Someone once sang about my neighbouring city of Bochum that it has a "pulse of steel". Maybe that's true, but he should have meant me. Essen! After all, the Krupp family of entrepreneurs laid the foundation stone for industrialisation throughout Germany at the beginning of the 19th century by establishing their first own cast steel factory in my city of all places. That settles it. However, no one could have guessed at the time that I would one day become the greenest city in the Ruhr region and one of the greenest cities in the whole of Germany, where hiking is the new trend sport. Neither did I myself. Nor did Alfred Krupp, although he had the family's prestigious residence embedded in a large English landscape garden high above Lake Baldeney. Villa Hügel still stands there today and its 269 rooms are a source of amazement for visitors.
But back to the beginning. Because my long mining history also began with industrialisation. For decades, coal and steel characterised me and my image, until the last shift at Zeche Zollverein suddenly came to an end in 1986. I'm sure you can imagine what that meant for me. After all, the industrial plant with its striking twin winding tower was the largest coal mine in the world at its peak. Today, the colliery and the neighbouring coking plant are a Unesco World Heritage Site. Because we were clever! Instead of simply demolishing the plant, we have created a special place of industrial culture on the entire site, which is constantly evolving and changing its face - thanks to nature. Among other things, you can follow the "path of coal" here. You can find out more about my history in the Ruhr Museum or admire highly polished design treasures against a rusty backdrop in the Red Dot Design Museum. There is a company swimming pool, an ice rink in winter and a casino. You can discover rare animal and plant species in the "industrial forest" or take in a very special light installation at nightfall.
Or you can go hiking with me today. I invite you to join me on the ZollvereinSteig. It is one of four newly created circular trails on which you can get to know my green side. And I promise you: what you will experience and see along the way is definitely not what you expected. However, you should bring a little time, fitness and provisions with you. Because I don't do it for less than 27 kilometres.
