Essen as a destination

Versatile, vibrant and cosmopolitan — that’s Essen, a city in the heart of the Ruhr region. It has a rich and varied history spanning around 1,160 years, making Essen older than Berlin, Munich or Dresden. Founded around 850 by Bishop Altfrid as an abbey for the daughters of Saxon nobility, Essen grew in size thanks to coal, Krupp and steel, becoming one of the world’s most important centres of the mining and steel industry. But the days of black gold are long gone: today, Essen is the “European Capital of Culture” (2010), the “European Green Capital” (2017), an attractive trade fair and science hub, and home to around 570,000 people.

Essen lies in the heart of the Ruhr region, right in the centre of the Ruhr metropolitan area. Anyone holding a conference here can easily reach participants from across North Rhine-Westphalia via the A40, A42 and A52 motorways, the ICE station at the main railway station, and the nearby airports in Düsseldorf and Dortmund.

The city combines industrial heritage with plenty of green space: the Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site represents the transformation of the Ruhr, while Baldeneysee and the Ruhr meadows show its other side. Both are close to one another — as are the settings for congresses, conferences and accompanying programmes.

What makes Essen a great destination

• A central location in the Ruhr metropolitan area, with short journeys to neighbouring cities
• Connections via the A40, A42 and A52, an ICE station at the main railway station, and two nearby airports
• Venues ranging from conference hotels to industrial cathedrals
• Hotel capacity across all categories, many close to the city centre
• Accompanying programmes amid World Heritage, water and woodland