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SALZGITTER STORIES
THE MEGA-CENTER
A New Era for Dortmund and the Rhine-Ruhr Region
Looking down at the region from an air- plane flying overhead, it is difficult to discern any city limits at all. This is the core of a metropolitan region that ex- tends all the way to Cologne and forms the central part of the “Blue Banana” – a densely populated European metropoli- tan area that is home to around 110 mil- lion people and stretches all the way from England’s industrial heartlands across Benelux and through to northern Italy. In other words: the Rhine-Ruhr re- gion is the core of a mega-region ex- tending 1,300 km across the heart of Eu- rope.
Before the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, many of these cities were hamlets in a sparsely populated region. This is why the 53 towns and cities in the Ruhr region each strive to preserve their own distinct, historical character. How- ever, this also curbs the will to collabo- rate, with even recent moves to merge administrative districts ending in failure. Industrialization only ironed out these differences on a superficial level. Now
that their collieries and blast furnaces have given way to museums, theaters, leisure facilities and universities, the re- gion’s towns and cities are vying for the trophies of urban restructuring. Indeed, the region’s tourism office makes the claim of Europe’s most dense cultural landscape, with 1,000 industrial monu- ments, 200 museums, 250 festivals, 120 theaters and 3 concert halls.
The “Eiffel Tower of the Ruhr region”: The Zoll- verein Coal Mine Indus- trial Complex, a UNES- CO World Heritage Site in Essen
Industry and business also benefit from the high proportion of students in the region. A network of universities has developed with deepening specialization in the STEM subjects: science, technology, engineering and mathe- matics. The result is a rich pool of specialists holding great potential, which benefits companies and local people alike.
CONTIGUOUS RESIDENTIAL AREA AND MAJOR METROPOLES BETWEEN THE RHINE AND RUHR
RECKLINGHAUSEN
HERNE GELSENKIRCHEN
BOCHUM ESSEN
HAMM
BOTTROP OBERHAUSEN
DUISBURG
MÜLHEIM
DORTMUND
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HAGEN
Photo: adobestock© Henk Vrieselaar
RHINE
RUHR