One of the European Best Destinations in 2023, Essen Germany is a city you might well overlook when considering your next holiday in Germany. However, there are many reasons why you might consider visiting one of the greenest cities in Germany and the 2010 European Capital of Culture. Here is our brief guide to the things to do in Essen.
From Culture to Nature: 5 Things To Do in Essen Germany
Unearth Zeche Zollverein
There really is nowhere else to start our guide to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Zollverein. The ‘Metropolis of the Coalmines’ was the largest coal mine in the world and fuelled 51 cities in the Ruhr. When Shaft XII was opened in 1932, it was declared the most beautiful coal mine in the world. Now it has been converted into a museum paying testament to the Ruhr’s industrial past. People ride their bikes along disused railway tracks, or walk around artificial hills. A short walk from Shaft XII is the Kokkerei Zollverein (Zollverein coking plant) that holds exhibitions.
Visit the Museum Folwang
Essen has one standout museum, the Folkwang Museum has one of the finest collections of art in Germany. The exhibition halls are based on themes, so you will find a contemporary sculpture next to a 19th century painting, threaded together by the mutual connection of, for example, love. It is worth visiting just to see the wonderful David Chipperfield design of the building, which was built for the 2010 European Capital of Culture award. Free to enter.
Go Back to 1887
If you like wondering blindly around a city, then Essen really is the place for you. The tourism office, close to the station, offers a mixed reality journey through the city as it was in 1887. Once you have become accustomed to staggering along the streets wearing the mixed reality glasses it really does become an interesting experience as German actor Henning Baum, playing the role of the innkeeper, guides you through the history of the city.
Take an Urban Hike
If the city gets too much for you, then just get out of it. It is simplicity itself to visit the green spaces engulfing the city by train. Lake Baldeney is a 2.7 square kilometre artificial lake constructed about 90 years ago, which you can sail, surf or row on, or cycle around. There is also a 27-kilometre-long hiking trail around it – the BaldeneySteig with great viewing spots of the lake below. Recommended is to visit the ruins of medieval Isenburg castle, and dine at nearby Jagdhaus Schellenberg, a renovated half-timber house in the Schellenberg Forest, which has been converted into an excellent restaurant with a beautiful terrace offering wonderful views down to the lake.
Get to the Krupps of the Matter
Also, towering above Lake Baldeney is Villa Hügel which was built by the industrialist Alfred Krupp and was the family home from 1873 to 1945. The villa has 269 rooms and is set in a 28-hectare park. It is the largest single-family home in Essen, and seen, just like Zeche Zollverein, as a symbol of the region’s industrial past. You can tour either home or grounds, but whatever you do – don’t mention the war.
More Things To Do in Essen
For more ideas on what to do in Essen, got to the official Essen Tourism website.
Main image: Colliery trestle Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site © Jochen Tack. Background image: Terrace of the restaurant Jagdhaus Schellenberg © Diana Blinkert.