The Ruhr may not be beautiful, but it has industry and a lot of it. Exploring the Ruhr Valley is not a proposition to take lightly. You will not find the usual tourist activities here. There are few old buildings, no famous statues or monuments, dirty cities, and uninspiring natural landscapes. Visiting the Ruhr will let you explore the industries that shaped human society, from coal and iron mining to steel and textile mills.
The Ruhr, Ruhrgebiet, or Ruhrpott, as it is known in many places, is the geographical invention of the 20th century. There is an official list of German counties which comprise the “Ruhrgebiet,” though the region has no de jure political meaning. Historically, most of the area belonged to the County of Mark, though nothing remains of this heritage today. Holding it together is the massive Ruhr Coalfield that lies beneath the soil and which powered Germany’s industrial revolution.
The legacy of the coalfield is that the Ruhr remains a significant center of heavy industry. With such longstanding traditions in specific industries, local communities, and governments have sought to retain much of the surviving industrial legacy. The result is a remarkable collection of museums, mines, and factories that tell the story of Germany’s industrial revolution from the beginning to today.
The industrial cities of the Ruhr grew to such an extent during the 20th century that they more or less melded into one gigantic super-city. The landscape is a constant mixture of urban and suburban development with remnants of ancient industrial monuments scattered about. However, the lack of natural green space, deindustrialization, and the ad hoc post-war reconstruction have given the region a stereotype for depression, poverty, and crime.
The stereotype is, in some places, entirely deserved. However, the Ruhr Region is witnessing a massive period of urban renewal. Some cities, like Duisburg, have been transformed from dystopian post-apocalyptic centers of concentrated poverty to places you might almost want to live in. For a tourist, though, the Ruhr remains an unwelcoming place to visit.
