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Essen Travel Guide, Germany

Essen, Germany- an overview

Essen city is located in the very center of Ruhr area that falls in the North Rhine Westphalia, Germany. Situated on Ruhr River, the population of Essen sprawls at about 582000. It is actually the sixth largest city of Germany and was appointed as the 2010’s European Capital of Culture to represent the entire of the Ruhr area recently. This city has a documented past of over 1150 years and is a modern day metropolis for trade, services and economy, being one of the largest sites for steel and coal in Europe. In the southern part of the city, you will see the Ruhr Woody hills and in the northern part, the industrial monuments that are of immense historical importance. The coalmine of the Ruhr area, Zeche Zollverein and the coking plant’s surrounding area have been actually appointed by UNESCO amongst the cultural heritages of the world.

Great transportation network

As Essen is located in middle of Rhine Ruhr area, it is well connected with a very fine transportation network. It is fairly easy to travel to the city from outside and within it by cars, planes, trains and through waterways.

People from all over the world come to Essen to visit and hold the sight of the various tourist attractions that the land has.

Some of the most incredible places to visit are:The Munster

This is actually the former collegiate Canoness’ church and comprises of various parts such as the St. John Gothic church of the 15th century, 11th century atrium along with the main church that in turn consists 11th century Romanesque frontage. This golden Madonna statue of this church is the major feature that has an infant made of gold sheet. This statue is believed to be made around 980.

The Synagogue

This is by far the largest of the synagogues in Germany. It has managed to survive through the Third Reich. This building is known to have been constructed by Edmund Komer in the year 1911- 1931 and serves today as a great place of commemoration.

Shaft XII of Zollverein Coal Mine

The coal mine was built in the year 1932 and was closed by 1986 and the coking plant was built in the year 1961 and was closed by 1993. The visitors have an access to precincts of the mine and the plant that frequently houses various art exhibitions on a temporary basis. This coal mine was awarded the status of World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.

Other famous buildings include

Apart from these, Essen has some of the most spectacular and remarkable buildings to boast of. They include the Folkwang Museum, Margarethenhole town garden, St. Engelbert church, Georg Metzendorf, the Essen opera and a lot more. Villa Hugel, that is the mansion of the Krupp family, is used for art exhibition these days.

Land of great activities

Essen is a place that has a lot of recreational and outdoor activities to offer its visitors. Along with this, the place has a great culture and is a famous among those people who want to study culture and art.