Industrial Ruhr Valley
region - 'Zollverein' colliery - Foto: Susanne Brügger
'Ruhrpott' (Ruhr Valley)
Ruhr valley is famous for its industrial history, originally
based on coal mining and steel production and now benefiting
from its industrial mix of energy production, environmental
technologies and modern service industries.
Ever since the 18th century mining has been the main economical
pillar in the Ruhr area. The ore was easily accessible
and extracted by strip mining. After some time the miners had
to dig deeper and many of the impressive industrial buildings
emerged. Collieries, steel works and the high chimneys
of the industrial revolution shaped the face of the Ruhr region.
Ecological and economical problems, mainly the traumatic coal
crisis in the 1960s, destroyed confidence and optimism.
Most coal mines in the Ruhr Valley were shut down and
the number of jobs was halved. Unemployment and social unrest
were just some of the more pressing problems.
In the past decades considerable effort has lead to modernization
and diversification of the economic base at the Ruhr.
Nowadays, the 'Ruhrpott' is once more a thriving region
and an enormous urban area. Bochum, Dortmund, Duisburg and
Essen form an inter-connecting metropolis. The old
industrial ruins have been converted into cultural venues.
Ancient mine 'Zeche Zollverein' and can-like 'Gasometer Oberhausen'
are just some of the highlights of the modern Ruhr Valley
area.
In 1856 the mysterious remains of a dead man were found while
mining in a rather unknown valley in the Ruhr region
called 'Neandertal'. After some scientific dispute there
was no denial that a contemporary of the Cro Magnon man and
a predecessor of modern man had been unearthed. The valley's
name became a global byword for human prehistory - symbolizing
a vital link in our evolutionary chain.
