Editing Essen (section)

== Landmarks ==

=== Zollverein Industrial Complex ===
The [[Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex]] is the city's most famous landmark. For decades, the coal mine (current form mainly from 1932, closed in 1986) and the coking plant (closed in 1993) ranked among the largest of their kinds in Europe. Shaft XII, built in [[Bauhaus]] style, with its characteristic winding tower, which over the years has become a symbol for the whole [[Ruhr]] area, is considered an architectural and technical masterpiece, earning it a reputation as the "most beautiful coal mine in the world".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.erih.net/index.php?anchor=66&pageId=40 |title=European Route of Industrial Heritage |publisher=En.erih.net |access-date=6 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205211954/http://en.erih.net/index.php?anchor=66&pageId=40 |archive-date=5 February 2012 }}</ref> After [[UNESCO]] had declared it a [[World Heritage Site]] in 2001, the complex, which had lain idle for a long time and was even threatened to be demolished, began to see a period of redevelopment. Under the direction of an agency borne by the land of [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] and the city itself, several arts and design institutions settled mainly on the grounds of the former coal mine; a redevelopment plan for the coking plant is to be realised.

On the grounds of the coal mine and the coking plant, which are both accessible free of charge while paid guided tours (some with former {{lang|de|[[miner|Kumpels]]}}) are available, several tourist attractions can be found, most importantly the ''Design Zentrum NRW''/[[Red Dot|Red Dot Design Museum]]. The ''Ruhrmuseum'', a museum dedicated to the history of the Ruhr area, which had been existing since 1904, opened its gates as one of the anchor attractions in the former coal-washing facility in 2010.
<gallery widths="180">
File:Zeche Zollverein Essen Okt10 011.jpg|Coal mine Zollverein
File:Zeche Zollverein abends.jpg|Shaft XII of Zollverein
File:Essen - Zeche-Zollverein - Eingangstor - 2013.jpg|Zollverein entrance
File:Rolltreppe Ruhrmuseum.jpg|Ruhrmuseum
File:Ruhrmuseum Staircase.jpg|Ruhrmuseum staircase
</gallery>

=== Essen Minster and treasury ===
The former collegiate church of [[Essen Abbey]] and nowadays cathedral of the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Essen|Bishop of Essen]] is a [[Gothic art|Gothic]] hall church made from light [[sandstone]]. The first church on the premises dates back to between 845 and 870; the current church was constructed after a former church had burnt down in 1275. However, the important [[westwork]] and [[crypt]] have survived from [[Ottonian architecture|Ottonian times]]. The cathedral is located in the centre of the city which evolved around it. It is not spectacular in appearance and the adjacent church ''St. Johann Baptist'', which is located directly within the pedestrian precinct, is often mistakenly referred to as the cathedral. The cathedral treasury, however, ranks amongst the most important in Germany since only few art works have been lost over the centuries. The most precious exhibit, located within the cathedral, is the [[Golden Madonna of Essen]] (around 980), the oldest known sculpture of the [[Madonna (art)|Madonna]] and the oldest free-standing sculpture north of the Alps. Other exhibits include the alleged ''child crown'' of [[Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Otto III]], the eldest preserved seven-branched Christian [[candelabrum]] and several other art works from Ottonian times.
<gallery widths="180">
Essen muenster goldene madonna-4.jpg|[[Golden Madonna of Essen]]
Golden Madonna.jpg|[[Golden Madonna of Essen]]
Otto Mathilden Kreuz.jpg|[[Cross of Otto and Mathilde]], tenth century
Essen StLudger von NW1.jpg|St. Ludger Basilica
Muenster Rathaus Essen.jpg|Essen Minster overshadowed by the town hall
</gallery>

=== Old Synagogue ===
{{Main|Old Synagogue, Essen}}
Opened in 1913, the then-New Synagogue served as the central meeting place of Essen's pre-war Jewish community. The building ranks as one of the largest and most impressive testimonies of Jewish culture in pre-[[World War II|war]] Germany. In post-war Germany, the former house of worship was bought by the city, used as an exhibition hall and later rededicated as a cultural meeting centre and house of Jewish culture.
<gallery widths="180">
File:Synagoge 1917.jpg|Synagogue, 1917
File:Synagoge 1922.jpg|Synagogue, 1922
File:Alte Synagoge, Essen.jpg|Old Synagogue, 2010
File:Alte Synagoge Essen 2014.jpg|Old Synagogue, 2014
File:Essen - Alte Synagoge in 04 ies.jpg|Old Synagogue interior
</gallery>

=== Villa Hügel ===
Built in 1873 by industrial magnate [[Alfred Krupp]], [[Villa Hügel]], the 269-room mansion ({{convert|8100|m2|sqft|-1|abbr=on|disp=or}}) and the surrounding park of {{convert|28|ha|acre|1|abbr=on}} served as the [[Krupp]] family's representative seat. The city's land register solely lists the property, which at times had a staff of up to 640 people, as a [[single-family home]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Official Villa Hügel Web Page |url=http://www.villahuegel.de/pub_rk-l.htm|url-status=dead |archivedate=12 September 2008 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912091238/http://www.villahuegel.de/pub_rk-l.htm}}</ref> At the time of its construction, the villa featured some technical [[novelties]] and [[peculiarity|peculiarities]], such as a central hot air heating system, own water- and [[gas works]] and electric internal and external [[telegraph]]- and [[telephone]] systems (with a central [[Electromagnetic induction|induction]] alarm for the staff). The mansion's central [[clock]] became the reference clock for the whole Krupp enterprise; every clock was to be set with a maximum difference of half a minute. It even acquired its own [[railway station]], ''Essen Hügel'', which is still a regular stop. The Krupp family had to leave the {{Lang|de|[[Gründerzeit]]}} mansion in 1945, when it was annexed by the [[Allies of World War II|allies]]. Given back in 1952, Villa Hügel is now seat of the [[Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach]] Foundation (major shareholder of Thyssen-Krupp) and was opened for concerts and sporadic yet high-profile exhibitions.
<gallery widths="180">
Villa huegel.jpg|Villa Hügel
Villa Hügel, Essen, 20071222.jpg|Villa Hügel
Villa Hügel Terrassenseite.jpg|Villa Hügel
Villa Hügel erster Stock.jpg|Great hall
</gallery>

=== Kettwig and Werden ===
[[File:Kettwig.jpg|thumb|Borough of [[Kettwig]], annexed in 1975. Despite its industrial history, Essen is generally regarded as one of Germany's greenest cities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sueddeutsche.de/leben/ranking-die-gesuendeste-stadt-deutschlands-1.240517|title=Die gesündeste Stadt Deutschlands|date=17 May 2010|access-date=12 May 2017|work=[[Süddeutsche Zeitung]]|archive-date=30 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170730203322/http://www.sueddeutsche.de/leben/ranking-die-gesuendeste-stadt-deutschlands-1.240517|url-status=live}}</ref>]]
In the south of the city, the boroughs of Kettwig and Werden exceptionally stand for towns once of their own, which have been annexed in 1929 (Werden) and 1975 (Kettwig), respectively, and which have largely preserved their pre-annexation character. While most of the northern boroughs were heavily damaged during the [[Second World War]] and often lost their historic town centres; the more southern parts got off more lightly.

In Werden, St. [[Ludger]] founded [[Werden Abbey]] around 799, 45 years before St. [[Altfrid]] founded the later cornerstone of the modern city, [[Essen Abbey]]. The old church of Werden abbey, ''St. Ludgerus'', was designated a [[pope|papal]] [[basilica minor]] in 1993, while the main building of the former abbey today is the headquarters of the [[Folkwang University]] of music and performing arts.

Kettwig, which was annexed in 1975, much to the dismay of the population that still struggles for independence,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.landtag.nrw.de/portal/WWW/Webmaster/GB_II/II.2/Suche/Landtag_Intern/Suchergebnisse_Landtag_Intern.jsp?&w=native(%27(id%3D%27%27LI970215%27%27)%27)&order=native(%27ID(1)%2FDescend+%27)&view=detail |title=Official Site of the State Parliament of North Rhine-Westphaila |publisher=Landtag.nrw.de |access-date=6 April 2011 |archive-date=12 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512234724/http://www.landtag.nrw.de/portal/WWW/Webmaster/GB_II/II.2/Suche/Landtag_Intern/Suchergebnisse_Landtag_Intern.jsp?&w=native(%27(id%3D%27%27LI970215%27%27)%27)&order=native(%27ID(1)%2FDescend+%27)&view=detail |url-status=dead }}</ref> was mainly shaped by the [[textile industry]]. The most southern borough of Essen is also the city's largest (with regard to area) and presumably greenest.

<gallery widths="180">
Essen Werden - Werdener Markt 06 ies.jpg|Essen Werden
Werden, zicht op stadsdeel vanaf de brug over de Ruhr foto62012-08-19 16.51.jpg|Essen Werden
Essen Werden - Grafenstraße 01 ies.jpg|Essen Werden historic town centre
Essen Werden - Heckstraße - Evangelische Kirche Werden 11 ies.jpg|Protestant church Essen Werden
Essen Werden - Brandstorstraße 01 ies.jpg|Essen Werden
WerdenerRathaus.JPG|Essen Werden, old town hall
Essen Kettwig 1.jpg|Historic town centre of Kettwig
Blick auf Kettwig mit Uferpalais im Herbst 2013.jpg|Essen Kettwig
</gallery>

=== Other important cultural sites ===
* [[Museum Folkwang]]: One of the Ruhr area's major art collections, mainly from the 19th and 20th centuries. Major parts of the museum have recently been rebuilt and expanded according to plans by [[David Chipperfield]] & Co. The Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation is the sole funder of the €55 million project which was completed in early 2010. After its re-opening, it also hosts the collection of the ''Deutsches [[Poster|Plakat]] Museum'' (more than 340 000 exhibits).
* [[Aalto Theatre]]: Opened in 1988 (the plans dating back to 1959), the [[asymmetry|asymmetric]] building with its deep [[indigo]] interior is home to the acclaimed Essen Opera and Ballet.
* [[Saalbau Essen]]: Home of the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra, completely renovated in 2003/2004. Critics have repeatedly voted the Essen Philharmonic as Germany's Orchestra of the Year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.opernwelt.de/de/Jahrbuch/pressetext/index.html|title=Pressetext – Oper|work=[[Opernwelt]]|date=28 September 2009|access-date=6 April 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716085329/http://www.opernwelt.de/de/Jahrbuch/pressetext/index.html|archive-date=16 July 2011}}</ref>
* [[Colosseum Theater]]: Situated in a former Krupp factory building at the fringe of the central pedestrian precinct, the {{Lang|de|Colosseum Theater|italic=no}} has been home to several [[musical theatre]] productions since 1996.
* [[Zeche Carl]], a former coal mine, now a [[cultural centre]] and venue for [[Rock music|Rock]] concerts and home of [[Offener Kanal Essen]].
* [[Grillo-Theater]], a theatre in the centre of the city.

<gallery widths="180">
Saalbau Essen 01.jpg|[[Saalbau Essen]]
Folkwang322.jpg|[[Museum Folkwang]]
Essen, Aalto-Theater, 2017-04 CN-03.jpg|[[Aalto Theatre]]
Colosseum Theater Essen 2011.jpg|[[Colosseum Theater]]
Grillo-Theater-2012.jpg|[[Grillo-Theater]]
Grugahalle.jpg|Grugahalle concert hall
Schloss-Borbeck-Komplettansicht-Sonnenuntergang-2012.jpg|Schloss Borbeck
Hugenpoet-Wassergraben-2012.jpg|Hugenpoet castle
</gallery>

=== Other sites ===
* [[Garden city movement|Gartenstadt]] Margarethenhöhe: Founded by Margarethe Krupp in 1906, the garden city with its 3092 units in 935 buildings on an area of {{convert|115|ha|acre|1|abbr=on}} (of which 50 ha are woodland) is considered the first of its kind in Germany. All buildings follow the same stylistic concept, with slight variations for each one. Although originally designed as an area for the lower classes with quite small flats, the old part Margarethenhöhe I has developed into a middle class residential area and housing space has become highly sought after. A new part, Margarehenhöhe II, was built in the 1960s and 1970s but is architecturally inferior and especially the multi-storey buildings are still considered social hot spots.
*[[Moltkeviertel]] (Moltke Quarter): from 1908 on, following reformative plans of the city deputy ''Robert Schmidt'', this quarter was developed just south-east of the city centre. Large green zones, forming broad urban ventilation lanes and incorporating sporting and playing areas and high quality architecture – invariably in the style of Reform Architecture, combine to create a unique example worldwide of modern town planning. It reflects reformative ideas and dates from the early part of the 20th century. The Moltkeviertel continues to be a much sought-after area for residential, educational, health care and small-scale commercial purposes. On the Moltkeplatz, the quarter's largest square, an ensemble of high quality contemporary art is maintained and cared for by local residents.
*[[Grugapark]]: With a total area of {{convert|70|ha|acre|1|abbr=on}}, the park near the exhibition halls is one of the largest urban parks in Germany and, although entry is not free of charge, one of the most popular recreational sites of the city. It includes the city's [[botanical garden]], the [[Botanischer Garten Grugapark]].
*{{ill|Baldeneysee|de}}: The largest of the six [[reservoir]]s of the [[Ruhr (river)|River Ruhr]], situated in the south of the city, is another popular recreational area. It is used for [[sailing]], [[rowing (sport)|rowing]] and ship tours. The hilly and only lightly developed forest area around the lake, from which the Kettwig area is easily reachable, is popular with [[hiking|hikers]].
<gallery widths="180">
File:Orangerie mit Orion.jpg|[[Grugapark]], Kranichwiese facing the Orangerie and the sculpture ''Orion''
File:Skulptur Joseph Enseling Trauer Essen Südwestfriedhof 2013.jpg|Grugapark, Sculpture "Trauer" by [[Joseph Enseling]]
File:Reichsgartenschau 1938 Keramikhof Essen.jpg|Grugapark, Reichsgartenschau 1938, Keramikhof
File:Parkleuchten 2015, Essen, Grugapark 46.JPG|Grugapark illuminated, 2015
File:Wasserfall Grugapark 2013 02.jpg|Grugapark, Waterfall
File:BaldeneyseeVonWerden.jpg|Baldeneysee
File:Baldeneysee Abends Essen.jpg|Baldeneysee
File:Baldeneysee Segler 2 db.jpg|Baldeneysee
File:Essen-Margarethenhöhe Markt.jpg|Marketplace of Margarethenhöhe I
File:Marga haeuser1.jpg|Margarethenhöhe houses
File:Moltkeviertel 0741 2.jpg|Sculptures by Friedrich Gräsel and Gloria Friedmann at the Moltkeplatz
</gallery>