ESSEN

Political Location / Administrative Function:
With around 600,000 inhabitants, the business and fair city of Essen is the sixth largest city in Germany and the second largest city in North Rhine Westphalia, the German state with the strongest economy. 11 of the 100 largest corporations in Germany have their head offices here in Essen. The situation of Essen in the centre of one of the largest economic areas in Europe, in addition to the excellent infrastructure, is an important factor for the competitiveness of the location. 40% of the entire EU population live within a radius of 500 km around Essen and generate approx. 60% of EU income.
The central location of the city of Essen within one of the largest economic areas in Germany, and its central position within a united Europe, provide clear advantages to the local economy. Nine of the top one hundred German companies with the largest turnover are domiciled in Essen, among them RWE AG, RAG Aktiengesellschaft, the stores group Karstadt, Ruhrgas, Hochtief AG, the giant drinks company Coca Cola, and the shoe manufacturer Deichmann. With its specialist technical trade fairs and major exhibitions for the general public, Fair Essen is an international economic hub.

Institutions with regional and supra-regional tasks utilize the central position of the Ruhr city. Thus, e.g., the Kommunalverband Ruhrgebiet (Association of Ruhr District Local Authorities), the State Environment Agency, and the German Meteorological Service, Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft, and - last but not least - the Ruhr diocese are located at Essen

Essen is the centre of the German and European energy industry:
The RWE group of companies is the largest private energy supplier in Europe - Ruhrgas AG is the largest distributor of natural gas in Europe - the RAG group of companies is Germany's largest producer and distributor of hard coal - STEAG AG is the number two among Germany's district heating producers. These companies are today also active in many other business sectors such as e.g. telecommunications, microchip technology, engineering services or environmental protection.
In the environmental sector, Essen takes the lead in North Rhine Westphalia. The chemical industry, mechanical and plant engineering, electrical engineering, civil engineering, printing, and business services are also focal points in the life of the Essen economy.
In addition to the major corporations, a strong medium-sized company sector and the trades sector in Essen make a very considerable contribution to the gross added value generated.
The Zeitungsgruppe WAZ, as the second largest group of publishing companies in Germany, is the largest media company in Essen, and, together with other companies in the media and information sector, documents Essen's competency in this area. Design, health, and the trade sectors are further focal points that characterize the profile of Essen as a prime location for business.

Historical development

The skyline of Essen city centre shows Essen as a modern location for the economy and services of today. Latest finds by city archeaologists, however, indicate that Essen was a settlement area as early as the period around the birth of Christ. The "Vogelheimer Klinge" (Vogelheim blade), named after where it was found in the North of Essen, is even estimated to be more than 280,000 years old. Documentary evidence is available for 1150 years of city history. In 852 Altfrid, later Bishop of Hildesheim, established a convent for the ladies of the high nobility at the site of the present cathedral. This soon became the social and economic centre of the region. Under the rule of the abbesses, Essen remained a religious princedom for centuries. In the year 1317 the first coal finds are documented. From a fuel to feed the fires of the poor, coal developed into an economic commodity in high demand, the black gold of the region. From the middle of the 19th century onwards, and not least due to the economic success story of Alfred Krupp, Essen developed into the largest coal and steel area in Europe.

The mining industry, which exerted a powerful influence throughout the age of large-scale heavy industry from the middle of the 19th century to the end of the 20th, is an essential part of European industrial history. The Zollverein coalmining complex and coking plant is an exceptional witness to this era. Today, Zollverein is probably the most important monument to large-scale coalmining, and the stylized image of the “doppelbock” pithead frame has long been known far beyond the frontiers of both the region and of Germany, as well as becoming the trademark of the Ruhr area. The exemplary preservation and development strategy of this witness to an age influenced the World Heritage Committee’s decision to include Zollverein in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Centers as of December 2001. This means that Zollverein is now under the protection of the International Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage for Humankind.

The Entwicklungs-Gesellschaft Zollverein (EGZ) (Zollverein Development Association) founded in Summer 2001, the Stiftung Zollverein (Zollverein Foundation) and the Stiftung Industriedenkmalpflege und Geschichtskultur (the Foundation for the Preservation of Industrial Monuments and Cultural History ) are responsible for the preservation and use of the shut-down plants. Together they guarantee the future of Zollverein as a landmark of industrial culture.

The Zollverein Mine
The German Zollverein was an economic union of German states set up by creating a unified customs territory. In 1819, Friedrich List founded the Allgemeine Deutsche Handels- und Gewerbeverein (General German Trade and Industrial Association) in Frankfurt am Main. This association supported the abolishment of inland duties within the German Federation.

Work on sinking the Zollverein mine began on February 18, 1847 under the industrial manager of that time, Josef Oertgen. The first workable seam was found at a depth of 130 m, and later came to be known throughout the Ruhr area as “Zollverein 1“. Extraction did not begin until 1851.

The history of Zollverein covers more than 140 years of mining activity. It has seen highs and lows, successes and disappointments, both minor and major. There was also a large number of miners, both open-cast and underground, who shaped the history and ensured the continuation of their mine, for example through their hard work often to the point of exhaustion, as well as the mutual helpfulness and camaraderie which prevailed even when their lives were at risk. Pain and suffering, also in the miners’ families, mark the history of this mine. In all, five generations of miners determined the lifespan of the mine and kept it alive with their work. Over its 140 years in operation, the mine always kept up with technological developments, provided they did justice to the deposits. As the most important provider of employment for the populations of Katernberg, Stoppenberg and Schonnebeck, the Zollverein mine had a important influence on life and development in the north of Essen
Mine ½
From 1847 to 1892, Mine 1/2 was the only shaft at the Zollverein mine. Extraction began in 1854. The first coking plant was built in 1866 and the preparation plant in 1874. Extraction was stopped in 1932. The new Mine XII then took over all extraction for the Zollverein mining complex.
Mine 3/7/10
Because of the growing general demand for coal, the pit management decided to sink a new shaft at the eastern side of the mining complex. Extraction began in 1883 and was stopped in 1932.
Mine 4/5/11
After the major economic crisis during the foundation period, construction work on Mine 4/11 began in 1891. This shaft opened up edge seams of fat coal at the northern side of Zollverein. Extraction began in 1893 and was stopped in 1932.
Mine 6/9
Work on sinking Mine 6 began in 1895. It was to enable coal extraction from the southern side. A rail connection to Mine 6/9 was opened in 1913, and a coal preparation plant in 1914, thus making it an independent pit complex. Extraction began in 1897. On March 1, 1929, the pit complex was amalgamated with Mine 1/2/8.
Zollverein - Mine XII
By the end of the first world war, Zollverein’s mines were outdated and in desperate need of renovation. In 1928, the corporation Vereinigte Stahlwerke (United Steelworks) A.G., to which Zollverein now belonged, decided to build a new pithead shaft, Mine XII. With an extraction capacity of 12,000 t daily, Mine XII took over all coal extraction for Zollverein. Plans for the mine were drafted by architects Fritz Schupp and Martin Kremmer. Mine XII is an architectural masterpiece and has become a model for industrial construction in the Ruhr area. Extraction began on February 1, 1932. Shutdown on December 23, 1986.
Coal resources in 1934
Long-flame coal Gas coal Fat coal Steam coal
0.4 million t 21.88 million 294.16 million t 11.06 million t

Katernberg – the mining community
Back in 1960, the Zollverein mine began building the first company-owned apartments on the Hegemannshof housing development. Along with the Eisenheim settlements in Oberhausen, the Zollverein mine’s housing developments are some of the oldest preserved mining settlements in the Ruhr area. Most of the houses in the settlements were designed along the lines of the so-called cruciform ground plan, which divided a house into four apartments with separate entries. This ground plan caused this type of house to be known as a “four-in-hand”.
Life in the settlements
Until 1900, the Zollverein mine had around 1400 apartments for its miners; this meant that 42% of the mine employees lived in company-owned accommodation. The apartments mostly consisted of three or four rooms with a living area of 40 to 60 m?. Many families took in one or two paying boarders as sub-tenants.
Zollverein and the Protestant parish
The Zollverein mine actively supported parochial life in the surrounding districts, for example by founding a Protestant parish and carrying out work there. By recruiting workers from the predominantly Protestant eastern districts, a parish of 1500 members had already arisen by 1875.

Kulturkreis Zollverein
Mine manager Bamberg instigated the "Kulturkreis Zollverein" (Zollverein Cultural Association) after 1945. The aim was to engage renowned artists to provide a cultural program for the Katernberg, Stoppenberg and Schonnebeck districts. T.J. Gennert, director of the mine orchestra, was responsible for organizing and carrying out this project. The Kulturkreis ceased its activities at the end of the 1960s.
Sportfreunde Katernberg 1913 e.V.
After the second world war, the Sportfreunde Katernberg 1913 e.V. achieved a leading position in West German football. The famous final quarter-hour, in which the superior fitness of the Sportfreunde Katernberg won most matches, became proverbial. The footballers were regularly supplied with the best food free of charge from the mine’s cooperative society.
Link to the Holland mine
The decline in sales of domestic hard coal forced RAG to place even more restrictions on extraction. One of these measures was to shut down independent extraction at the Holland mine. The coal still mined there was recovered via an underground passageway linking Holland to the shaft Zollverein 12. Here it was brought up and prepared together with the Zollverein coal. This link was put into operation on January 15, 1974. Coal extraction from the Holland/Bonifacius pit had to cease at the end of 1983, as the coal resources were exhausted.

The amalgamated mine Nordstern/Zollverein
After the end of the amalgamation with the Holland mine in 1983 and because of the RAG’s need to reduce extraction work even further, possibilities of amalgamating with other mines were considered. For Zollverein, this opportunity came with the Nordstern mine in Gelsenkirchen. As the Zollverein 12 complex was by comparison the most efficient, the coal from both pits was to be brought up and prepared there. The total extraction of Nordstern-Zollverein via Mine 12 amounted to an annual average of approx. 10,000-11,000 t of (useable) coal per day.

Shutdown of Zollverein Mine XII
With the mining of the last fat coal resources from the Sonnenschein seam in Zollverein 3/10, all workable resources were exhausted. The small quantities of coal still being extracted from Nordstern and amounting to 5,000 of (useable) coal per day were not enough to enable the Mine 12 complex to continue operations on an economically viable basis. For this reason, the amalgamated mine Zollverein 12 was shut down on December 23, 1986. Thus ended the existence of one of the first, largest and most economical amalgamated mines in Europe. In order to safeguard those RAG mines carrying out extraction work to the north of the Zollverein shutdown area, continuous drainage of the inflowing pit water is necessary. Zollverein Mines 2 and 12 were therefore not filled in, but kept open for the purpose of centralized water drainage.

After shutdown
As the “most modern mine in the world“, which commenced operations in 1932, was closed 54 years later on the grounds of insufficient profitability, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia bought it from RAG, then known as Ruhrkohle, put it under a preservation order and rehabilitated it thoroughly. The building contractor Bauhütte Zeche Zollverein Schacht XII GmbH, set up for a period of 10 years, ceased its activities at Zollverein in 1999.

The Zollverein Coking Plant
Overview of data
Construction period Expansion Closure Foundation site Industrial monument
1957-1961 1971-1973 1993 Since 1998 Since 2000

The Zollverein Coking Plant was erected between 1957 and 1961 and was functionally linked to the central pit complex Zollverein XII. Mine XII had been built between 1928 and 1932 by the architects Fritz Schupp and Martin Kremmer, who even then enjoyed a great reputation. Zollverein XII is a masterpiece of the functional industrial architecture of those times.
For a long time, the Zollverein Coking Plant was the largest coking plant in Europe. The coking machinery on the so-called black side covers a distance of 800 meters. The facilities necessary for processing byproducts and cleaning gases (ammonia, crude benzene, crude tar) are located on the white side. In 1964, the Coking Plant reached a capacity of 5000 tons of coke per day. At the beginning of the 1970s, the increased demand for coke caused the number of ovens to be raised from 192 to 304, thus making it possible to produce 8,600 tons of coke per day. The expansion work was carried out while the available coke ovens were still in operation. At this time, approximately 1000 people worked at the Coking Plant.
The coking coal was supplied by both the Zollverein mine and by other RAG mines.
Because of the steel crisis and the associated decline in the demand for coke, the Coking Plant was closed on June 30, 1993. In 1998, it came into the possession of the Foundation for the Preservation of Industrial Monuments and Cultural History.

Economical Structure, Firms Predominant Types:
11 of the 100 largest corporations in Germany have their head offices here in Essen. The situation of Essen in the centre of one of the largest economic areas in Europe, in addition to the excellent infrastructure, is an important factor for the competitiveness of the location. 40% of the entire EU population live within a radius of 500 km around Essen and generate approx. 60% of EU income.
The central location of the city of Essen within one of the largest economic areas in Germany, and its central position within a united Europe, provide clear advantages to the local economy. Nine of the top one hundred German companies with the largest turnover are domiciled in Essen, among them RWE AG, RAG Aktiengesellschaft, the stores group Karstadt, Ruhrgas, Hochtief AG, the giant drinks company Coca Cola, and the shoe manufacturer Deichmann. With its specialist technical trade fairs and major exhibitions for the general public, Fair Essen is an international economic hub.
Institutions with regional and supra-regional tasks utilize the central position of the Ruhr city. Thus, e.g., the Kommunalverband Ruhrgebiet (Association of Ruhr District Local Authorities), the State Environment Agency, and the German Meteorological Service, Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft, and - last but not least - the Ruhr diocese are located at Essen

Essen is the centre of the German and European energy industry:
The RWE group of companies is the largest private energy supplier in Europe - Ruhrgas AG is the largest distributor of natural gas in Europe - the RAG group of companies is Germany's largest producer and distributor of hard coal - STEAG AG is the number two among Germany's district heating producers. These companies are today also active in many other business sectors such as e.g. telecommunications, microchip technology, engineering services or environmental protection.
In the environmental sector, Essen takes the lead in North Rhine Westphalia. The chemical industry, mechanical and plant engineering, electrical engineering, civil engineering, printing, and business services are also focal points in the life of the Essen economy.
In addition to the major corporations, a strong medium-sized company sector and the trades sector in Essen make a very considerable contribution to the gross added value generated.
The Zeitungsgruppe WAZ, as the second largest group of publishing companies in Germany, is the largest media company in Essen, and, together with other companies in the media and information sector, documents Essen's competency in this area. Design, health, and the trade sectors are further focal points that characterize the profile of Essen as a prime location for business.

With more than 3,3 Mio. qm offices Essen is one of the most important administrative centre in Germany

Transportation System:
Situated centrally in the Rhine/Ruhr region, Essen is connected to an extensive traffic network. From all over Germany and from abroad Essen is easy to reach from all directions by car, train, plane, and even by water.
Within the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr Essen provides a comprehensive local passenger transport service within the city and beyond, via its extensive links with the region.
Together with a total of 27 public transport operators, the Essener Verkehrs-AG forms the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr. "Intelligent Mobility" is the keyword here. The network of 10 tram and underground lines builds 98,6 km and together with 47 bus lines with 459 km of the routs serve 110 800 000 passengers yearly.
In a cooperation between EVAG and stadtmobil-carsharing, Essen also has been providing passenger cars from Minis to medium size vehicles since 1 November 2000 to supplement bus and rail connections.
Leght of the city roads is 1.618 km, cycling roads 240 km.
The Weiße Flotte by EVAG provides stress-free connections for leisure and recreation. However, Essen does not only offer recreation, sport, and leisure activities on the Ruhr and Lake Baldeney. The Rhein-Herne-Kanal connects Essen with the Rhine and the German seaports. Shipp transport is represented by the capacity app. 620.000 t /year

Economical Trend:

In addition to the main profile "Konzernstadt Essen" (concern city Essen) Essen is especially in the fields of Design, Natural Resources (Energy-, Water and Living Environment), Medicine and Health, ICT, Construction and Trade.

For Essen, as well as for the whole Metropolregion Ruhr are these branch-competences relevant, concerning the employment.

Unemployment:

Unemployment together 32.284
12,6%
Women 11.406
Young unemployed (20-24 year old) 2.130
Unemployed older than 55 4.584
Long time unemployed 14.374
Vacant jobs 2.530

Situation September 30th, 2003

Job Opportunities:
More than 75% of the employees are employed in the field of services.

The development of the branchen employment

Industrial production Services
1961 56,4 % 43,2 %
1970 49,2 % 50,3 %
1987 27,8 % 71,6 %
2000 25 % 75 %
Quelle: Arbeitsstättenzählung 1987, eigene Erhebung

Estate Market:

Localities of the city rehabilitation and development

Prices overview

Business estates:
Offices, new app. 9,50 - 13,50 €/sqm
Service spaces for rent in the industry parks. app. 5 - 8 €/sqm
Industry und production spaces 3,40 - 4,50 €/sqm
Plots for industry and business 50 - 150 €/sqm
Storehouses for rent
In the downtown of the city 40 - 160 €/sqm
In the city 5 - 25 €/sqm
Well located In the suburb 15 - 50 €/sqm
Dwelling estates for sale:
Semidetached- houses 200.000 - 290.000 €
Villas 250.000 - 450.000 €
Flats 1.300 - 3.000 €/sqm
Dwellning estates for rent: ca. 4,50 - 8 €/sqm
Quelle: Eigene Erhebungen 2003, Mietspiegel