Many will be able to recall the numerous crises that occurred in the coal industry in the late eighties and early nineties of the last century, associated with a fall in coal demand and an increase in the loss ratio of the enterprises concerned. The Ruhr coal basin has become one of the hotbeds of this kind of tension that has arisen between miners, large entrepreneurs and authorities. All world regions in which the coal industry was the main industry entered a period of stagnation. However, this turn of events turned out to be an unexpected continuation.
Ruhr coal basin. Quick reference
The coal basin located along the Lower Rhine and the Ruhr River deserves a separate story because of its huge volume. By the amount of stored coal, it ranks first in Western Europe.
Most of the basin is located on the left bank of the Lower Rhine, in the rivers such as the Ruhr, Escher and Lippe. And only a small part of the reserves is located on the right bank.
The total basin area exceeds 4500 square kilometers, and its length from west to east is more than 140 kilometers. Moreover, the depth of high-calorie coals does not exceed two thousand meters. It is estimated that more than 213 billion tons of coal are deposited within this horizon.
The vast majority of the coal reserves of the Ruhr coal basin formed in the Carboniferous period, however, there are also later stratifications and overthrusts. The coal basin of the Ruhr River is also considered one of the most productive, as in the productive stratum there are more than two hundred layers of coal, each of which has a thickness of half a meter. However, there are also layers whose working thickness exceeds one meter. Coal is characterized by high fat content and good coking properties, as well as a high optimum combustion temperature.
Ruhr region. Feature article
For the first time about the occurrence of significant coal reserves in the Rhine and Ruhr Valley, it became known back in the Xll century at that time that the first large centers of trade and craft arose.
The Ruhr coal basin is located on the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, whose population is more than five million three hundred thousand people. On the territory of this land is the largest urban agglomeration in Europe, the core of which are two large cities - Dortmund and Essen.
In modern economic geography, the Ruhr region is understood to mean a regional union of fifteen cities and districts called the Ruhr.
However, the term conurbation is often used among scientists, which is understood as an economically and transport interconnected network of cities, which includes not only the lands of North Rhine-Westphalia, but also Düsseldorf and Cologne. In this case, the population of the conurbation can reach twelve million people. Thus, the Ruhr coal basin is located on the territory of the most densely populated and highly urbanized part of Western Europe.
Ruhr conflict
In the 1920s, the natural resources of the Ruhr basin in Germany were still important for the European economy and therefore caused a serious political conflict between the post-war Weimar Republic and the troops of the victorious countries in the First World War.
The reason for the conflict was that after the First World War, Germany had to pay significant reparations with money and resources, but quite often there were interruptions or delays, since in Germany itself the economic situation was not the most stable.
French occupation
Responding to delays, the French president introduced his country's troops into territories that had not previously been occupied. In 1921, French troops occupied the cities of Düsseldorf and Duisburg, which created all the necessary conditions for the occupation of the rest of the vast industrial region of Rhine-Westphalia.
Such aggressive behavior of the French Republic clearly indicates how important the minerals of the Ruhr basin were in post-war Europe. Not only coal was produced in large quantities in the region, but also steel, which France so urgently needed.
The entry of the French troops caused a wave of indignation among the local population and served as a reason for the riots. It is assumed that it was the behavior of French politicians that provoked the interest of the Germans in the National Socialist ideology.
Structural transformations
However, in the 1950s of the twentieth century, the so-called coal crisis hit Europe, which led to significant negative consequences for the labor market. Following the coal crisis, steel flared up, which also led to a drop in demand not only for steel, but also for coal.
As a result of nearly two decades of ongoing economic downturn, it became apparent that the Ruhr coal basin economy needed serious modernization, diversification, and a move away from the resource model.
In addition to the global economic crisis, an important reason for the recession in the local economy was the fact that mines with easily accessible coal were depleted, and new ones ceased to be competitive in the international market.
Post-industrial future
According to statistics, from 1980 to 2002, more than five hundred thousand jobs were eliminated in the region, while no more than three hundred thousand were created. It is worth noting that all this time in the economy there have been painful structural changes. If mainly raw materials and coal mines were closed, then jobs were created in new industrial or post-industrial areas.
In two decades, numerous small and medium-sized enterprises were opened in the field of mechanical engineering, finance, electrical engineering and the service sector. Significant funds were invested in enterprises serving the field of computer technology.
Area Administration
All the resources that were mined in the Ruhr basin ceased to be of key importance in the European economy, but intellectual and human resources came to the fore, the development of which was given great importance in Germany.
One of the most important features of the Ruhr region is its administrative structure. From an economic and administrative point of view, the Ruhr agglomeration is a polycentric city, since all the cities related to it are not separated by significant gaps.
In addition, a well-developed transport system allows you to easily get from one part of the city district to another with minimal time costs.
The fall in the region’s economy triggered a decline in property prices, which led to the transfer of offices of large corporations in this urban area. Today, large corporations such as RAG, Degussa, ThyssenKrupp have head offices and a significant part of production.
However, despite all attempts by the authorities and business to stimulate economic growth in the region, it remains opportunistically weak. Unemployment in the Ruhr region is more than 13%, which is the highest rate among the regions of West Germany. However, the region cannot be called depressive either.
Ruhr Culture
The Ruhr Basin, where many non-functioning enterprises are concentrated due to its rich industrial past, has become the place where modern culture flourished at the end of the 20th century.
Local and federal authorities, trying to give a new impetus to the development of the suffering region, decided to invest heavily in the development of the cultural environment in the region.
To date, three large opera houses of world renown, ten theater venues and numerous art and historical museums operate on the territory of the Ruhr coal basin.
Every year, a major music festival is held in the region, during which 50 to 80 classical music concerts are held in the city district. In addition, philharmonic societies and concert halls at conservatories operate on an ongoing basis.
Education
A distinctive feature of the Ruhr urban region is the highest student density in Germany. On the territory of the Ruhr basin there are twenty-two higher education institutions, seventeen of which are universities. It is in the Ruhr that the famous Folkwang Academy of Art is located.
The largest university in the region is the Ruhr University of Bochum, in which more than 42 thousand students study, including 7000 foreign students. Despite its size and significance for the German education system, the university was founded only in 1962.