Things to do in Essen
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Ruhr Museum
Visit the former coal washing plant, which now provides an edgy setting for the Ruhr Museum. Exhibits span the history of the Ruhr Region in an easily accessible and engaging fashion. Just as the coal was transported on conveyor belts, a long escalator whisks you up to the foyer from where you descend into the dark bowels of the building. With its raw stone walls, steep steel stairs, shiny aluminium ducts and industrial machinery, the space itself has all the drama and mystique of a movie set ( Blade Runner comes to mind).
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Dom
Essen's medieval Dom is an island of quiet engulfed by the commercialism of pedestrianised Kettwiger Strasse, the main shopping strip. It has a priceless collection of Ottonian works, all about 1000 years old. Not to be missed is a hauntingly beautiful Golden Madonna, set in her own midnight-blue chapel matching the colour of her eyes. The revamped treasury presents more fancy baubles, including a crown worn by Holy Roman Emperor Otto III, in a modern, intimate fashion.
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Red Dot Design Museum
Another highlight is the Red Dot Design Museum in the stoker's hall, creatively adapted by Lord Norman Foster. In a perfect marriage of space and function, this four-storey maze showcases the best in contemporary design right amidst the original fixtures: bathtubs balancing on grated walkways, bike helmets dangling from snakelike heating ducts, and beds perching atop a large oven. All objects are winners of the Red Dot award, the 'Oscar' of the design world.
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Museum Folkwang
A grand dame among Germany's art repositories, the Museum Folkwang is taking up residence in sparkling new digs designed by British star architect David Chipperfield in spring 2010. Galleries radiate out from inner courtyards and gardens of the glass-fronted building, providing a progressive setting for such 19th- and 20th-century masters as Gauguin, Caspar David Friedrich and Mark Rothko.
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Villa Hügel
The imposing Villa Hügel is where the Krupp dynasty made its home from 1873 to 1945. You can wander around the partially furnished private quarters of the main building, which also hosts the occasional concert and internationally acclaimed art show (call or check the website for hours and admission). The former guesthouse presents an exhibit on the history of the family and the company.
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Essen Cathedral
Essen's medieval cathedral (Dom) is an island of quiet engulfed by the commercialism of pedestrianised Kettwiger Strasse, the main shopping strip. It has a magnificent collection of Ottonian works, all about 1000 years old. Most prized is the Golden Madonna, set in its own midnight-blue chapel that matches the colour of her eyes.
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Baldeneysee Seaside Beach
South of the city centre is Essen's sprawling green belt, which follows the flow of the Ruhr River to the large Baldeneysee. It's not quite the Med, but on hot summer days there's an undeniable holiday feeling at the Baldeneysee Seaside Beach, a 250m-long stretch of sand where you can swim, windsurf and play beach volleyball.
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Zollverein Coal Mine
The former Zollverein coal mine is a beautiful Bauhaus-style behemoth that was recognised as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2001. In operation until 1986, it's since been rebooted as a cultural hub with museums, performance spaces, artist studios, a fine restaurant and some unusual playgrounds.
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Seaside Beach
On hot summer days there's an undeniable holiday feeling at the Seaside Beach, a 250m-long stretch of sand perfect for swimming, windsurfing, picnicking and playing beach volleyball. It's also a stop for the cruise boats plying the lake from April to September.
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Sonnenrad
One of the most unusual experiences you can have is a ride aboard the Ferris-wheel-like Sonnenrad through the smelters of the coking plant. From mid-December to mid-January, there's an outdoor ice skating rink, also at the coking plant.
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Zodiac
People sharing laughs over dinner are a common sight at this jungly sanctuary where meat is a no-no and organic produce standard. Dishes are inspired by the world's cuisines and the pizzas are named for the signs of the zodiac. All can be calibrated to vegan needs.
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Pfefferkorn
If you find yourself in the city centre, this bustling place with nostalgic decor makes for a reliable pit stop. Its speciality is steaks, but there are plenty of fish, salad and chicken dishes if you're not a scorched-beast lover. Good for groups and families.
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Hotel Shanghai
Electronic-music fans invade for ravetastic nights in this unpretentious joint where DJs spin in a lotus-shaped console, while you dance beneath Chinese lanterns. When your legs need a break, plonk down into a red leather booth and scan the crowd.
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Abteikirche St Liudger
Werden's main sight is the 1175 Abteikirche St Liudger, a beautiful late-Romanesque church named for the Frisian missionary buried here. It has an impressive exterior as well as a commendable treasury.
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Alte Synagoge
East of the cathedral, the grand Alte Synagoge miraculously survived WWII largely intact. A memorial site since 1980, it has recently been revamped into a Jewish cultural centre and meeting place.
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Zeche Carl
The machine hall and washrooms of this former coal mine have been restyled as an alternative cultural centre with live concerts, parties, cabaret, theatre and art exhibits. Take U11 or U17 to Karlsplatz.
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Ego Bar
This modest-sized club on the 'Rü' has a high-octane dance floor where the DJs whip the crowd into a frenzy with house, R&B, dance and party hits.
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Dom Treasury
Essen's medieval Dom boasts a treasury which includes a crown worn by Holy Roman Emperor Otto III and gemstone-encrusted processional crosses.
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Mudia Art
This sexy dance temple in an old factory has been a sizzling Ruhrgebiet hot spot since 1993. It's high-style, high-energy and high-attitude.
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Aalto-Theater
Opera and ballet in a famous building by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto.
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GOP Varieté
Jugglers, acrobats, ventriloquists and other artistes seize the stage.
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