Once one of the most polluted city’s on planet earth. Now a days an upcoming area full of historical sights, trendy restaurants and exciting architecture. Join us on a tour through the west German city Essen, just a hour drive from the Dutch border.

Zeche Zollverein

A day in Essen-7.jpg — The impressive Shaft nr. 12

We start our day a few kilometers north of Essen. At Leisure Lab we love industrial heritage. Especially when well preserved. Zeche Zollverein is a perfect example how we can leave our dirty grey past behind and turn it in something fresh and green. Zeche Zollverein "Shaft 12" towers high above the treetops. Today an UNESCO world heritage, once the pride of Germany and nowadays the symbol for the successful period of the Ruhr region and west Germany. Shaft 12 is the last mine shaft added to this gigantic coal mine in Essen. Entirely executed in the functional German Bauhaus architecture, this building was Germany's showpiece in the early 1930s. No effort was spared to create the most efficient coal mine in the world. Opened in 1932 and operative until 1968, this addition made it possible to mine as many as 12,000 tons per day. In 1937, the coal mine employed 6,900 workers and produced 3.6 million tons per year, the majority of which came from shaft 12. Only 1 of 12 active mine shafts. All this efficiency did not contribute to pleasant working conditions. Working in Zeche Zollverein was hard, It's obvious when you walk through the mine. Everything is set up to mine as efficiently as possible, with no room for mitigating working conditions. Coal was transported to the various buildings via covered conveyor belts, while the workers had to walk hundreds of meters in all kinds of weather over uncovered bridges. Miners selected the various large coals with bare hands in rooms where the steel machines rattled 24/7 exceeding 110 decibels. Most miners were hard of hearing just after a few months of work.

A day in Essen-8.jpg — The uncovered miners bridges of Zeche Zollverein

Walking around Zeche Zollverein is impressive and you can easily entertain yourself for hours. It gives a picture of the heyday of the Ruhr region. Between the old boilers of the Kockerei you will find a swimming pool that you can use for free. Next to shaft 12 is the Ruhr Museum and where you can walk daily with a two hour tour through the impressive shaft 12. This tour is a trip down memory lane. It shows the incredible efficiency of Zeche Zollverein and the hard knock life of miners. Every Sunday from April to October the tour is in Dutch and starts at 11.30am. It is useful to book in advance via the website. Food and drinks can be found in the various catering establishments on the site, with restaurant Kockerei getting our recommendation.

Villa of a steel tycoon

A day in Essen-1-2.jpg — The central hall of Villa Hügel

We drive from the north to the far south of Essen. Villa Hügel is located in the Bredeney district in the middle of the 28-hectare estate. This 19th century villa was built in three years by steel tycoon Alfred Krupp. The Villa has 269 rooms and measures an incredible 8,100 square meters. When you enter the villa, your jaw will drop; everything in the 400 m2 reception hall exudes richness and success and is clearly made to impress visitors. The entire ceiling consists of perfectly symmetrical hand-worked wooden panels. With every step you take, the hardwood floor creaks under your feet. Several period rooms with paintings inspired by masters of the golden age decorate the walls. The ultimate highlight is the central hall on the first floor, which feels like the lobby of the historic train station. A beautiful curved glass ceiling subtly illuminates the room. The Krupp family has been active in the steel industry for 400 years and was one of the largest industrialists in the world. Among other things, they supplied the steel for the railways of the United States and the Chrysler building in New York. The Krupps were fantastic businessmen and incredibly successful, but from the era of Gustav Krupp (Alfred's grandson) the company took a different path and started producing weapons during the First World War. They would continue to do this until the second world war with Adolf Hitler as their largest customer. They supported Hitler's plans for the Third Reich and employed an estimated 25,000 civilians and prisoners of war from occupied countries during the war. Nowadays you can still find the name Krupp in the elevators and escalators of ThyssenKrupp. The visit to Villa Hügel provides a realistic view of the industrial history of the Ruhr Area and Essen and also shows that this history was not all rosy. Villa Hügel is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00 and you pay €5 entrance.

A day in Essen-1-3.jpg — The garden hall in Louis XIV style

Relax in the Rüttenscheider Strasse

A day in Essen-1.jpg — The garden of Gin & Jagger

The cities of the Ruhr region are not the most impressive in terms of atmosphere and historical buildings. Finding a cozy restaurant is quite a challenge. Fortunately, the suburbs of the cities are on the rise. Similarly in Essen. The Rüttenscheid district is just a 10-minute drive from the Altstadt and it is very cozy. It is full of nice restaurants. You can eat a burger between the indoor birch trunks of Hans Im Glück. Have a bradwurst and a beer at the Ruttenscheider Hausbrauerei. End your evening with a gin & tonic in the shared courtyard garden of Gin & Jagger. All located around the Rüttenscheider Strasse and especially packed with locals at weekends.

Industrial heritage, a 269-room villa and trendy restaurants. This is the Germany city Essen in a nutshell.

Dortmund Reinvented.