Essen

Essen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. With almost 582,000 inhabitants (2020), Essen is a service and administrative city, with several large companies headquartered here. A highlight of Essen is Zeche Zollverein, a UNESCO World Heritage Site) with several museums. It is also famous for its Bauhaus architecture. This former industrial city was the European Capital of Culture in 2010 and the European Green Capital for 2017.

Understand
Essen is a regional centre of the Ruhr area. Although its history goes back a long way, it was not until the middle of the 19th century that it grew from a small town to a large industrial city, with over 750,000 inhabitants at its heyday.

Essen was famous as a classic heavy industry centre; this has changed since the 1970s. Only a few symbols remain from the former mining industry. Steel production is no longer as important as it used to be. Like the rest of the Ruhr area, Essen is affected by emigration. From 1990 to 2008 alone, the population fell by almost 50,000. However, unlike most of the Ruhr area, Essen's economy is one of the strongest in Germany; it houses numerous energy companies (thus giving it the title of "energy capital of Germany") and logistics firms.

The meaning of the city name is unclear; it probably means "(place in) the east".

By plane
Nearby airports are:
 * Düsseldorf-International (ca. 30 km, 30 min by train; largest international airport in the area)
 * Dortmund Airport (ca. 45 km; faster to reach by public transport and used by some no-frills airlines)
 * Cologne Bonn Airport (ca. 77 km)
 * Weeze Airport (about 80 km away): a base for Ryanair, direct shuttles can be booked ahead of time. Otherwise, expect to spend 1 hr by car or train))

By car
Essen is located on Autobahn 40.


 * From Hanover take Autobahn 2 to 40.
 * Autobahn 45 from Frankfurt.
 * Autobahn 52 from Düsseldorf.

By train
Essen can be reached quite easily by train. There are many express connections from Cologne, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and other major German cities. Flixtrain serves the city.

You can get here from many neighbouring cities in the Ruhr metropolitan area by regional trains. There are also multiple international connections per day from Bruxelles and Paris via the Eurostar trains.



By bus
Essen is part of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr bus and train system. See also Ruhrbahn.

By boat
The Rhine river transportation system can be reached via the Herne Kanal. Weiße Flotte Baldeney operate ships on the Ruhr river.

Get around
Essen has an extensive Stadtbahn (light rail), tram, bus and night bus system.

The Light Rail (Stadtbahn, not to be confused with mainline S-Bahn trains) has 3 routes: U11 from the Messe/Grugapark, U17 from Margarethenhöhe, U18 from Mülheim, that merge together south of the central station and cross the city centre underground together, with U18 terminating at Berliner Platz, U11 and U17 passing the University and stopping in Altenessen where U17 terminates and U11 continues into Gelsenkirchen-Horst.

The local tram network extends into Gelsenkirchen and Mülheim, it also runs underground in the city centre and shares some of its stations and routes with the Stadtbahn. The vast majority of trams and stops are accessible.

Buses have a vast network that covers most of the city, including express buses and night service during weekend nights. All buses are disabled-accessible. During off-peak times some underused routes get replaced by a Taxibus (TB) service that requires prior booking.

S-Bahn trains connect the entire Ruhrgebiet and also cross Essen. There are 23 stations within the city.

Taxis are available plenty and always wait in front of both exits of the central train station, but can be a tad expensive.

You can find more information about fares and a journey planner at the Rhein-Ruhr Transit Association and Ruhrbahn, who serves Essen and Mülheim.

Essen shares its transport with Mülheim through the Ruhrbahn company, part of VRR. Tickets within Essen are fare zone (Preisstufe) A: Short-ride up to 3 stops without transfer, Single ride across Essen , 4-Ride (One stamp per ride and person) , a single day pass called 24h ticket , 2 persons 12.50, 3 persons €16.70, 4 persons €20.90, 5 persons €25.10. Tickets can be bought from bus drivers, ticket machines at most tram and Stadtbahn and many major bus stops, on your smartphone or at many kiosks. You must have a valid ticket when boarding any vehicle or face a penalty.

See

 * Kettwig Historical District featuring 17th and 18th century streets and buildings.
 * Synagogue and Jewish Museum
 * Synagogue and Jewish Museum

Do

 * International Christmas Market from late November to early December the streets and historic alleys of the city centre are filled with over 200 arts and crafts stalls.
 * Football: SGS Essen play soccer in Frauen-Bundesliga, the women's top tier. They play at Stadion Essen (capacity 20,000) 5 km north of city centre.
 * Rot-Weiss Essen the men's team play in 3. Liga, their third tier, at Stadion an der Hafenstraße
 * Football: SGS Essen play soccer in Frauen-Bundesliga, the women's top tier. They play at Stadion Essen (capacity 20,000) 5 km north of city centre.
 * Rot-Weiss Essen the men's team play in 3. Liga, their third tier, at Stadion an der Hafenstraße





Art
Small, but vivid: the art scene in Essen. Galleries allocate on the whole city region, with a concentration around the Museum Folkwang:

Cinema

 * Behind the shopping centre Limbecker Platz there is a Cinemaxx-Kino, with 5,370 seats, it is the biggest multiplex cinema in Germany.

Learn
The is part of a consortium of three universities in the Ruhr-area (University of Duisburg-Essen, Bochum, and Dortmund) and Germany's largest academic hub.

Work
If you are working for a place that is easy going for digital nomads, have a look at

Buy
Many shops are found in the city centre pedestrian zone. A big shopping-mall "Limbecker Platz" in the western part of the city centre opened in summer 2008. Also pay attention to the "Rüttenscheid"-district with lot of small boutiques.
 * Stores at Essen Central Station (Essen Hauptbahnhof), including the discount grocery store and the drugstore, will be open on Sundays too from 09:00-20:00 as they are exempt from Federal and State Sunday closure laws. Expect crowds.
 * Stores at Essen Central Station (Essen Hauptbahnhof), including the discount grocery store and the drugstore, will be open on Sundays too from 09:00-20:00 as they are exempt from Federal and State Sunday closure laws. Expect crowds.
 * Stores at Essen Central Station (Essen Hauptbahnhof), including the discount grocery store and the drugstore, will be open on Sundays too from 09:00-20:00 as they are exempt from Federal and State Sunday closure laws. Expect crowds.
 * Stores at Essen Central Station (Essen Hauptbahnhof), including the discount grocery store and the drugstore, will be open on Sundays too from 09:00-20:00 as they are exempt from Federal and State Sunday closure laws. Expect crowds.

Budget
All these are in the city centre:



Mid-range




Stay safe
Despite having a fairly strong economy compared to other cities in the Ruhr area, Essen has a very high crime rate by German standards. The poor northern suburbs of Essen (especially Altendorf, Altenessen and Karnap) suffer from occasional, potentially armed, robberies at night. Be aware of pickpockets on the Christmas Market and watch your bags in crowded bars and near the train station. Aggravated assaults have also been reported.

Religious services
Holy mass in Catholic churches at the centre:


 * Hohe Domkirche, Münster, An St. Quintin 3 (5-10 min north from central station). Sa 18:30; Su 07:30*, 10:00, 16:00*, 19:00; (*in the Anbetungskirche: M-F 07:00, 10:00, 17:30 (except Sa)).
 * St. Engelbert, Fischerstraße 12 (10 min south from central station). Sa 18:15; Su 09:45, 14:00 (English); M 7:30PM; Tu 09:00; W 09:15; F 18:00.
 * St. Ignatius, An Sankt Ignatius 8 (10 min southwest from central station).  Sa 09:00, 17:00; Su 11:15, 18:00; Tu Th F 19:00.

Index of Catholic churches in the Diocesis of Essen:

Diplomatic services

 * Am Zehnthof 55. M-F 08:30-15:00