalle up to
10,000 fans cheer their stars from sport and show business. With the
opening of the Colosseum Essen, a converted factory building from the turn
of the century, Essen has now finally become a "Musical City" as
well. Here Stella, the successful musical company from Hamburg, directs
the lavish work by Andrew Lloyd Webber: "Joseph and the amazing
technicolor dreamcoat".
The Folkwang College for
music, theatre and dance in Essen-Werden is internationally famous and its
graduates often go down in the annals of film history or avant-garde
dance. Numerous smaller stages and their wide variety of entertainment
complete the programme of the large theatres.
Art enthusiasts also do well
in the city of the Ruhr. The historical and cultural exhibitions in the
Villa Hügel, the former residence of the Krupp dynasty, are of
international standard. The Folkwang Museum enjoys international fame,
especially thanks to its magnificent masterpieces of European art from the
19th and 20th century. In addition, the German Poster Museum (Deutsches
Plakatmuseum) proudly presents a collection, which holds its own with the
other famous collection in Warsaw. Essen's cultural heritage is especially
valuable since it is situated at the heart of the Ruhr area, the most
concentrated cultural landscape in Europe.
Essen
likes guests
Essen is a tourist-friendly place. The city is full of surprises and contradictory attractions. From the idyllic-style village houses over daring architectural wonders of large administrations to the memorials of the coal and steel industry, one can get an awe- inspiring impression of a city which has undergone great changes in its history. However, the traces of coal mining and steel production in the north of the city become more and more blurred, so that meanwhile history-conscious citizens of Essen endeavour to preserve the last mines and machinery sheds that are partly industrial-architectural gems. There, in the "Emscherzone", one can still find some similarity to the old images of Essen, which some people still believe to be a sooty and smoky present, but which younger inhabitants only know from the history books. The south of the city,
however, astonishes its visitors with a scenic harmony that is
unparalleled in any other city or conurbation. The reservoir
‘’Baldeneysee“ and its densely wooded shore land is a leisure
paradise for water sports enthusiasts and hikers. The far-reaching fanlike
meadows of the Ruhr have preserved their charming naturalness and offer
rare species of animals a protected biosphere.
Some of the people who visit
the city of the Ruhr do not know about this attractiveness, which is fed
through breaks and the juxtaposition of apparent contrasts. In fact, the
number of hotel guests for overnight stays in Essen reaches nearly 800.000
a year, but up to now most of the guests do not come to experience one of
the most exiting cultural landscapes in Europe, but to attend certain
events, such as an economic congress, a trade fair, a famous art
exhibition or the popular, nationally known Christmas fair. TRADE
FAIRS IN ESSEN
Essen Trade
Fair Centre - at the heart of the most densely populated and economically
powerful region in Germany - The Ruhr's international trade
fair venue is a particularly attractive location: each year, more than 1.5
million guests visit over 10,000 exhibitors in 18 trade fair halls with a
total exhibition space of 90,000 m˛.
The Trade Fair Centre in Essen rings the changes, alternating between specialist fairs and popular hobby and leisure exhibitions. The programme is an attractive mix, combining the world’s leading specialist markets with major national trade fairs and top regional events. The central European location guarantees good communications - and good business. |
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Essen
was already a "city of culture" long before the first lumps of
coal were brought to the surface. The church treasures of Essen’s
Minster, for example, represent a collection of valuable pieces dating
back to the 9th-11th century. One of these treasures is the famous Golden
Madonna, the oldest full sculpture of the Virgin Mary in the western
world. However, Essen is not just a city with a cultural past: its
present-day cultural spectrum makes a valuable contribution to Germany's
cultural life.
represents a successful market for over 30 branches of industry.
