Essen

Essen, city in west central Germany, in North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen), in the Ruhr industrial district. The city grew as a railroad and manufacturing center, with the production of iron and steel a chief industry. Other products include machinery, chemicals, glass, textiles, and building materials. The service and tourism industries have become increasingly important to the city’s economy in recent years.

Once a major coal-mining center, Essen’s Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex was named a World Heritage Site in 2001. Among the city's other points of interest are a cathedral (begun in the 10th century) with a rich collection of medieval goldsmith work; Folkwang Museum, with notable displays of 19th- and 20th-century painting; a museum of industrial design; and Villa Hügel, with a museum devoted to the Krupp family, who founded the iron-and-steel industry here in the early 19th century. A university (1972) is in the city.

Essen was originally the seat of a Benedictine convent (see Benedictines), and it became an ecclesiastical town, governed by the convent, in the mid-10th century. The convent maintained control until 1803, when Essen was made a secular town under Prussia, a status it retained until 1946, except for periods of French control (1808-1814 and 1923-1925). During World War II (1939-1945) the city was severely damaged, and after 1945 it was rebuilt with technologically advanced factories and large parks. In 2006 Essen was selected as a European Capital of Culture for the year 2010 by the European Union, bringing the city major publicity as well as funding to restore neighborhoods and create cultural programs. Population (2005 estimate) 588,100.