Essen

:''This article is about the city in Germany. For other places with the same name, see Essen (disambiguation).

Essen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Located on the Ruhr river, it is the second largest city of the Ruhr area and is the eighth largest city in Germany. Population: 584,295 (as of January 1 2006).

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 (Zeche Zollverein) and a major collection of art (Folkwang Museum). 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.

Transportation

Roads

Ruhrschnellweg

The 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 transport

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.

Twin towns

Essen's twin towns include:{| valign="top" |
* - City of Sunderland (United Kingdom), since 1949
* - Tampere (Finland), since 1960
* - Grenoble (France), since 1974