I’ve just uploaded some of my pictures of Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia (DE). The town itself is pretty dull, but the surroundings are apparently worth visiting. Especially Zollverein, part of this World Heritage’s.
Essen, bombed flat at the end of World War II, was apparently rebuilt in a haste that didn’t leave room for originality or beauty. Today downtown is a big, open air shopping mall with a few churches, office towers, and.. more big shopping malls. I walked through it, I tried to understand, and looking at the Limberker Platz mall I had mixed feelings. This is what Essen is all about: shopping. Consumption makes the world turn around I guess.
Going a bit further afield, you’ll find much more beauty. I never thought I would like an industrial complex as much as Zollverein. This is definitely something you’ll need to visit. It’s easily accessible using the tram line 107 from the train station. I was to late for a guide tour, but apparently this is very interesting as people that worked there explain and tell stories. Be sure to go soon, people don’t last as long as the buildings they plant!
Three interesting days of work and experiencing a small part of the Ruhr area, which I learned about at school when I was a kid. Maybe I’ll go back to check out the surrounding villages/suburbs between the rivers Ruhr, Lippe, Emscher and Rhein.