Between the Lippe and Emscher rivers in the north and the Ruhr in the south and between the Rhine to the west and the Dortmund-Ems Canal to the east, this guide investigates the vast number of towns and cities that compose one of Europe’s largest conurbations. Documenting how the Ruhr was dominated by the coal and steel industries up until the 1980s, this consideration depicts the region in the present day, demonstrating how it is characterized by its cultural calendar and natural surroundings as well as how many of the once inaccessible mining and manufacturing plants are now popular industrial monuments. The Zeche Zollverein in Essen is illustrated in its present status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the industrial park in Duisburg-Nord and the gasometer in Oberhausen are also explored. Illustrating how the Ruhr's industrial heritage is counterbalanced by its many cultural and leisure activities, this travel companion highlights the chief tourist magnets of the area's many theatres, museums, and music venues, from the Museum Folkwang in Essen and the Schauspielhaus in Bochum to the Aalto Theatre in Essen, the Starlight Express Theatre in Bochum, and the Colosseum musical hall in Essen. The international climax of the region’s structural changethe Ruhr 2010 festivalis also covered, in which the Ruhr spends one year celebrating itself as both a vast metropolis and the European Capital of Culture. Additional features focus on the green and pleasant Ruhr, the other monuments lining the Industrial Heritage Trail, and the specialties on offer in the region's pubs and bars.
