The Ruhr basin is often mentioned in connection with the remarkable experience of gentrification of industrial territories. The federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia is known in Germany for its historical mines, which have mined coal over the past few centuries. However, in the second half of the 20th century, the coal industry began to decline, and the Ruhr basin of Germany turned into a symbol of the passing industrial era.
History with geography
In the 19th century, the Ruhr basin served as an almost inexhaustible source of fuel for the rapidly developing industry of Western Europe. This largest coal basin in Europe has long ensured stable economic growth for Germany and France.
For the first time on an industrial scale, coal in this region began to be mined as far back as the 13th century, but intensive development began in 1839. By 1900, more than 8,000,000,000 tons of coal had been mined in the Ruhr basin. By the middle of the 20th century, however, production fell very much due to falling demand for products.
Administrative structure of the Ruhr region
Today on the territory of the Russian basin is one of the largest agglomerations-conurbations in Europe. The core of this urban agglomeration consists of two equal parts - the cities of Dortmund and Essen. Each of the cities has about 500,000 inhabitants.
Speaking about the administrative division of the region, it should be borne in mind that the modern structure of the region appeared in the XIX century and was caused by the rapid industrialization of Germany. Today, the highest administrative body of the region is located in the city of Essen and is called the regional union “Ruhr”. It is worth noting that all the borders passing in the region are historically determined. Most of the local districts, lands and urban districts got their registration back in the Middle Ages.
Demography and Identity
Despite the fact that the territory of the Ruhr region is slightly more than 1% of the total area of the Federal Republic of Germany, it is one of the most densely populated lands in terms of population. It is believed that 6.3% of the German population live on its territory.
Although the authorities are making significant efforts to reorganize the region’s economy and social sphere, the population of North Rhine-Westphalia has decreased by almost 1% since the beginning of the 2000s.
Historically, the inhabitants of the region spoke the Lower Frank-Lower Saxon dialect. Today, the vast majority of the local population speaks pure German. Only occasionally in small towns can you hear a slight Westphalian or Lower Rhine accent.
The economy of the region
Starting from the middle of the 20th century, when the industry of the region underwent serious structural changes, the inhabitants of the region were forced to start changing their specialization.
Today on the territory of the Ruhr basin there are offices of the largest German concerns, which means that they pay taxes in this area. Today, the region where the Ruhr basin is located is going through economically difficult times. The federal authorities make every effort to ensure that the local population adapts to new conditions of existence.
Despite the fact that the Ruhr region is still considered opportunistically weak, it houses the offices of many large companies, primarily logistics. This situation is due to the favorable geographical position of the region.
Transport plays a special role in the city’s economy, including public transport. The polycentricity of the urban agglomeration implies the active movement of citizens throughout the day. For the convenience of travel in the city, there are well-developed tram and bus networks. There is also a unified metro system.
The social policy of the federal authorities in the region is aimed at creating the maximum number of new projects in the field of culture and art, which, according to the idea, should attract tens of thousands of tourists annually.