City of Essen
Pic.: Villa Hügel in Essen
Essen - world cultural heritage city and city of the arts. Can you possibly call a mining pit beautiful? You can indeed: the Zollverein pit XII is so beautiful that in December 2001 it was elevated to the rank of a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. The pit went into operation in 1932. At the time it was seen as an ideal form of industrial architecture and an outstanding example of the Bauhaus style.
The neighbouring Zollverein coking plant has also received the UNESCO seal of approval. Today it is a centre of contemporary art and culture.
Visitors can also view a major art collection in the Folkwang Museum, which was originally set up in Hagen by Karl Ernst Osthaus in 1902. At first the art collection had departments of natural history and crafts, but it was not long before it has grown into a trail-blazing museum of modern art. It was the first ever public collection in Germany to present works by Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, van Gogh and Matisse. After Osthaus died, his collection was moved to Essen by the newly founded Folkwang Museum Society, and integrated into the municipal art museum in 1922 to become the Folkwang Museum.
The city’s oldest concert hall is the “Saalbau”, the home of the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra. Along with the adjacent Aalto opera house it constitutes the cultural centre of the city. But it’s also worth visiting the Essen Playhouse, the Grillo Theatre, which has a lively repertoire of shows.
Have you ever wondered about the lifestyle of the Krupp industrial dynasty? If so, you should visit the palatial Villa Hügel in Essen-Bredeney. For nigh on 70 years it was simultaneously a family residence and the company’s representative house for three generations. Starting in 1953, there has been a huge range of regular major international art exhibitions. During the period when there are no exhibitions, guests are able to visit the historic family rooms, the spacious park and an exhibition on the history of the Krupp company.
Would you ever suspect that Essen has the largest cathedral treasury in the Christian world? Despite its exceptional significance the cathedral treasury has remained an insider tip to the present-day. Does that surprise you? If so, you can look forward to all the other surprises the city has to offer.
Essen Marketing GmbH - Touristikzentrale Essen
Am Hauptbahnhof 2
45127 Essen
touristikzentrale@essen.de
www.essen.de/tourismus
Telefon: +49 (0) 201-8872048
Fax: +49 (0) 201-8872044
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Sa 10-13 Uhr
