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Contents derived from Wikipedia article on Essen

Essen

Coordinates: 51°27′N 7°1′E

Essen

Country Germany

State North Rhine-Westphalia

Administrative region Düsseldorf

District urban district

Population 584,295 source (2006)

Area 210.32 km²

Population density 2,787 /km²

Elevation 116 m

Coordinates 51°27′ N 7°1′ E

Postal code 45001-45359

Area code 0201, 02054

Licence plate code E

Mayor Wolfgang Reiniger (CDU)

Website essen.de

Essen [ˈɛsn̩] is a city in the center of the Ruhr Area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Located on the Ruhr River, its population of approximately 584,295 (as of December 31, 2005) makes it the 7th- or 8th-largest city in Germany. The European Capital of Culture for 2010 is member of several regional development organizations, most importantly the Regionalverband Ruhrgebiet.

Formerly one of Germany's most important centers of coal and steel, Essen has developed a strong tertiary sector of industry and is seat to 13 of the 100 largest German corporations. Due to its industrial history, the city in 1958 was chosen as seat to a roman-catholic diocese, the Diocese of Essen (Ruhrbistum). In early 2003, the universities of Essen and its neigboring city of Duisburg (both established in 1972) were merged into the University of Duisburg-Essen with campuses in both cities and a university hospital in Essen.

Contents

1 Geography

1.1 Neighbouring communes

1.2 City districts

1.3 Climate

2 History

2.1 Origin of the name

2.2 Early history

2.3 Medieval and recent history

3 Politics

3.1 City council

3.2 Coat of arms

3.3 Sister Cities

4 Transportation

4.1 Roads

4.2 Public transportation

5 Sights in Essen

6 Notable people born in Essen

7 External links

Geography

View over the center Essen from the "Tetraeder" landmark in Bottrop. In the background the Ruhr Heights.Essen lies in the center of the Ruhr area north of the Ruhr river, which forms the artificial Lake Baldeney in the boroughs of Kupferdreh, Heisingen and Werden. The lake dates from 1931 - 1933, when 10,000 unemployed coal miners dredged it in exchange for bread and beer [1]. The lowest point can be found in the Northern borough of Karnap at 26.5 m, the highest point in the borough of Heidhausen (202,5 m). The average elevation is 116 m. The city extends over 21 km from north to south and 17 km in west-eastern direction.

Neighbouring communes

The following towns and communes border on Essen in clockwise direction: Gelsenkirchen, Bochum, Hattingen (Ennepe-Ruhr district), Velbert, Heiligenhaus, Ratingen (both Mettmann district), Mülheim an der Ruhr, Oberhausen, Bottrop as well as Gladbeck (Recklinghausen district).

City districts

Essen is subdivided into 19 suburban districts called stadtbezirke. Each stadtbezirk has a local body (19 members each) that has limited authority. Stadtbezirke have names that are often derived from the boroughs they comprise and are also referred to using roman numerals. Essen has a total of 50 boroughs, most of which have originally been independent municipalities but were incorporated from 1901 - 1975. The long-lasting process of city growth incorporation has lead to a strong identification of the population with "their" boroughs and to a rare peculiarity: The borough of Kettwig, located south of the Ruhr river and incorporated as late as in 1975, has an own area code. Additionally (allegedly because of relatively high church tax incomes), the Archbishop of Cologne managed to keep Kettwig part of the Archbishopric of Cologne, whereas all other boroughs of Essen and some neighbouring cities constitute the Diocese of Essen.

Climate

The average temperature is 9.6 °C, the average annual precipitation 829 mm. The coldest month of the year is January with an average temperature of 1.5 °C, the warmest month July with 17.5 °C. Most rain falls in August (90 mm).

History

Origin of the name

Essen on an engraving from 1647Contrary to relatively popular belief, the name Essen does not refer to food (also Essen in German), but seems to have originated from the very old word Asnithi which may have either referred to a region in the East or to a region where many Ash trees (Eschen) could be found.

Early history

The oldest archeological finds date back to 280.000 B.C. (Vogelheimer Klinge, named after the borough of Vogelheim), further finds are between 120.000 and 10.000 years old.

Essen was part of the settlement areas of multiple Germanic peoples (Chatti, Bructeri, Marsi), although a clear distinction between these is difficult.

The Alteburg castle in the South of Essen dates back to Celtic times (around 0), the Herrenburg to the 8th century.

Medieval and recent history

Essen was founded around 845 as a monastery for women. It was among the most important monasteries in the 10th century, when it was led by Mathilde, a granddaughter of emperor Otto I, and two other women who were related to the Ottonian emperors: Sophia, a sister of Otto III and Theophanu, a granddaughter of Otto II. After the end of the Ottonian dynasty Essen lost its importance and remained a rather insignificant agricultural town until the 19th century. The mining of coal and ore led to the growth of the city and of the entire Ruhr area. The Krupp family comes from Essen; their works established steel production in Essen in 1811. After having undergone major economic changes after World War II, Essen now hosts a high-class college of art, many industrial sites (such as Zeche Zollverein) and a major collection of art (Museum Folkwang). On April 11, 2006 "Essen for the Ruhrgebiet" was declared European Capital of Culture for 2010. This decision is yet to be ratified by the European Culture Council.

Politics

Old and new government seats: Essen Catedral (front) and the city hall (background)The administration of Essen had for a long time been in the hands of the princess-abbesses as heads of the Imperial Abbey. From the 14th century on, the city council gained more and more importance. In 1335, it started choosing two burgomasters, one of them also in charge of the treasury. In 1377, Essen was granted Reichsunmittelbarkeit [1] but had to abandon this privilege later. Between the early 15th and 20th century, the political system of Essen underwent several changes, most importantly the introduction of the Reformation in 1503, the Prussian annexation of 1802 and the subsequent secularization of the principality in 1803.

During the time of Nazi Germany, the Lord Mayors were installed by the NSDAP. After World War II, the military government of the British occupation zone installed a new lord mayor and a municipal constitution modeled on that of British cities. Later, the Rat der Stadt was elected by the population again. The Lord Mayor was elected by the council as its head and main representative of the city. The administration was lead by a full time Oberstadtdirektor. In 1999, the position of Oberstadtdirektor was abolished in North Rhine-Westphalia and the Lord Mayor became both main representative and administrative head. Additionally, the population now elects the Lord Mayor directly.

City council

The last local elections took place on September 26, 2004. As a result, Dr. Wolfgang Reiniger (CDU) was elected Lord Mayor and the following political parties gained seats in the city council:

Coat of arms

Coat of arms of Essen

Handelshof hotel with modified coat of arms and unofficial mottoThe coat of arms of the city of Essen is a heraldic peculiarity: Granted in 1886, it is a so-called Allianzwappen (Arms of alliance) and consists of two separate shields under a single crown. Most other coats of arms of cities show a wall instead of a crown. The crown, however, does not refer to the city of Essen itself but the secularized ecclesiastical principality of Essen under the reign of the princess-abbesses. The heraldically right shield shows the double-headed Imperial Eagle of the German Empire, granted to the city in 1623. The left shield is one of the eldest arms of Essen and shows a sword that people believed was used to behead the city's patrons Saints Cosmas and Damian. The sword in the Cathedral Treasury referred to, however, seems to be much younger [2]. A slightly modified and more heraldically correct version of the arms can be found on the roof of the Handelshof hotel near the main station.

Sister Cities

Essen's sister cities are:

- City of Sunderland (United Kingdom), since 1949

- Tampere (Finland), since 1960

- Grenoble (France), since 1974

- Nizhny Novgorod (Russia), since 1991

- Tel Aviv-Jaffa (Israel), since 1991

Transportation

Roads

RuhrschnellwegThe Ruhrschnellweg runs directly through the city, dividing it roughly in half. A tunnel was built in the 1970s when the then-Bundesstraße was upgraded to autobahn standards, so in the inner city district near the main station, the A40 is hidden from public view. Other major autobahns include the A 52 which crosses the city limits at Kettwig, continues past the fairground through the southern borough of Rüttenscheid, then merges with the Ruhrschnellweg at the Autobahndreieck Essen-Ost junction. (A proposed extension to replace B224 in the northern boroughs has not been built yet.) In the northern borough of Karnap, the A42 briefly touches Essen territory, serving as an interconnection between the cities of Oberhausen and Gelsenkirchen.

Public transportation

The first line to run over now-Essen territory was the Köln-Mindener Eisenbahn with a stop at Altenessen, opening between 1845 and 1847. The southern line from Mülheim an der Ruhr to Bochum wasn't opened until a few decades later. At said southern line, Essen main station is now situated, connecting the city to the Deutsche Bahn regional and long distance network. There are also several S-Bahn lines on city terrain, most notably to Bottrop and Ratingen via Kettwig. Local transport is carried out by Essener Verkehrs-AG, a public company operating three Stadtbahn lines (partly with used Docklands Light Rail stock) and several tram lines as well as bus lines. As a speciality, Essen has a Spurbus guided bus line on the median of the A40 autobahn connecting the borough of Kray, as well as a Stadtbahn line on the median of the same autobahn leading towards Mülheim. The city also has an U-Bahn system. All local and DB regional traffic is subject to the fare structure of the VRR transport association.

Sights in Essen

Zollverein Coal Mine, pit 12

Aalto Theater

The RWE Tower

Deutschlandhaus (1928)Zeche und Kokerei Zollverein: Coal mine (built in 1932, closed in 1986) and coking plant (built in 1961, closed in 1993). Visitors now have access to the precincts, which frequently house temporary art exhibitions. Once the largest coal mine in the world, it has been awarded World Cultural Heritage status by UNESCO.

Villa Hügel: Built at the end of the 19th century by industrial magnate Alfred Krupp, the real estate register used to define the 269-room mansion (8100 m²) as a single-family home. Today it often houses temporary art exhibitions and music concerts.

Essener Münster: 14th-century cathedral with a westwork and crypt from the 10th century, rebuilt in 1958; not spectacular in appearance, but having some exquisite objects on display in the attached treasure house: Artworks from around 1000 AD, a crown of Emperor Otto III), the oldest preserved sculpture of the Virgin Mary in the world (Goldene Madonna, vernacularly referred to Essen sein Schatz, or in English, Essen's Treasure).

Alte Synagoge: The Jewish community inaugurated the synagogue in 1913. Destroyed by fire in the Nazi pogroms of 1938, it was restored after World War II. It stands as the largest synagogue north of the Alps.

Essen city hall: Germany's highest city hall (106 metres), built from 1971 to 1979. Free guided tours offer a view from the 22nd floor, overlooking the city from 100 m above ground.

RWE tower: One of the largest skyscrapers in the Ruhr Area and corporate headquarters of the second largest electric power company in Germany (after E.ON) RWE AG, situated across the street from the Aalto theatre (Opernplatz 1).

Aalto Theater: Popular theatre designed by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, opened in 1988.

Essen-Werden: Once a town of its own, it became a borough of Essen in 1929; the center of the town has partly retained its medieval townscape with many pubs and restaurants. It stands near the Lake Baldeney and hosts the Folkwang College of Music and Performing Arts.

Kettwig: Located south of the Ruhr river, and also once a town of its own, it was incorporated in 1975. Until today, residents of Kettwig can only be called using an area code different from that of the rest of Essen. Additionally (allegedly because of relatively high church tax incomes), the Archbishop of Cologne managed to keep Kettwig part of the Archbishopric of Cologne, whereas all other parts of Essen and some neighbouring cities constitute the Diocese of Essen (Ruhrbistum).

Baldeneysee: The big lake in the south of the city, a popular recreation area. It dates from 1931 - 1933, when 10,000 unemployed coal miners dredged it in exchange for bread and beer [2].

The Essen fair grounds (Messe Essen) often host large exhibitions, such as the Spiel game fair (October, also occasion of the presentation of the Essen Feather and of the Deutscher Spiele Preis), YOU (the largest European youth fair), Equitana (equitation) and Essen Motor Show.

Notable people born in Essen

Christian Keller (born 1972) – medley and freestyle swimmer

Jens Lehmann (born 1969) – German footballer, goalkeeper

Carl Humann (born 1839) – Discoverer of the Pergamon Altar.

End of Wikipedia content, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essen

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