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Essen - History

City in Nordrhein - Westfalia, in the Ruhr area. Founded 852 by bishop Altfrid von Hildesheim. With about 630,000 inhabitants Essen today is the sixth biggest city of Germany. In former times Essen was important because of the coal mining and the processing iron and steel industry (e.g. Krupp). Today Essen is a well-known and popular city for shopping, seat of many authorities and associations as well as the head office of many main centrals of well-known concerns. As in many other cities, there are a university and further technical colleges in Essen. Anyway, Essen has to offer some more in the cultural area. E. g.: several theatres and the museums Ruhrland and Folkwang. Essen is a diocesan town since 1958.

The first 600 years:

The beginning of Essens can be traced back to the year 852. This is was the year in that bishop Altfrid von Hildesheim founded on the grounds of his estate Asnidhi (= Essen) a ladies' diocese. This ladies cathedral chapter became the germ cell of Essen. On 8th July of 870 the cathedral of Essen (Picture 20 KB) cathedral of Essen that was buildt by him was consecrated on the grounds from bishop Altfrid. Mainly farmers settled round this cloister through the time. But already in the year 946 the cathedral of Essen is gutted in a big fire. A year later the construction is started once again. In the same year it is confirmed to the cathedral of Essen by pope Agapitus that it does not come under anyone else’s jurisdiction than his own. At the end of the 10th century under the brilliant rule of abbess Mathilde, emperor Otto's granddaughter, the first merchants settle now apart from farmers at the walls of the cathedral chapter. The 13th of. June 1041 meant another big step for Essen to become a town. For king Heinrich III. cnferred Essen market rights. 1051 the oldest, today still standing part of the cathedral is buildt. In the year 1216 the abbess of Essen is conferred the title as a German princess by the king Friederich II. After Essen was captured 1244 by Konrad von Hochstadten, archbishop of Cologne, Essen obtains its own city signet. Archbishop of Cologne also introduces the new constitution of the market town Essen. With this constitution the severing from the sovereignty of the abbess of the diocese begins. The city received further rights 1349 from the emperor Karl IV. For the abbess is conferred the sovereignty over all mineral resources in the catchments area of the diocese. This privilege is used among other things in the year 1354. Silver is provable mined in Essen in that year (e.g. in the Silberkuhle). Involved with that the later so important hard coal is 1371 mentioned the first time provable in documents of Essen. On November 24th, 1377 the city obtains the title "Free City". Until the end of the 14th century the number of inhabitants of Essen increases to 3,000 - 4,000 inhabitants. The “Black Death” reduces it meantime 1350, though. One of the first technological achievements of the city of Essen is the first plumbing in 1434 that was supplied by the spring of the Limbecke. The first documentary mentioning of a coal mine is dated from December 8th, 1450.

Nearly 600 years are gone by since the foundation of Essen, and Essen had developed to a city with numerous rights and privileges. If it goes on like this? Who knows?

Now something funny: On September 14th, 1460 (day of the Kreuzerhoehung) it comes in Essen - Stoppenberg to a brawl between nuns - would you believe it!

1548 there is again a fire in Essen. This times the district Steele is affected. All signs of the middle Ages burn down in the flames.

The Reformation and the Thirty Years' War:

In the course of the Reformation Essen also goes 1563 over to it. 1587 is the name Kruipe (= Krupp) in documents of Essen the first time to be found. That name would be of great importance for the later development of the city one day.
The Reformation was already mentioned. Consequently Essen wasn't spared by the Thirty Years' War (1618 - 1648). Foreign armies or mercenary forces marched up in Essen again and again and demand for billeting. That means: The soldiers has to be given a billet, on top of that they demand regularly food and equipment; the care of their horses had also to be guaranteed and much more. This has naturally to be done and payed by the bothered population, that, on top of everything, mostly has to submit the worst pillages. On September 9th, 1650 the last imperial armies withdraw from Essen. After that a big celebration of peace is celebrated in the city.

1708 the family Krupp appears the first time worth mentioning. Arnold Krupp becomes second mayor of Essen.

The Seven-Years' War (1756 - 1763) is a fight for survival for the population of Essen. Accordingly the peace is again celebrated extensively.

The industrialisation:

At the end of the 18th century the foundation of the first modern mines begins. The consequence is the clearing of the forests, because the wood is needed for the shoring of the gallery shafts.
However, also at that time conservation already existed: 1776 the last abbess of Essen (1803 the diocese of Essen is disbanded), Maria Kunigunde, princess of Poland and Lithuania, receives an ordinance for the conservation of the cleared forests.

1806 Essen is again occupied. This time by the French. Doch bleibt dies ohne Folgen für die wirtschaftliche Entwicklung Essens. On November 20th, 1811 Friedrich Krupp founds in Essen a cast steel factory. The influence of the Krupps also shows, when Friedrich Krupp becomes member of the council of Essen on December 17th, 1812.

1815 Prussia is granted the custody of Essen on the Congress of Vienna.

In the year 1818 Essen still had a population of only 4,496 inhabitants. Ab 1820 the number of mines in Essen increases rapidly. The population really exploded (until 1900 to 119,000 inhabitants). Many people move from Poland, Silesia, East - and West Prussia to Essen in the hope to find a job here. 1859 Krupp receives a Prussian orders for cannons, with which Essen turns into a "Armourer of the Reich". The company Krupp expands continually. Friedrich A. Krupp even fosters relations to the German Emperor since then. However, also other companies settle in Essen. Essen becomes until the turn of the century a City.

A time period of 1900:

Until the turn of century the Ruhr area and because of that Essen as well had developed to an industrial landscape of which mines and factories decisively characterized the scenery. So the cast steel factories of Krupp had e.g. until the turn of the century developed to the biggest ordnance factory of the German Reich. However, the consequence of this exceedingly strong concentration of industry and the pollution involved was that the Ruhr area was regarded as a hotbed for typhoid fever, cholera, dysentery and malaria. This was above all caused by the unrestrained pollution of the rivers and of the air. (Against this background you can see the caricature at the beginning of the page.) The rapid population growth in Essen could above all be put down to the immigration of young men from Eastern Europe. This led to conflicts between the different sections of the population though. However, the conflicts between the different sections of the population did not only occur increasingly often, but they also occurred between the social strata. So some people e.g. lived in spacious laid out exclusive residential areas, some people however lived in a only by workers occupied district. There was also the fact that in spite of numerous house-building projects, especially by the company Krupp, there are about 30 "apartment-hunters" for each new built apartment. The following problems from that are obvious. The demand for workers simply grew too fast.

Social strife:

At turn of century already the people in the companies stroked as well e.g. on January 7th, 1905. The miners of the coalmines went on strike because of a half-hour shift prolongation planned by the employers. Until January 11th, 1905 about 50,000 miners in the whole Ruhr area were on strike. The planned shift prolongation however was just the moment that triggered the strike off. The actual reason goes some years back. After the wages rised slightly in the 90ies of the past century they dropped again since 1902 while the cost of living rose. A further reason was the shutdown of numerous small mines in the Ruhr valley. In addition there were bad working conditions like e.g. maltreatment by superiors.

The pre-war years:

On January 30th, 1933 Adolf Hitler was nominated as the German Chancellor by the German president Paul von Hindenburg. Regular National Socialism terror against political adversaries followed. On February 17th, 1933 there was a change of the whole district Essen - Borbeck and a subsequent arrest of all "public enemies". Shortly after the Reichstag election on March 5th, 1933 where the NSDAP didn't win the majority in spite of their terror the Minister of the Interior Hermann Goering called in Essen up to the persecution of the social democrats on March 10th. " We've told the people for years: You're allowed to settle up with the traitors, we stand to our words and it will be settled!"
On 21th of June 1933 the burning of books took place on the Gerling Square in Essen.

1933 the Baldeney lake (picture 25 KB) in Essen was completed as well, after 100000 unemployed were working for 2 years for the Bau.

On 27th of March 1936 Adolf Hitler visited the Krupp factories and calls at the same time for an increase of arms production from the city of Essen.

During the night of November 9th to 10th, 1938, the so-called "Reichskristallnacht", the synagogue was burned down in Essen, too.

World War II:

After the outbreak of World War II on September 1st, 1939 and a year with fast success of the German Reich the first air raids occurred 1940 in Essen, too. Once again the ordinary people felt the effects of the war first. Thus e.g. in winter 1941, when the food were rationed another time. On March 5th, 1943 the city of Essen experienced one of the heaviest air-raid. By this attack 461 people were killed, 1,593 injured and about 50,000 inhabitants of Essen were made homeless. Until the end of the war 1945 the city was completely in ruins and the number of inhabitants of Essens increased to about 285,000. (In comparison to that: number of inhabitants 1939 about 600,000 )
It is to be mentioned that there was Resistance against Hitler's regime in Essen, too. Two examples for that are the parish priest of Essen Heinrich Held and Mrs. Maria Kreulich.

That is Essen today:

"In many parts of Germany is still the rumour that the inhabitants of the Ruhr centre would cough briquettes and just see the sun as a pale disc through an enormous, the whole municipal area covering, smoke cloud. Of course they are here - the ugly places and streets that are used in numerous films and TV programs as an opportunity to keep on being prejudiced. But the people who visit Essen can experience something totally different."

( Hubert Roeser )

around 800	Foundation of a Benedictine monastery and church on the site of today’s late Roman St. Ludgerus Basilica founded by the first Bishop Liudger from Münster.
852	Establishment of a secular residence run by nuns for the daughters of the Saxon aristocracy on what is now the Burgplatz in Essen city centre by the future Bishop of Hildesheim, Altfrid, who was supposedly born here at "Asnidhi", the estate of his parents.
870	Completion and inauguration of the first collegiate church.
around 900	Writing of manuscripts in the monastery of Werden, which are among the earliest literary evidences of a German language. Development of the monastery as a cultural centre of the empire at that time.
946-967	Destruction of Essen's Minster by fire and reconstruction on the remaining foundation walls, which even today still form the foundations of the cathedral.
971-1011	Period of office of Abbess Mathilde, who was the first of three abbesses from the royal or imperial family of Saxony. They enriched Essen’s church treasure by the addition of unique precious objects, thus making the collection one of the most significant in Europe.
1039-1058	Reign of Abbess Theophanu, a granddaughter of Emperor Otto II. She extended the Minster by adding the impressive, well-preserved construction in the west of the building.
1216	For the first time, the abbess of Essen is called “Reichsfürstin“ (=Princess of the Empire) in a letter from Emperor Frederick II. This a rank which is also held by the abbot of Werden.
1275	Inauguration of the abbey church of Werden, which has been re-built after two major fires. Destruction of Essen's collegiate church by fire, which is subsequently re-built in the present Gothic style.
1290	King Rudolf confirms to the abbess that the archbishop of Cologne has temporarily lost his sovereignty over the city of Essen.
1317	First reference to coal in Essen. For the time being no importance is attached to this discovery.
1336	Public attempts of Essen's citizens to free themselves from the control of the church and to gain the self-government under the Emperor for their city. Emperor Karl IV finally grants this in 1377.
1369	Emperor Karl IV gives the abbess the permission to mine coal.
1470	First tin production in Essen.
1563	The city council introduces the Reformation into Essen. At the municipal authorities' instigation the market church next to the collegiate church becomes Protestant.
1620	Essen forge already produces 14,000 rifles and pistols.
1738	Essen's first newspaper is published under the title "Essen's most recent news concerning state and scholarly affairs".
1802	The Prussians occupy the principalities Werden and Essen.
1803	As a result of the decision to abolish all ecclesiastical principalities, the cathedral of Essen as well as the abbey of Werden is secularised.
1809	With the development of a "mining steam machine", Franz Dinnendahl creates the most important prerequisite for extracting coal from below the surface in the Ruhr area.
1826	The 14-year-old Alfred Krupp takes over the almost bankrupt steel factory of his deceased father.
1829	Karl Baedeker publishes the first of his world famous guidebooks, which still carry his name today.
1852	In Essen's 1000th year, Alfred Krupp invents the seamless rim of the wheel for the railway. Through its production, the steel factory becomes the largest of its kind of the 19th century.
1864	Around 22% of Essen's citizens work for Krupp's steel factory.
1870-1872	The Villa Hügel is built with around 220 rooms as the main residence of the Krupp family.
1892	The "Stadt Theater" (City Theatre) - a present from the industrialist Friedrich Grillo - is opened.
1896	With a population of 100,000, Essen becomes a city.
1906	On the occasion of the marriage of her daughter Bertha to Gustav von Bohlen und Halbach, Margarethe Krupp, daughter-in-law of Alfred Krupp, establishes the "Margarethenhöhe" housing scheme, which is built in the following years in the style of a German village by the architect Georg Metzendorf.
1912	Even Emperor Wilhelm II is present at the 100-year celebrations of the Krupp firm.
1913	Designed by Professor Edmund Körner, the impressive Synagogue is built as one of the largest Jewish places of worship in Germany. Today, it serves as a memorial and a historical and political documentary forum.
1916	First air-raid (during WW I ) on Essen.
1918-1924	Period of office of Lord Mayor Dr. Hans Luther, who later becomes the Imperial Minister of food and agriculture and then from 1925 to 1926 Imperial Chancellor.
1922	As a result of the fusion of Essen's museum of art with the estate of the industrialist and collector Karl Ernst Osthaus, the Museum Folkwang comes into being and develops into one of the most famous German art museums.
1927	Opening of the technical college for music, dance, and speech, which today is the famous Folkwang College for music, theatre, and dance.
1929	In the course of the third and largest wave of incorporations, eight previously independent villages are added to the city zone of Essen, among them also the former ecclesiastical principality of Werden. Later - in 1970 and 1975 - the villages Burgaltendorf and Kettwig become part of Essen as well.
1931-1933	10,000 unemployed people to collect dirt and mud from the Ruhr build Lake Baldeney, which today is a water sports paradise and recreational area for visitors from the entire region. A similar job creation measure had already taken place in 1929 during which the GRUGA-Park was created on the occasion of the Great Garden Exhibition of the Ruhr Area ("Große Ruhrländische Gartenschau").
1939-1945	As a result of 272 air raids during World War II, 90% of Essen's city centre and 60% of the remaining city zone are destroyed.
1946-1949	As Mayor of Essen, Dr. Gustav Heinemann, later President of the Federal Republic of Germany, initiates the re-construction of the city.
1958	Establishment of the diocese of Essen, the so-called "Ruhr Diocese", which includes seven cities and two administrative districts. The former collegiate church becomes the High Cathedral Church of the Ruhr Bishop.
1958-1973	Mining crisis - all collieries with the exception of the "Zollverein" pit stop the mining of coal and most are demolished.
1965	Federal Garden Exhibition in the Grugapark, which is extended to an area of 70 hectares and turned into one of the most attractive and well-designed city parks in Germany.
1972	Essen gets a university. The former municipal hospitals become a university clinic.
1979	The new city hall, at 106 metres the highest city hall in Germany, takes over the administration of Essen.
1986	Essen's last mine - "Zollverein"- is shut down. Because of its outstanding industrial and architectural importance, this colliery is classified as a historical monument. In the following years, it is transformed into a high-calibre cultural centre.
1988	The "Aalto Theater" Opera house, which was designed by the famous Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, is opened.
1990	The Grillo Theatre is re-opened after its transformation into a modern theatre.
1994	The heads of state and government of all European Community Member States meet at "Messe Essen", the trade fair and congress centre. Representatives of East European countries appear for the first time as guests at this EC Summit.
1996	The former VIIIth mechanical workshop, the gate house to the Krupp factory premises, is rebuilt; the building now serves as the home for "Joseph", Essen's musical.
1998	Meteorit in the RWE Park
1999	1200th anniversary of the district of Werden

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