WHAT TO DO IN ESSEN, GERMANY IN 24 HOURS?

FREE THINGS TO DO IN ESSEN ON A BUDGET TRIP TO GERMANY

ZOLLEVEREIN COAL MINE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

The main reason I went to Essen was to visit the Zolleverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex, one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Germany. After visiting the Major Mining Sites of Wallonia (Bois du Luc, Bois du Cazier, Grand Hornu, and Blegny Mine) in Belgium, and Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin in France, it was time for me to visit Germany to visit Zollerverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex. 

How to head to Zolleverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex from Essen city center? It is super easy to go from Essen HBF or Essen city center to Zolleverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex by the Kulturlinie 107. As I was almost reaching the Zolleverein tram stop, the signs on the road (painted on the floor) were of the headframe of the coal mine! As soon as I got off the tram, I could see the majestic headframe (Shaft XII) of the coal mine in front of my eyes! 

Walking in, I joined the guided tour I was in for. There are special guided tours meant for kids too! The first thing that you will spot as soon as you enter is the monumental orange elevator and once you're in, the monumental piece of coal, the largest mined from this mine. 

History: Zolleverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex was in use from 1851 to 1986. The complex was owned by Franz Haniel who needed coal for his steel factory.  Miners all over Europe immigrated here to work in this mine including Italy, Turkey, Prussia, Russia, Austria, Greece, and the UK (after Margaret Thatcher's move to close the mines in the UK)!

Mining Hats & their colors: We began the tour quite amusingly at the restaurant attached to the museum. The wall of the restaurant showcases a variety of things associated with the coal mine and the first thing that attracted me was the colors of the hard hats. There were several colors and I asked if that signified something and yes indeed, it did - green for apprentices, red for security workers, blue for mechanics, white for master workers, stripes belonging to the other companies that were doing other works in the coal mine!

Kids Tour at Zollerverein Coal Mine: Our first stop at the beginning of the Circular/Monument Walk of Zolleverein Coal Mine was inside one of the buildings and this spot was special because it had an activity for the kids as soon as we entered. Kids could make their own miners' number badge, by hammering their favorite number onto a steel plate! The next spot was for the kids to touch & feel a miner's belongings incl. a shovel, hard hat, and pant protector. The pant protector was an amusing thing - it was a piece of leather that would go on the b#tt and has straps to tie around the hip & things; this would protect the pants from being torn when a miner slides up or down in the galleries! 

The route goes underground....... or does it? Then the route passes through the changing room of the miners and some tracks where coal-loaded wagons once ran. In this space, at the end of the room is a Chain reaction contraption display which would give kids a very clear idea of the step-by-step process of what happens in a coal mine from mining to lifting the coal up to the various belts & gears it passes through for cleaning & sorting. Last but not least, there is a cute little miniature display of underground coal galleries, that could get lit up by kids! At the end of this underground (?) tunnel you get out and that is when we realize, the whole thing has been above ground but was an underground simulated environment. This spot has a group activity where (older) kids & adults could use wood to create a passage tunnel as it is underground. This spot is under the other Head Frame of the tunnel (Shaft 1/2/8). 

Circular Walk or Monument Walk of Zolleverein Coal Mine: After this point, the route continues at a higher ground, where you're literally walking on a passage above ground where you go back to the main building or on the ground where you go across the road to the Coking plant. I took the 1st route and walked over the passage with fantastic views of the whole Coal Mine Industrial Complex from above. 

Again, back inside the plant, the route went through even more tracks of the wagons leading to the Coal Washery. Then there was the coal segregated by size in display, mostly women worked in this area to segregate coal & the powdery coal was given to these women as a part of their wages, so they could use it at home for cooking & heating purposes. There were also the Mining tools especially the heavy drilling tools in display which you could try lifting! The last spot here is the viewpoint from where you could see the top of the first Head Frame.

Getting married in Zollerverein Mine Industrial Complex: Here's where things get a little weird. Here, in this area, surrounded by the coal mines, wagons, and tracks, it is possible to get married here on the first Friday of every month! Guess which is one of the most favored spots to get married? At the Coal Washery, in front of the largest coal-waste bin with huge chains around them! 

Ruhr Museum: Apart from the Heritage Coal Mining part of it, this premises is also the home of Ruhr Museum and Red Dot Design Museum. I visited the Ruhr Museum. This is like an exhibition area that talks both about the region as a coal mining area and also as it is from its prehistoric era to its botanical and zoological aspects of the region etc. The museum also has a 360° movie display! One of the displays here is of a preserved lung of a coal mine worker. There's another fun play area for kids, with sensors and sounds - as you move, you create natural music! A part of the museum also serves as a natural history museum.

P.S: I'm still confused about how UNESCO combines certain sites and keeps certain sites separate. I mean, the Great Spa Towns of Europe including Bath in the UK, Spa in Belgium, and Karlovy Vary have been listed together while the Major Mining Sites of Wallonia in Belgium, Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin in France, Zollerverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Germany are all in the same geographical region (south Belgium, west Germany, and north France area) and these sites all have been listed separately under UNESCO. So, I'm confused and I haven't had an answer on why is it so, yet! 

ESSEN OLD SYNAGOGUE (ALTE SYNAGOGE)

One of the stunning landmarks of Essen is its Old Synagogue. Hardly a short walk from the railway station you land at this majestic-looking building, which is, one of the monuments that stands still as an example of the pre-war Jewish heritage of Germany! 

First, why is it called the Old Synagogue and where is the New Synagogue? Well, in 1913, when this Synagogue was built, it was called the New Synagogue, because the original 'Old Synagogue' existed in Gerswidastraße then. I walked up and down Gerswidastraße today however I couldn't find any traces of its existence except the historic-looking building of Kinder- und Familienzentrum Blauer Elefant Stadtmitte. It might be it, but I don't know. 

Anyways, this Synagogue at Gerswidastraße became too small for the growing Jewish population of Essen, so the New Synagogue was built here in the heart of the city. Over time, in 1959, an even newer synagogue was built in Essen which is now being called the New Synagogue. Now, the older New Synagogue became 'Old Synagogue' or as it is called in German, 'Alte Synagoge'.

The architect of this building was Edmund Körner. He designed a large Byzantine-style stone building topped by a copper dome. Influenced by Jugendstil (an art movement of the times in Germany), the synagogue's interior was tiled deep blue with gold highlights, along with mosaic and stained glass. It is 230ft long, 98ft wide and 112ft tall making it one of the largest surviving Synagogue since pre-WWII.

Alte Synagoge (Old Synagogue)'s interiors were severely damaged before WWII in 1938 in an arson. However, the building itself was not too damaged, but it was in disuse and almost fell into ruins. Much later in 1960-61, it was renovated and today it has a section that serves as a Centre for Jewish Culture.

ESSEN CATHEDRAL / ESSENER DOM / ESSEN MUNSTER

Apart from the Essen Synagogue, the other most important religious monument of Essen is the Essen Cathedral. I visited Essen on a weekend and after visiting Zolleverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex on Saturday, it was perfect for me to visit Essen Cathedral on Sunday morning, right on time to attend the Sunday mass. Going there, early in the morning on Sunday meant, walking around the city when it's just waking up when there are no tourists in the most touristy places! It was there even before the mass and I got to listen to the choir doing its practice!

Essen Abbey was first built in the 9th C CE, but that succumbed to fire a few times before 1275 CE. The current structure primarily belongs to the Gothic period (1400s) with some parts of the earlier Ottonian (11th C CE) structures that survived. Some frescoes from the 11th C CE still survive, in the upper levels. These cannot be seen up close and their visibility from the ground wasn't great. The octagonal plan of belfry is a typical Ottonian style too. 

Essen Abbey was built as a home for the secular canonesses (not nuns, but noble women who chose a monastic way of life) who chose to be independent from the Archbishops of Cologne & Trier and their orders. There are the cloisters and a garden inside where they lived and these can be accessed today to walk around. Much later, in the 20th C, it was, ofcourse, damaged severely in WWII and was rebuilt. 

GOLDEN  MADONNA - ESSEN CATHEDRAL TREASURY

The most important feature of the Essen Cathedral is the shrine and sculpture of the Golden Madonna. It's a sculpture of the Virgin Mary holding infant Jesus. It is considered to be the oldest free-standing sculpture of Madonna in the north of the Alps. It is made of wood and is covered with golden leaves. It is suspected to be of 10th C CE. It is a 74cm tall sculpture. The eyes are made of enamel-painted metal craft. 

By early 20th C CE, this was almost destroyed by wood-worms. Then, it suffered further when it was transported hastily for safekeeping during the World Wars. Later on, it was restored by gassing the wood worms out, filling the spaces with a type of plastic material, and re-pasting the gold leaves. Today it looks beautiful and is housed in a shrine with beautiful blue tile work all around since it was restored in 2008.

There is also a dedicated treasury located in beside the Cathedral but unfortunately, I had no time to visit here! 

OLD CATHOLIC CHURCH / PEACE CHURCH (DIE FRIEDENSKIRCHE)

Just beside the Old Synagogue is the Old Catholic Church in Essen called the Peace Church (Die Friedenkirche). This church was built in 1914-16. It is one of the finest examples of Art Nouveau in Germany. 

Here's the unusual thing about the Peace Church. It was built during WWI, which is why the name. Quite interestingly, it was spared during WWI. However, it was damaged severely during WWII after which it was renovated. 

The original building was decorated by the Dutch artist Jan Thorn Prikker who painted the walls & ceiling with very colorful, art nouveau patterns as well as the golden mosaic in the chancel. After being damaged in WWII, the church was reconstructed in 2003-06 including painting the frescoes with the guidance of old photos and remnants of the plasters. 

The church is on the 1st floor of the building (which is now being called the 'Upper Church') and the crypt is technically on the ground floor (and is being called the 'Lower Church'). Since there is no heating or PMR access to the upper floor, the religious mass happens on the ground floor. The upper floor is open only on the days when the mass happens (and on Open Church days). I was lucky I visited on a Sunday when the mass was about to begin and they graciously offered to open the upper floor for me to visit. Otherwise, normally, it is locked. 

Folkwang Museum is the biggest, most important museum in Essen. As soon as you entered, there was this fantastic, huge screen with a camera atop it. So, your live video gets telecasted on the big screen, but that's not all, it is in incredibly slow motion, so you move slowly and in parts! It was cool, even more, when you're with kids.

Folkwang Museum is in 2 sections - a permanent collection and temporary exhibitions. The permanent collection is free to visit and the temporary exhibitions have a ticket. I chose to visit only the permanent collection. There are 2 large rooms for permanent collection and 2 for temporary exhibitions. 

The permanent collection has sculptures, paintings, photographs, and archaeological things on display. Some of the prized possessions here are, of course, the works of Pablo Picasso - 'The Woman in Blue Blouse' and 'Bottle, Guitar, and Pipe'. Visiting from Belgium, I was happy to see the work of Rene Magritte, 'The Night Owl'. There are some artworks of Vincent van Gogh here as well including 'The Wheatfield behind Saint Paul's Hospital with a Reaper'. 

One of the impressive things about Folkwang Museums is realizing the colonial past of Germany, like the Africa Museum in Brussels. Here too there is a piece that was 'looted' from Africa and there's a special note on this display mentioning the gory history of Digital Benin. The piece of artifact in this museum is called Uhumnw-elao, which is a ceremonial sculpture depicting the face of the leader of the Edo faith.  

During Colonization, in 1897, British troops attacked Benin. Several people were killed (called the 'Benin Massacre') and several objects were looted. These looted things were sent to London where they were auctioned which were purchased by many people/museums around Europe including Germany. Many of these looted things hold a sacred/ceremonial value. Some of these are here in Falkwang Museum (some of these are in the Musical Instruments Museum and Africa Museum in Brussels as well as MAS in Antwerp and, of course, in the British Museum of London).  

Some of the stunning modern art in the museum is of Josef Albers with solid blocks of shapes with solid bright colors. In contemporary words, I'd say the artworks of Josef Albers in the Folkwong Museum are some of the most Instagrammable places in Essen. 

The way the smaller objects have been arranged in this museum is fascinating with a honeycomb structure display installation. 

Where is Folkwang Museum (on Google Maps)? Museum Folkwang

How to reach Folkwang Museum? 600m (9 mins walk) from Essen Philharmonie U-Bahn station

Folkwang Museum tickets: Free to visit the Permanent Collection; €8 for Temporary Exhibitions

Folkwang Museum timings: Tue-Sun 10:00AM to 6:00PM

Day 1 afternoon: Visit Zolleverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex

Day 2 morning: Visit Essen Cathedral, Essen Synagogue and Folkwang Museum

ESSEN PUBLIC TRANSPORT & CULTURE LINE 107 (KULTURLINIE 107)

Reaching Essen is super easy thanks to trains. Essen can also be reached by Flixbus. The Essen Flixbus stop is located just in front of the Essen HBF Railway Station. Essen is well connected by its public transport system, esp. trams. 

Tramline 107 is a line dedicated to the places to visit in Essen and is called the Culture Line (Kulturlinie 107). Technically there are 57 cultural sites that can be accessed by this tram line. All the sites I visited in this trip, all the ones mentioned above, are walkable from various stops of this tram line. It is a regular tram line meaning, a regular public transport ticket is enough to ride this!