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Situated in the Ruhr Valley, western Germany's mighty industrial and mining region, Essen became the area's chief city in the 19th century. The development of ironworks, steelworks, and coal mines during the 19th century stimulated rapid growth, making a once small town the largest industrial city in the Ruhr coalfield. Essen is also a retail trade center and a rail junction. In addition to coal and steel, the city has diversified heavy, medium, and light industries, including construction, chemical- and glassworks, and factories for textiles and precision instruments. Most industry is located in the north toward the Rhine-Herne Canal, while the south has woods and parks. There are large, modern administrative and office buildings, concert halls, and an economic research institute. Museums include the German poster museum, which has an international collection of poster art dating from the 19th century. The Minster treasury is one of the world's richest collections of church art and religious objects, and the Folkwang Museum features 19th- and 20th-century art. Essen was originally the seat of an aristocratic convent founded in 852. It is still represented by a cathedral completed in the 15th century. In the suburb of Werden, the abbey church was founded in 796 as part of a monastery. The convent and the abbey exercised local sovereignty as imperial states until they were dissolved in 1802 at the time Essen passed to Prussia. Essen was occupied by the French from 1923 to 1925. During World War II it suffered heavy destruction as a center of German war industry. The Ruhr River is dammed in Essen to form a lake called Baldeney-See. Nearby is the Villa Hugel, originally the home of the Krupps (see Krupp Family). Since 1953 the home has been used for meetings and cultural events. Population (1990 estimate), 626,100.
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