History of the Ruhr District
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The actual boundaries of the
Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...
vary slightly depending on the source, but a good working definition is to define the
Lippe Lippe () is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Herford, Minden-Lübbecke, Höxter, Paderborn, Gütersloh, and district-free Bielefeld, which forms the region Ostwestfalen-Lippe. The d ...
and
Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...
as its northern and southern boundaries respectively, the
Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...
as its western boundary, and the town of
Hamm Hamm (, Latin: ''Hammona'') is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northeastern part of the Ruhr area. As of 2016 its population was 179,397. The city is situated between the A1 motorway and A2 motorway. Hamm railwa ...
as the eastern limit. In the Middle Ages, local power was vested primarily in the counts (''Grafen'') of
Berg Berg may refer to: People *Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor * Berg (footballer) (born 1989), Brazilian footballer Former states *Berg (state), county and duchy of the Holy ...
, Mark and Cleves. The left bank of the Rhine was held by the
Archbishop of Cologne The Archbishop of Cologne is an archbishop governing the Archdiocese of Cologne of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and is also a historical state in the Rhine holding the birthplace of Beethoven and northern Rhineland-Palati ...
. The
Hellweg In the Middle Ages, Hellweg was the official and common name given to main travelling routes in Germany. Their breadth was decreed as an unimpeded passageway a lance's width, about three metres, which the landholders through which the Hellweg pas ...
was an important trade route crossing the region from
Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...
to
Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...
and beyond as far as the rivers
Weser The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports of Bre ...
and
Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Repu ...
. The most important towns of the region were concentrated along the Hellweg. As a result of the
Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...
, the entire area came under the control of
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
(the state had already gained possessions there). This event was almost concomitant with developments which would eventually make the region one of the most important industrial areas in the world. In 1946, the state of
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...
came into being centred on the Ruhr. Nowadays, its hitherto important coal and steel industries have drastically declined and the region is in a state of re-adjustment.


Carboniferous period

During the
Carboniferous Period The Carboniferous ( ) is a Period (geology), geologic period and System (stratigraphy), system of the Paleozoic that spans 60 million years from the end of the Devonian Period million years ago (Myr, Mya), to the beginning of the Permian Period, ...
, in the
Paleozoic era The Paleozoic (or Palaeozoic) Era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. The name ''Paleozoic'' ( ;) was coined by the British geologist Adam Sedgwick in 1838 by combining the Greek words ''palaiós'' (, "old") and ' ...
, which began 360 million years ago and ended 300 million years ago, layers of
slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
,
coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...
and
sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
were formed. 400 to 300 million years ago, new mountains were uplifted during the Variscan mountain-building period. During the Silesian period, layers were deposited which became seams of coal over a period lasting millions of years. During this period there was a constant shifting between marshy conditions and overflowing seas such that the depositing of plant material and sediment from the sea resulted in the current situation of coal layers separated by stone layers. The main representatives of flora in the coal marshes were of the genus ''
Lepidodendron ''Lepidodendron'' is an extinct genus of primitive vascular plants belonging to the family Lepidodendraceae, part of a group of Lycopodiopsida known as scale trees or arborescent lycophytes, related to Isoetes, quillworts and Lycopodiopsida, lyco ...
'' and genus ''
Sigillaria ''Sigillaria'' is a genus of extinct, spore-bearing, arborescent (tree-like) plants. It was a lycopodiophyte, and is related to the lycopsids, or club-mosses, but even more closely to quillworts, as was its associate ''Lepidodendron''. Fossil ...
'', tree-like plants, which belong to the plant classification
Lycopodiophyta The lycophytes, when broadly circumscribed, are a vascular plant (tracheophyte) subgroup of the kingdom Plantae. They are sometimes placed in a division Lycopodiophyta or Lycophyta or in a subdivision Lycopodiophytina. They are one of the oldest ...
. Members of both genus reached heights of up to 40 meters with a trunk diameter of over a meter.


Cretaceous Period

In the
Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of th ...
, 135 million to about 66 million years ago, the region was submerged under a tropical ocean. In its waters lived
ammonite Ammonoids are a group of extinct marine mollusc animals in the subclass Ammonoidea of the class Cephalopoda. These molluscs, commonly referred to as ammonites, are more closely related to living coleoids (i.e., octopuses, squid and cuttlefish) ...
s. On the floor of the sea, a thick layer of
marl Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, clays, and silt. When hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. Marl makes up the lower part o ...
formed. The sediments covered the layers of carbon and contained also the shells of giant ammonites.


Quaternary

The
Ice Age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...
brought changes between warm and cold weather. During the Drenthe Stadium of the
Wolstonian Stage The Wolstonian Stage is a middle Pleistocene stage of the geological history of Earth from approximately 374,000 until 130,000 years ago. It precedes the Eemian Stage in Europe and follows the Hoxnian Stage in the British Isles. It is also appro ...
, an ice sheet over Northern Germany covered the Ruhr and reached as far as the northern hills of the
Central Uplands The Central UplandsDickinson (1964), p.18 ff. (german: die MittelgebirgeN.B. In German die ''Mittelgebirge'' (plural) refers to the Central Uplands; das ''Mittelgebirge'' refers to a low mountain range or upland region (''Mittel'' = "medium" and ...
. The shape of the middle and lower Ruhr valley is due to meltwaters and the powerful force of the ice. Meltwater from the glaciers flowed westwards through the Ruhr valley. Where Essen lies today, this flow was temporarily hindered by a barrier of ice and rocky debris, forming an enormous lake which filled the valley at
Schwerte Schwerte ( Westphalian: ''Schweierte'') is a town in the district of Unna, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Schwerte is situated in the Ruhr valley, at the south-east border of the Ruhr Area. South of Schwerte begins the mountainous ...
.


Pre-history

* 80,000 B.C. – The region of the present-day Ruhr was already settled during the
Neanderthal Neanderthals (, also ''Homo neanderthalensis'' and erroneously ''Homo sapiens neanderthalensis''), also written as Neandertals, are an extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans who lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 years ago. While th ...
period, around 80,000 years ago. During the building of the Rhine-Herne Canal in 1911, stone tools and traces of encampment with bones from
woolly rhinoceros The woolly rhinoceros (''Coelodonta antiquitatis'') is an extinct species of rhinoceros that was common throughout Europe and Asia during the Pleistocene epoch and survived until the end of the last glacial period. The woolly rhinoceros was a me ...
,
bison Bison are large bovines in the genus ''Bison'' (Greek: "wild ox" (bison)) within the tribe Bovini. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised. Of the two surviving species, the American bison, ''B. bison'', found only in North Ame ...
and
mammoth A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus'', one of the many genera that make up the order of trunked mammals called proboscideans. The various species of mammoth were commonly equipped with long, curved tusks and, ...
were found in Herne. Humanoids also settled elsewhere in the Emscher valley. Similar finds in the 1960s were made in
Bottrop Bottrop () is a city in west-central Germany, on the Rhine–Herne Canal, in North Rhine-Westphalia. Located in the Ruhr industrial area, Bottrop adjoins Essen, Oberhausen, Gladbeck, and Dorsten. The city had been a coal-mining and rail cente ...
. *8700 BC. – In November 1978 stone-age flint instruments were found on the Kaiserberg in Duisburg which belong to the later phases of the last Ice Age and can be dated to about 9000 to 8000 BC. The oldest remains of modern humans in the area of the current Ruhr stem from the early
Middle Stone Age The Middle Stone Age (or MSA) was a period of African prehistory between the Early Stone Age and the Late Stone Age. It is generally considered to have begun around 280,000 years ago and ended around 50–25,000 years ago. The beginnings of pa ...
. They were discovered in Spring 2004 in the Blätterhöhle in
Hagen-Hohenlimburg Hagen-Hohenlimburg (formerly known as Limburg an der Lenne, changed to Hohenlimburg in 1903; Westphalian: ''Limmerg''), on the Lenne river, is a borough of the city of Hagen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Hohenlimburg was formerly the ch ...
. * 6000–4500 BC – several settlements are known in the regions of
Bochum Bochum ( , also , ; wep, Baukem) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 364,920 (2016), is the sixth largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) of the most populous Germany, German federal state o ...
,
Hagen Hagen () is the Largest cities in Germany, 41st-largest List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany. The municipality is located in the States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the south eastern edge of the R ...
and
Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...
from the
Linear Pottery culture The Linear Pottery culture (LBK) is a major archaeological horizon of the European Neolithic period, flourishing . Derived from the German ''Linearbandkeramik'', it is also known as the Linear Band Ware, Linear Ware, Linear Ceramics or Inci ...
and the
Rössen culture The Rössen culture or Roessen culture (german: Rössener Kultur) is a Central European culture of the middle Neolithic (4,600–4,300 BC). It is named after the necropolis of Rössen (part of Leuna, in the Saalekreis district, Saxony-Anhalt). Th ...
. In Spring 2004, the skeletons of several humans from the
Michelsberg culture The Michelsberg culture (german: Michelsberger Kultur (MK)) is an important Neolithic culture in Central Europe. Its dates are c. 4400–3500 BC. Its conventional name is derived from that of an important excavated site on Michelsberg (short for ...
were discovered in the Blätterhöhle in Hagen-Hohenlimburg. Among them was the skeleton of a 17–22-year woman. These finds are the single source of information for burials from this period in the current Rhine-Ruhr district.


Antiquity

*100 BC – Threat to the Celtic inhabitants by the Germanic
Sicambri The Sicambri, also known as the Sugambri or Sicambrians, were a Germanic people who during Roman times lived on the east bank of the river Rhine, in what is now Germany, near the border with the Netherlands. They were first reported by Julius C ...
*12 BC – Construction of the Roman
camp Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...
Asciburgium on the present-day boundary between
Moers Moers (; older form: ''Mörs''; archaic Dutch language, Dutch: ''Murse'', ''Murs'' or ''Meurs'') is a German List of cities and towns in Germany, city on the western bank of the Rhine, close to Duisburg. Moers belongs to the district of Wesel (d ...
and
Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...
, the Kastell Werthhausen in present-day Duisburg-Rheinhausen and the legionary camp Vetera at Birten left of the
Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...
and therefore on the boundary of the district and the later
province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
of
Germania Inferior Germania Inferior ("Lower Germania") was a Roman province from AD 85 until the province was renamed Germania Secunda in the fourth century, on the west bank of the Rhine bordering the North Sea. The capital of the province was Colonia Agrippin ...
. *11 BC – In order to control the
Sicambri The Sicambri, also known as the Sugambri or Sicambrians, were a Germanic people who during Roman times lived on the east bank of the river Rhine, in what is now Germany, near the border with the Netherlands. They were first reported by Julius C ...
settled on the right-bank of the Rhine,
Drusus Drusus may refer to: * Claudius (Tiberius Claudius Drusus) (10 BC–AD 54), Roman emperor from 41 to 54 * Drusus Caesar (AD 8–33), adoptive grandson of Roman emperor Tiberius * Drusus Julius Caesar (14 BC–AD 23), son of Roman emperor Tiberiu ...
erects a
military camp A military camp or bivouac is a semi-permanent military base, for the lodging of an army. Camps are erected when a military force travels away from a major installation or fort during training or operations, and often have the form of large cam ...
at Oberaden. *8 BC – Re-settlement of the
Sicambri The Sicambri, also known as the Sugambri or Sicambrians, were a Germanic people who during Roman times lived on the east bank of the river Rhine, in what is now Germany, near the border with the Netherlands. They were first reported by Julius C ...
to the left bank of the Lower Rhine, under the control of Vetera. The military encampment in Oberaden was abandoned. *1 BC – Around this time Roman military bases were erected along the
Lippe Lippe () is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Herford, Minden-Lübbecke, Höxter, Paderborn, Gütersloh, and district-free Bielefeld, which forms the region Ostwestfalen-Lippe. The d ...
. The most important of these bases was situated at
Haltern Haltern am See (''Haltern at the lake'', before December 2001 only Haltern) is a town and a municipality in the district of Recklinghausen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the Lippe and the Wesel–Datteln Canal, approx. nor ...
. After the
Battle of the Teutoburg Forest The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, described as the Varian Disaster () by Ancient Rome, Roman historians, took place at modern Kalkriese in AD 9, when an alliance of Germanic peoples ambushed Roman legions and their auxiliaries, led by Publius ...
in the autumn of 9 AD the Romans pull back to the left bank of the Rhine. *69 AD –
Revolt of the Batavi The Revolt of the Batavi took place in the Roman province of Germania Inferior between AD 69 and 70. It was an uprising against the Roman Empire started by the Batavi, a small but militarily powerful Germanic tribe that inhabited Batavia, on t ...
, resulting in Asciburgium and Vetera being destroyed. At Vetera, a decisive battle is waged in the year 70, which the Romans win. The legion's camp is re-built. *85 – Transfer of the
garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...
from Asciburgium to present-day
Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...
-Werthausen so as to secure the Rhine crossing and the mouth of the
Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...
. *110 – The
Colonia Ulpia Traiana Xanten (, Low Rhenish: ''Santen'') is a town in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the district of Wesel. Xanten is known for the Archaeological Park, one of the largest archaeological open air museums in the wor ...
, near to present-day Xanten, receives Roman
town rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the tradition ...
. *275 – The Colonia Ulpia Traiana is extensively damaged by a
Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages * Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany * East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...
attack. In its place arises the mighty fortress of Tricensimae. *407 – Under Caesar Honorius the Rhine boundary of the
Western Roman Empire The Western Roman Empire comprised the western provinces of the Roman Empire at any time during which they were administered by a separate independent Imperial court; in particular, this term is used in historiography to describe the period fr ...
is given up. *420 – The first traces of a Frankish settlement in
Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...
have been shown to stem from the 5th century, in the area of the old market. It lay immediately on the bank of the Rhine, as it then flowed. *428 – Around this time,
Chlodio Chlodio (probably died after 450), also Clodio, Clodius, Clodion, Cloio or Chlogio, was a Frankish king who attacked and then apparently ruled Roman-inhabited lands around Cambrai and Tournai, near the modern border of Belgium and France. He is k ...
assumed the leadership of the
Salian Franks The Salian Franks, also called the Salians (Latin: ''Salii''; Greek: Σάλιοι, ''Salioi''), were a northwestern subgroup of the early Franks who appear in the historical record in the fourth and fifth centuries. They lived west of the Lowe ...
; he is the first historically-verifiable king. According to the accounts of
Gregory of Tours Gregory of Tours (30 November 538 – 17 November 594 AD) was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours, which made him a leading prelate of the area that had been previously referred to as Gaul by the Romans. He was born Georgius Florenti ...
he lived in a district called "Dispargium" (possibly Duisburg or a castle on the Flanders Maas). *556 – Beginning of the struggle between Franks and Saxons


Early Middle Ages

*695 – At the end of the 7th century, Christian
missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...
from
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
are active in the neighbouring districts of the Frankish
Bructeri The Bructeri (from Latin; Greek: Βρούκτεροι, ''Broukteroi'', or Βουσάκτεροι, ''Bousakteroi''; Old English: ''Boruhtware'') were a Germanic tribe* * in Roman imperial times, located in northwestern Germany, in present-day Nort ...
. A wave of
Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...
settlers certainly halted the religious conversion. The story of the failed mission is reflected in the
Golden Legend The ''Golden Legend'' (Latin: ''Legenda aurea'' or ''Legenda sanctorum'') is a collection of hagiographies by Jacobus de Voragine that was widely read in late medieval Europe. More than a thousand manuscripts of the text have survived.Hilary ...
, in which the work of Black Ewald and Fair Ewald, who were engaged in missionary work in
Aplerbeck Aplerbeck is a borough ('' Stadtbezirk'') of the city of Dortmund in the Ruhr district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Since 1929, it has been a suburb of Dortmund, located in the city's south-east. The river Emscher, a tributary of the Ru ...
, came to a violent end in 695. *740 – Assumed establishment of the Königshof in Duisburg. *775 – The army of the
Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...
under
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...
conquers the
Sigiburg The Sigiburg was a Saxon hillfort in Western Germany, overlooking the River Ruhr near its confluence with the River Lenne. The ruins of the later Hohensyburg castle now stand on the site, which is in Syburg, a neighbourhood in the Hörde district ...
, as well as the
Eresburg The Eresburg is the largest, well-known (Old) Saxon refuge castle (''Volksburg'') and was located in the area of the present German village of Obermarsberg in the borough of Marsberg in the county of Hochsauerlandkreis. It was a hill castle buil ...
near
Niedermarsberg Marsberg () is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. History Although its origins are obscure, Marsberg was a prospering town by the 13th century (it was even minting coins). It was a free city until 1807, when ...
a year later. They were laid out as Reichshofs. *796 –
Liudger Ludger ( la, Ludgerus; also Lüdiger or Liudger) (born at Zuilen near Utrecht 742; died 26 March 809 at Billerbeck) was a missionary among the Frisians and Saxons, founder of Werden Abbey and the first Bishop of Münster in Westphalia. He ...
founds
Werden Abbey Werden Abbey (german: Kloster Werden) was a Benedictine monastery in Essen-Werden (Germany), situated on the Ruhr. The foundation of the abbey Near Essen Saint Ludger founded a monastery in 799 and became its first abbot. The little church w ...
. *863 –
Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Fran ...
over-winter on Bislich Island at Xanten and destroy the local church. *870 – At
Essen Abbey Essen Abbey (''Stift Essen'') was a community of secular canonesses for women of high nobility that formed the nucleus of modern-day Essen, Germany. It was founded about 845 by the Saxon Altfrid (died 874), later Bishop of Hildesheim and saint, ...
, founded by the Saxon noble
Altfrid Saint Altfrid (or Altfrid of Hildesheim) (died 15 August 874) was a leading figure in Germany in the ninth century. A Benedictine monk, he became Bishop of Hildesheim, and founded Essen Abbey. He was also a close royal adviser to the East Frankis ...
, the
abbey church A church, church building or church house is a building used for Christian worship services and other Christian religious activities. The earliest identified Christian church is a house church founded between 233 and 256. From the 11th thro ...
is inaugurated. *880 – Normans sack Birten. *883 – Regino von Prüm reports that Normans are over-wintering in the ''oppidum diusburh'' (Duisburg) having conquered it. The Burg Broich in
Mülheim an der Ruhr Mülheim, officially Mülheim an der Ruhr () and also described as ''"City on the River"'', is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is located in the Ruhr Area between Duisburg, Essen, Oberhausen and Ratingen. It is home to many compan ...
is erected, probably as a reaction to these repeated
Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
raids. It also guards the ford across the
Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...
by the
Hellweg In the Middle Ages, Hellweg was the official and common name given to main travelling routes in Germany. Their breadth was decreed as an unimpeded passageway a lance's width, about three metres, which the landholders through which the Hellweg pas ...
. *928 – King
Henry I Henry I may refer to: 876–1366 * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry I the Long, Margrave of the No ...
spends Easter in Dortmund. *929 – Reich synod in Duisburg. Between 922 and 1016, 18 residences in Duisburg by the King are mentioned in documents. *938 – King
Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Francia, East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the olde ...
holds an imperial council (''
Hoftag A ''Hoftag'' (pl. ''Hoftage'') was the name given to an informal and irregular assembly convened by the King of the Romans, the Holy Roman Emperor or one of the Princes of the Empire, with selected chief princes within the empire. Early scholarsh ...
'') in
Steele Steele may refer to: Places America * Steele, Alabama, a town * Steele, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Steele, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Steele, Missouri, a city * Lonetree, Montana, a ghost town originally called Steele ...
. *941 – Otto I (the Great) stays for the first time in
Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...
. A few years later. he also celebrates Easter in the Rhineland Palatinate. The common usage as pfalz underlines their importance. The
Hellweg In the Middle Ages, Hellweg was the official and common name given to main travelling routes in Germany. Their breadth was decreed as an unimpeded passageway a lance's width, about three metres, which the landholders through which the Hellweg pas ...
is an important connecting road of the Ottonischen kingdom. Along this trade route lie Dortmund and other old towns of the Ruhr, such as Duisburg and
Essen Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and D ...
. The Königshof in Duisburg is extended to a Königspfalz. *971 – Mathilde, granddaughter of
Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Francia, East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the olde ...
becomes abbess of
Essen Abbey Essen Abbey (''Stift Essen'') was a community of secular canonesses for women of high nobility that formed the nucleus of modern-day Essen, Germany. It was founded about 845 by the Saxon Altfrid (died 874), later Bishop of Hildesheim and saint, ...
. *978 – At a Reichsversammlung (Reich assembly) in Dortmund, in the presence of Ottos II, the decision was made to campaign against the Franks. *992 – On 7 May, the young
Otto III Otto III (June/July 980 – 23 January 1002) was Holy Roman Emperor from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of the Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu. Otto III was crowned as King of ...
receives ambassadors of the
West Frankish In medieval history, West Francia (Medieval Latin: ) or the Kingdom of the West Franks () refers to the western part of the Frankish Empire established by Charlemagne. It represents the earliest stage of the Kingdom of France, lasting from about ...
king in
Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...
.Reg. Imp. II/3 Nr. 1059 und 1059a *993 – Reich Assembly of
Otto III Otto III (June/July 980 – 23 January 1002) was Holy Roman Emperor from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of the Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu. Otto III was crowned as King of ...
in
Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...
. Among other matters, the dispute between Bishop Dodo von Münster and Mettelen Abbey is decided in favour of the monastery.Ferdinand Frensdorff: Dortmunder Statuten und Urtheile. Halle a. S. : Verl. d. Buchhandl. d. Waisenhauses. 1882. S. X


High Middle Ages

*1000 – Initial stages of the construction of churches in the romanesque style, like for example the Stiepeler Dorfkirche or the St.-Vinzentius-Kirche. *1002 – Henry II receives homage in Duisburg from bishops of
Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gr ...
and the archbishop of Liege. *1005 –
Synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...
of King Henry II in Dortmund. *1012 – Sophia, daughter of
Otto II Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (''der Rote''), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy. ...
becomes abbottess of the Essen Stift. *1033 – The Benedictine Abbey in Werden is awarded rights over shipping on the
Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...
by King
Conrad II Conrad II ( – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdoms ...
- for the stretch from Werden to its mouth, *1041 –
Essen Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and D ...
receives rights to a market. *1073 – Under Essen abbess, , the parish chapel is erected on the Stoppenberg. In the 12th century it becomes the abbey church of a convent of
Premonstratensian The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...
s. *1122 – Count Gottfried of Cappenberg founds the first
Premonstratensian The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...
foundation in the German-speaking lands, the
Cappenberg Abbey Cappenberg Castle (german: Schloss Cappenberg) is a former Premonstratensian monastery, Cappenberg Abbey (german: Kloster Cappenberg) in Cappenberg, a part of Selm, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It stands on an elevation, the Cappenberg, ne ...
in
Selm Selm is a town in the district of Unna, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated approximately 20 kilometers north of Dortmund and 25 kilometers west of Hamm. Geography The town belongs to the southern part of the Münsterland. ...
. Furthermore, he gives over his castle and his fortune to the young order. Gottfried thereby becomes the last of the mighty counts of Cappenberg. His younger brother Otto of Cappenberg was godfather of Frederick I of Staufen. In 1155, Otto received as a gift from the recently crowned king the famous Cappenberg bust reliquary, a reliquary in the form of a bust of Frederick. *1123 –
Kamp Abbey Kamp Abbey (Kloster Kamp), also known as Altenkamp Abbey or Alt(en)feld Abbey (and in English formerly Camp Abbey) was the first Cistercian monastery founded in German territory, in the present town of Kamp-Lintfort in North Rhine-Westphalia. H ...
becomes the first
Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...
monastery in the German-speaking area. *1145 – The
Knights Hospitallers The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...
opens its first foundation on German soil, by the walls of
Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...
, and builds the Marienkirche (church) there. *1152–1154 – A few months after his election to King, Frederick I of Staufen (Barbarossa) convenes a council (Hoftag) in Dortmund. But two years later, he and his retinue convene in the Palatinate. On both occasions, the mighty
Duke of Saxony This article lists dukes, electors, and kings ruling over different territories named Saxony from the beginning of the Saxon Duchy in the 6th century to the end of the German monarchies in 1918. The electors of Saxony from John the Steadfast on ...
,
Henry the Lion Henry the Lion (german: Heinrich der Löwe; 1129/1131 – 6 August 1195) was a member of the Welf dynasty who ruled as the duke of Saxony and Bavaria from 1142 and 1156, respectively, until 1180. Henry was one of the most powerful German p ...
, is also present. *1160 – The
County of Mark The County of Mark (german: Grafschaft Mark, links=no, french: Comté de La Marck, links=no colloquially known as ) was a county and state of the Holy Roman Empire in the Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle. It lay on both sides of the Ruhr River ...
comes into being as a result of the division of the inheritance of the Count von Berg. *1173 – Emperor Frederick Barbarossa grants Duisburg the right to hold two fortnightly cloth fairs annually. *1199 – Completion of the Isenburg at Hattingen as the new power centre of the County of Isenberg an der Ruhr. *1200 – In Dortmund, large town walls are erected around the town. Its course is still retained in the inner city in the form of an embankment ("Wälle"). *1225 – Murder of the
archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
of Cologne,
Engelbert I of Cologne Count Engelbert II of Berg, also known as Saint Engelbert, Engelbert of Cologne, Engelbert I, Archbishop of Cologne or Engelbert I of Berg, Archbishop of Cologne (1185 or 1186, Schloss Burg – 7 November 1225, Gevelsberg) was archbishop of ...
, by Frederick of Isenberg. Frederick is executed, the larger part of the Grafschaft Isenberg an der Ruhr falls to his relative, the Count von der Mark. The Isenburg and the castle and town of Nienbrügge are razed. The Isenbergers had to accommodate themselves to the
County of Limburg Hagen-Hohenlimburg (formerly known as Limburg an der Lenne, changed to Hohenlimburg in 1903; Westphalian: ''Limmerg''), on the Lenne river, is a borough of the city of Hagen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Hohenlimburg was formerly the ch ...
. *1225–1226 Settlers from Nienbrügge were settled in Ham between the Ahse and
Lippe Lippe () is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Herford, Minden-Lübbecke, Höxter, Paderborn, Gütersloh, and district-free Bielefeld, which forms the region Ostwestfalen-Lippe. The d ...
rivers by Count Adolphus of the Mark and received town rights from him in 1226. The old designation of Ham, a tongue of land between two rivers, becomes the name of the town,
Hamm Hamm (, Latin: ''Hammona'') is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northeastern part of the Ruhr area. As of 2016 its population was 179,397. The city is situated between the A1 motorway and A2 motorway. Hamm railwa ...
. *1228 – The Archbishop of Cologne takes over the
Vest Recklinghausen Vest Recklinghausen was an ecclesiastical territory in the Holy Roman Empire, located in the center of today's North Rhine-Westphalia. The rivers Emscher and Lippe formed the border with the County of Mark and Essen Abbey in the south, and to the ...
. *1240 – The Dortmund Council obtained a house on the Markt vom Grafen von Dortmund. For centuries it was the Rathaus of the Reichsstadt. *1243 – The Wasserburg Strünkede in Herne is first mentioned in connection with a feud between
Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
and
Cleves Kleve (; traditional en, Cleves ; nl, Kleef; french: Clèves; es, Cléveris; la, Clivia; Low Rhenish: ''Kleff'') is a town in the Lower Rhine region of northwestern Germany near the Dutch border and the River Rhine. From the 11th century ...
. Since the 12th century, the resident knight there, as an official of the Count of Cleves, is the guarantor of Cleve influence on the middle
Emscher The Emscher () is a river, a tributary of the Rhine, that flows through the Ruhr area in North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany. Its overall length is with an mean outflow near the mouth into the lower Rhine of . Description The Emscher h ...
. The sphere of rule of Strünkede extends temporarily from Buer in the West via Herne and
Castrop Castrop, since 1 April 1926, is part of Castrop-Rauxel, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The name comes from ''trop/torp'' for village (German ''Dorf'') and ''chasto/kast'' for shed. The oldest mention is from 834 as ''Villa Castrop''. During t ...
to Mengede in the East. * 1244 – The association of the
ministeriales The ''ministeriales'' (singular: ''ministerialis'') were a class of people raised up from serfdom and placed in positions of power and responsibility in the High Middle Ages in the Holy Roman Empire. The word and its German translations, ''Minis ...
of the Essen Abbey and the citizens of the town of
Essen Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and D ...
arrange for the Essen Town Walls to be erected. *1248 – The
free imperial cities In the Holy Roman Empire, the collective term free and imperial cities (german: Freie und Reichsstädte), briefly worded free imperial city (', la, urbs imperialis libera), was used from the fifteenth century to denote a self-ruling city that ...
of Dortmund and Duisburg adhere to the 'anti-king'
William II of Holland William II (February 1227 – 28 January 1256) was the Count of Holland and Zeeland from 1234 until his death. He was elected anti-king of Germany in 1248 and ruled as sole king from 1254 onwards. Early life William was the eldest son and heir ...
.


Late Middle Ages

*1253 – On a bridge over the
Lippe Lippe () is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Herford, Minden-Lübbecke, Höxter, Paderborn, Gütersloh, and district-free Bielefeld, which forms the region Ostwestfalen-Lippe. The d ...
in
Werne Werne an der Lippe (; Westphalian: ''Wäen'') is a town in the Federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia in the Unna district in Germany. It is located on the southern edge of the Münsterland region near the Ruhrgebiet. The population of Werne ...
,
Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...
, Soest,
Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state distr ...
und
Lippstadt Lippstadt () is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the largest town within the district of Soest. Lippstadt is situated about 60 kilometres east of Dortmund, 40 kilometres south of Bielefeld and 30 kilometres west of Paderborn. Ge ...
founded the Werne Federation (''Werner Bund''). This union of towns became a forerunner of the
Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German to ...
. Dortmund soon took on a leading role for all
Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regio ...
n towns in the League. *1254 – Battle on the Wülferichskamp east of Dortmund *1283–1289 –
War of the Limburg Succession The War of the Limburg Succession, was a series of conflicts between 1283 and 1289 for the succession in the Duchy of Limburg. The cause of the War of the Limburg Succession was the death of Waleran IV, Duke of Limburg in 1280, and his only daugh ...
. The weakened position of the ducal power, i.e. the Archbishop of Cologne, after the
Battle of Worringen The Battle of Worringen was fought on 5 June 1288 near the town of Worringen (also spelled Woeringen), which is now the northernmost borough of Cologne. It was the decisive battle of the War of the Limburg Succession, fought for the possession o ...
in 1288, hardens the powerful position enjoyed by the counts. In the Ruhr, this applies especially to the participants in the conflict – the counts of
Berg Berg may refer to: People *Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor * Berg (footballer) (born 1989), Brazilian footballer Former states *Berg (state), county and duchy of the Holy ...
and
Mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...
, but also indirectly to the neutral Count of
Cleves Kleve (; traditional en, Cleves ; nl, Kleef; french: Clèves; es, Cléveris; la, Clivia; Low Rhenish: ''Kleff'') is a town in the Lower Rhine region of northwestern Germany near the Dutch border and the River Rhine. From the 11th century ...
. *1290 – Duisburg is 'mortgaged' to the
Count of Cleves The Duchy of Cleves (german: Herzogtum Kleve; nl, Hertogdom Kleef) was a State of the Holy Roman Empire which emerged from the medieval . It was situated in the northern Rhineland on both sides of the Lower Rhine, around its capital Cleves and ...
– it ends up finally under the possession of Cleves (presumably because the Emperor did not have enough finance at his disposal to buy it back). *1321 – Count
Engelbert II of the Mark Engelbert II of the Mark (1275 – July 18, 1328) was Count of the Mark and through marriage, Count of Arenberg. Family He was the son and heir of Count Eberhard II and his wife, Irmgard of Berg. On January 25, 1299, he married Mechtilde of Are ...
awards
Bochum Bochum ( , also , ; wep, Baukem) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 364,920 (2016), is the sixth largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) of the most populous Germany, German federal state o ...
town rights (he is celebrated today in the Engelbert Fountain). *1350 – The
Black Death The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...
reaches the Ruhr. *1371 – The erection of a toll-booth on the Homberger Werth marks the founding of
Ruhrort Ruhrort () is a district in the borough of within the German city of Duisburg situated north of the confluence of the Ruhr and the Rhine, in the western part of the Ruhr area. Ruhrort has the largest river harbour in the World, with quays extendin ...
. *1388–1389 – Great Dortmund Feud, the imperial city of
Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...
tries to assert its independence, but becomes deeply indebted in doing so. *1389 – In a document by Count
Engelbert III of the Mark Engelbert III of the Mark (1333–1391) was the Count of Mark from 1347 until 1391. Adolph was the eldest son of Count Adolph II of the Marck and Margaret of Cleves. After his father died in 1347, Engelbert III ruled the County of Mark, mainly ...
is the first mention of the Sälzer zu Brockhausen. It is the first evidence for full-scale salt extraction in Unna. *1396 – The oldest written evidence of wild horses in the Emscher valley. The use of stock in the Emscherbruch between Waltrop and Bottrop was a privilege reserved for the nobility. Whereas towns were concentrated on the Hellweg and River Lippe, the region in between was sparsely populated *1398 – The County of Cleves is inherited by the Count of Mark *1397 – The Battle of Kleverhamm consolidates the position of the Count of the Mark. * 1403 – The ''Wildungen Altar'' is completed – the first work of the Dortmund artist
Conrad von Soest Conrad von Soest, also ''Konrad'' in modern texts, or in Middle High German ''Conrad van Sost'' or "von Soyst", (born around 1370 in Dortmund; died soon after 1422) was the most significant Westphalian artist and painted in the so-called ''soft ...
. *1424 – In the war between the two brothers Adolphus and Gerhard of the Mark,
Hattingen Hattingen is a town in the northern part of the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. History Hattingen is located on the south bank of the River Ruhr in the south of the Ruhr region. The town was first mentioned in 13 ...
is conquered by Berg troops and completely burned down, apart from two houses. The town must be re-built anew. *1444–1449 –
Soest Feud The Soest Feud (german: Soester Fehde), or Feud of Soest, was a feud that took place from 1444 to 1449 in which the town of Soest claimed its freedom from Archbishop Dietrich of Cologne (1414–1463), who tried to restore his rule. The town of S ...
, the towns of
Dorsten Dorsten (; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Dössen'') is a town in the district of Recklinghausen (district), Recklinghausen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and has a population of about 75,000. Dorsten is situated on the western rim of ...
and
Recklinghausen Recklinghausen (; Westphalian: ''Riäkelhusen'') is the northernmost city in the Ruhr-Area and the capital of the Recklinghausen district. It borders the rural Münsterland and is characterized by large fields and farms in the north and indus ...
in the
Vest Recklinghausen Vest Recklinghausen was an ecclesiastical territory in the Holy Roman Empire, located in the center of today's North Rhine-Westphalia. The rivers Emscher and Lippe formed the border with the County of Mark and Essen Abbey in the south, and to the ...
are bases for the power struggle of the
Archbishop of Cologne The Archbishop of Cologne is an archbishop governing the Archdiocese of Cologne of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and is also a historical state in the Rhine holding the birthplace of Beethoven and northern Rhineland-Palati ...
. In March 1445, a night attack by the Köln troops on the town walls of Duisburg is detected just in time and fended off. During action in the territory of Dortmund, the Steinerne Turm is besieged and damaged. *1486 – Two Landtag sittings agree to the raising of a special tax in the Grafschaft Mark for the benefit of Duke John II of Cleves. The relevant account book, the ''Schatboick in Mark'', contains a note of all tax obligations and thereby contains much information on the district.


Early Modern Period

*1508 – When the "French Sickness", syphilis, first appears in Dortmund the entire population (including children) is seriously affected. *1518–1519 – In Dortmund, a conflict breaks out between the citizens and the clergy over the privileges of the
clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
, such as exemption from taxes. These events can viewed in connection with
the Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
. *1521 – Cleves-Mark acquires Jülich and Berg (which themselves had amalgamated) through inheritance (forming Jülich-Cleves-Mark).Parent, page 10 *1529 –
Sweating sickness Sweating sickness, also known as the sweats, English sweating sickness, English sweat or ''sudor anglicus'' in Latin, was a mysterious and contagious disease that struck England and later continental Europe in a series of epidemics beginning ...
is rampant. Death follows a few hours after symptoms first occur. In Dortmund, within the first four days of the epidemic 497 people die from 500 affected by the disease. *1538 – In the imperial city of Dortmund,
Baptists Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...
start to become active. Their activities are prevented by the council. When one of the preachers, Peter von Rulsem, decides not to cease his activities, he is executed. *1541 – In Wesel,
printing Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabonidus. The ea ...
is introduced. Two years later, it was being practised in Dortmund, which becomes one of the important centres of printing in the 16th century. *1543 – As a complement to the church's Latin Schools, the Council and citizens of Dortmund found a humanist
grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...
. The teaching is influenced by the established grammar school in Emmerich and the Paulinum in Münster. One of the pupils at the Dortmund school is Hermann Hamelmann. *1552 – The map-maker,
Gerhard Mercator Gerardus Mercator (; 5 March 1512 – 2 December 1594) was a 16th-century geographer, cosmographer and cartographer from the County of Flanders. He is most renowned for creating the 1569 world map based on a new projection which represented ...
, settles in
Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...
. Previously pursued by the Catholic Church, he is able to bring his important work to fruition in the liberal climate of the Duchy of Cleves. *1553 – The "Reformer of Westphalia", Hermann Hamelmann, professed for the first time in public his belief in the reformed faith, during the Festival of Trinity in Kamen, as a result of which he is forced to leave the town. *1559 – The ''Schola Duisburgensis'' becomes the Gymnasium Duisburg. One of the teachers is
Gerhard Mercator Gerardus Mercator (; 5 March 1512 – 2 December 1594) was a 16th-century geographer, cosmographer and cartographer from the County of Flanders. He is most renowned for creating the 1569 world map based on a new projection which represented ...
, who gives instruction in mathematics. *1566 – One of Mercator's pupils,
Johannes Corputius Johan van den Corput (also van (den) Kornput, also Cornput or Johannes de Corput, in German literature Johannes Corputius (April 1542  – September 17, 1611) was a Dutch engineer, cartographer and military leader. Corputius was born in ...
, captured a view of Duisburg on an accurate map, for the first time. *1568 – Uprisings in neighbouring
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and the beginning of the
Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Refo ...
. *1580 – Witch trials in
Vest Recklinghausen Vest Recklinghausen was an ecclesiastical territory in the Holy Roman Empire, located in the center of today's North Rhine-Westphalia. The rivers Emscher and Lippe formed the border with the County of Mark and Essen Abbey in the south, and to the ...
reached a high point between 1580 and 1581. Executions were carried out on the Segensberg in Hochlar and on the Stimberg in the Haard, near Oer. Altogether 44 persons, predominantly women, were burned to death. In Märkish
Witten Witten () is a city with almost 100,000 inhabitants in the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis (district) in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Witten is situated in the Ruhr valley, in the southern Ruhr area. Bordering municipalities * Bochum * Dortmu ...
at the same time, six females and one man fell were sentenced as witches. *1580 – Working coal mines were mentioned in the 'Städtebuch' of Bruyn and Hugenberg in
Steele Steele may refer to: Places America * Steele, Alabama, a town * Steele, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Steele, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Steele, Missouri, a city * Lonetree, Montana, a ghost town originally called Steele ...
. *1583 – The Spanish general Mendoza with 21,000 foot soldiers and 2,500 knights stands before
Orsoy Orsoy, till 1974 an independent town in the district of Moers, is today a municipal district of the Lower Rhine town of Rheinberg on the Rhine. The word Orsoy, pronounced ''Oschau'' means "horse pasture" (Rossaue). Orsoy itself was in the Middle A ...
. In Walsum, a camp is set up protected by ramparts. *1583–1589 – The
Cologne War The Cologne War (german: Kölner Krieg, Kölnischer Krieg, Truchsessischer Krieg; 1583–88) was a conflict between Protestant and Catholic factions that devastated the Electorate of Cologne, a historical ecclesiastical principality of the Holy ...
is waged across large regions of the
Vest Recklinghausen Vest Recklinghausen was an ecclesiastical territory in the Holy Roman Empire, located in the center of today's North Rhine-Westphalia. The rivers Emscher and Lippe formed the border with the County of Mark and Essen Abbey in the south, and to the ...
, which thereby suffered badly from the war. The background to the war are the demands of the Archbishop and Elector of Cologne, Gebhard I of Waldburg, over the equality of the confession, connected with the intention to transform the
Electorate of Cologne The Electorate of Cologne (german: Kurfürstentum Köln), sometimes referred to as Electoral Cologne (german: Kurköln, links=no), was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that existed from the 10th to the early 19th century. ...
into a secular principality. *1587 –
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
-occupied
Ruhrort Ruhrort () is a district in the borough of within the German city of Duisburg situated north of the confluence of the Ruhr and the Rhine, in the western part of the Ruhr area. Ruhrort has the largest river harbour in the World, with quays extendin ...
was besieged and conquered by Spanish troops during the
Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Refo ...
. *1598 – The Spanish send troops into
Vest Recklinghausen Vest Recklinghausen was an ecclesiastical territory in the Holy Roman Empire, located in the center of today's North Rhine-Westphalia. The rivers Emscher and Lippe formed the border with the County of Mark and Essen Abbey in the south, and to the ...
and the County of Mark. Among other towns,
Recklinghausen Recklinghausen (; Westphalian: ''Riäkelhusen'') is the northernmost city in the Ruhr-Area and the capital of the Recklinghausen district. It borders the rural Münsterland and is characterized by large fields and farms in the north and indus ...
was taken by General
Francisco de Mendoza Francisco López de Mendoza y Mendoza (Granada, 1547 – Madrid, 1 March 1623), in the literature often simply referred to as Francisco de Mendoza, was a Spanish nobleman, diplomat, general, and eventually bishop, who briefly played an important r ...
and his 24,000 soldiers. In 1599, his troops are before the town of Dortmund and the surrounding area is plundered. During the
Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Refo ...
involving the Netherlands, the bordering areas of the Lower Rhine and Westphalia are crossed repeatedly by both Spanish and Dutch troops.
Castrop Castrop, since 1 April 1926, is part of Castrop-Rauxel, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The name comes from ''trop/torp'' for village (German ''Dorf'') and ''chasto/kast'' for shed. The oldest mention is from 834 as ''Villa Castrop''. During t ...
, for example, suffers greatly from plundering. *1598 – In
Holzwickede Holzwickede () is a municipality in the district of Unna in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is twinned with Weymouth, Louviers and Colditz Colditz () is a small town in the district of Leipzig, in Saxony, Germany. It is best known for Col ...
the development of mining is mentioned in documents, when Drost Bernhard von Romberg is mortgaged with the ''Kallberg sampt dem Erftstollen'' ("Kallberg including the Erft adits"). *1599 – The plague breaks out in Dortmund thanks to Spanish troop movements. *1601 – Dutch mercenaries cause damage in Walsum. *1609 – The
War of the Jülich succession The War of the Jülich Succession was a war of succession in the United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg. It lasted between 10 June 1609 and 24 October 1610, resumed in May 1614 and finally ended on 13 October 1614. The first round of the conflict ...
begins. On 10 June, Brandenburg and Pfalz-Neuburg take on jointly the administration of the Duchy of Cleves in line with the Treaty of Dortmund. *1614 With the death of the last Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Mark, his land is divided. Berg goes to the Wittelsbach family, while Prussia acquires Cleves and Mark. * 1618–1648 –
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
, the rich city of
Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...
was repeatedly forced to hand over large amounts of money to either the Catholics or the Protestants. Until the Industrial Revolution, the city will not regain its former size. On the Lower Rhine,
Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...
and
Wesel Wesel () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel district. Geography Wesel is situated at the confluence of the Lippe River and the Rhine. Division of the city Suburbs of Wesel include Lackhausen, Obrighove ...
were repeatedly occupied by Dutch or Spanish troops.
Essen Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and D ...
does not fare any better. *1620 – The manufacture of arms, the important line of trade in
Essen Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and D ...
, reaches a peak with an annual production of around 15,000
rifle A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...
s and pistols. *1621–1624 – The first war taxes are raised. General
Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba (1 September 1453 – 2 December 1515) was a Spanish general and statesman who led successful military campaigns during the Conquest of Granada and the Italian Wars. His military victories and widespread po ...
winters his 10,000 soldiers in the north of the County of Mark.
Christian of Brunswick Christian the Younger of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (20 September 1599 – 16 June 1626), a member of the House of Welf, titular Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of Halberstadt, was a German Protestant military ...
appears with 10,000 men. *1629 – In Amt
Werne Werne an der Lippe (; Westphalian: ''Wäen'') is a town in the Federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia in the Unna district in Germany. It is located on the southern edge of the Münsterland region near the Ruhrgebiet. The population of Werne ...
30 people become victims of a
witch hunt A witch-hunt, or a witch purge, is a search for people who have been labeled witches or a search for evidence of witchcraft. The classical period of witch-hunts in Early Modern Europe and Colonial America took place in the Early Modern perio ...
. *1632 –
Gottfried Heinrich Graf zu Pappenheim Gottfried Heinrich Graf zu Pappenheim (29 May 1594 – 17 November 1632) was a field marshal of the Holy Roman Empire in the Thirty Years' War. A supporter of the Catholic League, he was mortally wounded during the Battle of Lützen fight ...
occupies
Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...
and refrains from burning the town down on the payment of a ransom. On his journey through the County of Mark, 70 noble houses are plundered. *1635 –
Hattingen Hattingen is a town in the northern part of the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. History Hattingen is located on the south bank of the River Ruhr in the south of the Ruhr region. The town was first mentioned in 13 ...
is taken by the Swede, Wilhelm Wendt zum Crassenstein, and his 3,000 soldiers. *1647 – In a witch trial, the Witten peasant, Arndt Bottermann, is found guilty and executed. During the Thirty Years' War,
witch hunts A witch-hunt, or a witch purge, is a search for people who have been labeled witches or a search for evidence of witchcraft. The classical period of witch-hunts in Early Modern Europe and Colonial America took place in the Early Modern per ...
in Central Europe reached a high point. In Westphalia, many witch trials took place, but the case of Arndt Bottermann is one of the few to take place in the
County of Mark The County of Mark (german: Grafschaft Mark, links=no, french: Comté de La Marck, links=no colloquially known as ) was a county and state of the Holy Roman Empire in the Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle. It lay on both sides of the Ruhr River ...
. *1648 – The
Treaty of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia (german: Westfälischer Friede, ) is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought peac ...
is agreed. This treaty formally ends both the Thirty Years' War and the Eighty Years' War. Nevertheless, the imperial city of Dortmund, a signee of the treaty, was occupied for a further two years by Swedish and Imperial troops until it handed over large sums of money. Dutch troops also remained for some time on the Lower Rhine. *1650 – Swedish
war reparations War reparations are compensation payments made after a war by one side to the other. They are intended to cover damage or injury inflicted during a war. History Making one party pay a war indemnity is a common practice with a long history. R ...
of 17,000 Reich talers are to be met by taxes.


Prussian Absolutism

Large areas of the Ruhr come under Prussian control. Ironworks are started up and coal-mining accelerates. Industry in general receives some direct and indirect encouragement from the Prussian state. *1655 – Brandenburg assumes temporary control of the
Duchy of Cleves The Duchy of Cleves (german: Herzogtum Kleve; nl, Hertogdom Kleef) was a State of the Holy Roman Empire which emerged from the medieval . It was situated in the northern Rhineland on both sides of the Lower Rhine, around its capital Cleves and ...
and
Frederick William I, Elector of Brandenburg Frederick William (german: Friedrich Wilhelm; 16 February 1620 – 29 April 1688) was Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia, thus ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia, from 1640 until his death in 1688. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he is ...
, arranges for the foundation of a University in Duisburg. *1666 – As a result of an agreement over inheritance, the Duchy of Cleves and the
County of Mark The County of Mark (german: Grafschaft Mark, links=no, french: Comté de La Marck, links=no colloquially known as ) was a county and state of the Holy Roman Empire in the Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle. It lay on both sides of the Ruhr River ...
pass permanently to
Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a states of Germany, state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an ar ...
. *1672 – During the
Franco-Dutch War The Franco-Dutch War, also known as the Dutch War (french: Guerre de Hollande; nl, Hollandse Oorlog), was fought between France and the Dutch Republic, supported by its allies the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Brandenburg-Prussia and Denmark-Nor ...
, French soldiers under Marshall
Turenne Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, vicomte de Turenne (11 September 161127 July 1675), commonly known as Turenne , was a French general and one of only six Marshals to have been promoted Marshal General of France. The most illustrious member of the ...
invade the region. Amongst their actions, they burn down the Haus Steinhausen. *1674 – A permanent freight and passenger service by river is set up between Duisburg and Nijmegen (
beurtvaart Beurtvaart was a Dutch line shipping system for (mostly) inland navigation, that existed from the late 15th century. It was a form of packet trade and a precursor of public transport. The beurtships transported passengers, livestock and freight ...
). *1706 – In Vest Recklinghausen (which is under the control of Cologne) the last of a total of 130 witch trials since 1514 takes place. *1716 – The
Ruhrort Ruhrort () is a district in the borough of within the German city of Duisburg situated north of the confluence of the Ruhr and the Rhine, in the western part of the Ruhr area. Ruhrort has the largest river harbour in the World, with quays extendin ...
Magistrat decide on the building of a harbour. This was the germ of the present-day Duisburg-Ruhrort Harbour. *1734 – The Königsborn Saltworks in Unna was founded by the
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
n state. *1736 – In
Holzwickede Holzwickede () is a municipality in the district of Unna in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is twinned with Weymouth, Louviers and Colditz Colditz () is a small town in the district of Leipzig, in Saxony, Germany. It is best known for Col ...
, the Caroline Adit mined coal which supplied the Königsborn Saltworks. *1736 – Essen's first newspaper appeared. Published by the printer of books Johann Heinrich Wißmann under the title ''Neueste Essendische Nachrichten von Staats- und Gelehrten Sachen'' (Newest Essen News of State and Learned Matters). In 1775 Zacharias Gerhard Diederich
Baedeker Verlag Karl Baedeker, founded by Karl Baedeker on July 1, 1827, is a German publisher and pioneer in the business of worldwide travel guides. The guides, often referred to simply as " Baedekers" (a term sometimes used to refer to similar works fro ...
took over both the press and publishing sections. *1738 – The Mark Mining Office ('' mining office'') was founded in
Bochum Bochum ( , also , ; wep, Baukem) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 364,920 (2016), is the sixth largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) of the most populous Germany, German federal state o ...
. Among the largest deep mines of the County of Mark was the "Glückauf" mine in Gennebreck with 17 employees. *1755 – Frederick II commissioned Ludwig Philipp Freiherr vom Hagen and Johann Friedrich Heintzmann with the drawing-up of new mine and Knappschaft regulations. *1756–1763 –
Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...
. This was a major international conflict in which Prussian was aligned with Britain (and Hanover) among others, against France, Austria and Russia. Prussia was very nearly brought to its knees but appears to have been saved by the death of the Russian
Empress Elizabeth Elizabeth Petrovna (russian: Елизаве́та (Елисаве́та) Петро́вна) (), also known as Yelisaveta or Elizaveta, reigned as Empress of Russia from 1741 until her death in 1762. She remains one of the most popular Russian ...
and the more conciliatory attitudes of the new czar, Peter III. In 1758, the
Battle of Rheinberg The Battle of Rheinberg took place on 12 June 1758 in Rheinberg, Germany during the Seven Years' War. A French force under the command of Comte de Clermont and an Anglo-German force under the command of the Duke of Brunswick fought a largely inde ...
preceded the more crucial
Battle of Krefeld The Battle of Krefeld (sometimes referred to by its French name of Créfeld) was a battle fought at Krefeld near the Rhine on 23 June 1758 between a Prussian- Hanoverian army and a French army during the Seven Years' War. Background The Hano ...
during which Hanoverian/Prussian troops pushed the French army across the Rhine. *1758 – On 18 October, a new nine-meter high blast furnace of the St Antony Smeltery in Osterfeld (in present-day Oberhausen) was used for the first time. The first ore-based production in the district. *1766 – On 29 April, Frederick II issues the ''Revised Mining Ordinances for the Duchy of Cleves, the Principality of Meurs and the County of Mark'' *1769 – The ''Dortmundischen vermischten Zeitungen'' appeared for the first time, published by a member of the Essen publishing family
Baedeker Verlag Karl Baedeker, founded by Karl Baedeker on July 1, 1827, is a German publisher and pioneer in the business of worldwide travel guides. The guides, often referred to simply as " Baedekers" (a term sometimes used to refer to similar works fro ...
. This is the town's first newspaper. *1780 – The construction of the last of 16 Ruhr locks commissioned by Prussia was completed. These locks were necessary to circumvent obstacles such as weirs and were constructed in tandem with other measures such as widening and dredging needed to make the Ruhr navigable. It became extremely well used, primarily for coal, although traffic fell off with the later construction of railways and the advance of the coalfield northwards. At this time, coal was being extracted from shallow
drift mines Drift mining is either the mining of an ore deposit by underground methods, or the working of coal seams accessed by adits driven into the surface outcrop of the coal bed. A drift mine is an underground mine in which the entry or access is above ...
in the vicinity of the river. Of particular importance, a toll road, the Aktienstrasse, carried coal to the river at
Mülheim an der Ruhr Mülheim, officially Mülheim an der Ruhr () and also described as ''"City on the River"'', is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is located in the Ruhr Area between Duisburg, Essen, Oberhausen and Ratingen. It is home to many compan ...
. *1781 – Founding of the Gute Hoffnung Smeltery in Sterkrade (in present-day Oberhausen). This soon came under the control of a member of the
Krupp The Krupp family (see pronunciation), a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, is notable for its production of steel, artillery, ammunition and other armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG (Friedrich Krup ...
family. *1784 – Henry Frederick Karl Freiherr vom und zum Stein becomes director of the mining office in Wetter an der Ruhr. He encourages the development of mines and ironworks in the western areas of Prussia. *1787 – The Rauendahler Schiebeweg is opened in
Sundern Sundern is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The name Sundern is common in Westphalia, as it means "ground given away for private usage" in the Westphalian dialect. Geography Sundern is situated approximate ...
for the transporting of coal from mines to the Ruhr shipping lane. It is the first of several horse tramways in the Ruhr valley to copy the British model. Involved in the planning are Bergrat Eversmann and Oberbergrat Freiherr vom Stein. *1788 – The old
Hellweg In the Middle Ages, Hellweg was the official and common name given to main travelling routes in Germany. Their breadth was decreed as an unimpeded passageway a lance's width, about three metres, which the landholders through which the Hellweg pas ...
starts to be upgraded to more modern standards. This was encouraged by the Freiherr vom Stein. The Stift Essen also became involved and upgraded roads in their vicinity, connecting to the east to Kleve. *1794 – The French occupy the left bank of the Rhine. *1798 – The Liberal Arnold Mallinckrodt founded the Westfälischen Anzeiger in Dortmund, the leading newspaper in the region at the time. Carl Arnold Kortum was one of its employees. *1799 – In Unna-Afferde a
steam engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be trans ...
was used for the first time in the Königsborn Saltworks.Pounds, page 50 The new method of brine production produced such an increase in production that by the following year The saltworks was already occupying third place among all salt-producing companies in Prussia for its productivity.


First half of the 19th century – Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution advances in the Ruhr. At the start of the 19th century, the steam engine is used there for the first time, and Napoleonic measures abolish feudal influences. When the entire area comes under Prussian hegemony in 1815, further advances are made in transportation and encouragement of industry. By the 1830s, the important deep-lying coking-coal seams of the Emscher Basin are reached for the first time, railways make their appearance and in 1849 smelting iron ore with coke is successfully carried out for the first time in the Ruhr. *1801 – The annexation of the left bank of the Rhine by the French was recognized in the Peace of Lunèville on 9 February 1801. *1801 – The first (but still imported)
steam engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be trans ...
used in the Ruhr mines was employed in removing water in the Vollmond Mine in
Werne Werne an der Lippe (; Westphalian: ''Wäen'') is a town in the Federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia in the Unna district in Germany. It is located on the southern edge of the Münsterland region near the Ruhrgebiet. The population of Werne ...
(in present-day Bochum). The technician responsible, Franz Dinnendahl, founded a factory in Essen a few years afterwards and manufactured steam engines designed by himself. *1802 – In August, Prussian troops occupy the former religious territories of Essen und Werden. As part of a secret agreement made with the French, they are intended as compensation for territories lost by Prussia on the left bank of the Rhine. *1803 –
Reichsdeputationshauptschluss The ' (formally the ', or "Principal Conclusion of the Extraordinary Imperial Delegation"), sometimes referred to in English as the Final Recess or the Imperial Recess of 1803, was a resolution passed by the ' (Imperial Diet) of the Holy Roman Em ...
, as a result of secularisation the religious territories of Kloster Werden, Reichsabtei Werden and Stift Essen are dissolved. These territories are transferred eventually to
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
. Duke Louis Engelbert, 6th Duke of Arenberg, Louis-Engelbert of Arenberg receives, as compensation for his left-bank principality, the
Vest Recklinghausen Vest Recklinghausen was an ecclesiastical territory in the Holy Roman Empire, located in the center of today's North Rhine-Westphalia. The rivers Emscher and Lippe formed the border with the County of Mark and Essen Abbey in the south, and to the ...
and other areas. *1806–1813 – The Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleonic Berg (state), Grand Duchy of Berg is in existence from October 1806 until 18 November 1813. Its departements include the :de:Ruhrdepartement, Ruhr département, whose Prefectures in France, prefecture was based in Dortmund, and the Rhine département with prefecture in Düsseldorf. Freiherr :de:Gisbert of Romberg I., Gisbert of Romberg zu Brünninghausen was appointed as prefect of the Ruhr département. The first ruler of Berg is Joachim Murat, Napoleon's brother-in-law. The French abolished tolls on the River Ruhr, just as they had previously abolished tolls on the Rhine (on the Rhine tolls extracted at Cologne had previously been a severe barrier to river traffic). *1808 – Napoleon issued a decree from Madrid on 12 December that abolished serfdom and bound labor etc. *1808 –
Krupp The Krupp family (see pronunciation), a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, is notable for its production of steel, artillery, ammunition and other armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG (Friedrich Krup ...
sells its interest in the Gute Hoffnung Smeltery to a syndicate composed of Gottlob Jacoby, Heinrich Huyssen and the brothers Franz and Gerhard Haniel, who unite a couple of other iron works into the company *1809 – Napoleon introduced Economic freedom, freedom to engage in a trade. The guilds were dissolved. *1809, 1811 Feudalism of the peasants was lifted by imperial decrees on 11 January 1809 and 13 September 1811. *1811 – In Essen Friedrich Krupp founds a Gussstahl foundry (but soon closes the business). *1811 – In Mülheim :de:Johann Dinnendahl, Johann Dinnendahl founds a factory to manufacture steam engines, the beginnings of the later :de:Friedrich Williams-Hütte, Frederick William Smeltery. *1815 – Vienna Congress at the end of the Napoleonic Wars.
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
regains its possessions in
Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regio ...
and on the Rhine, to which are added the former Berg (state), Duchy of Berg and the territories of the former Reichsstadt (imperial city) and Grafschaft
Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...
. As a result, all territories on the Ruhr, Emscher and lower Rhine are united under one regime. The area to the East belongs to the Prussian Province of Westphalia and that to the West to its Rheinprovinz. *1816 – The Year Without a Summer (on 25 June there was even a fall of snow) brings hunger. *1816 – The :de:Technische Fachhochschule Georg Agricola, Bochum Mining College is founded. Leading personnel for the mines are trained there. *1816 – Henry Frederick Karl vom Stein settles in the Schloss Cappenberg in
Selm Selm is a town in the district of Unna, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated approximately 20 kilometers north of Dortmund and 25 kilometers west of Hamm. Geography The town belongs to the southern part of the Münsterland. ...
. From 1826 on, he is the president of the first three Westphalian :de:Provinziallandtag (Preußen), Provinziallandtag assemblies (provincial parliaments). *1818 – On 18 October, the university in Duisburg was shut down by an order of cabinet by Frederick William III of Prussia, Frederick William III. In the same year, University of Bonn, Bonn University is re-founded. Large parts of Duisburg University Library as well as the University Sceptre are transferred to Bonn. *1819 – :de:Friedrich Harkort, Friedrich Harkort founds his ''Mechanischen Werkstätten'' at the :de:Burg Wetter, castle in Wetter an der Ruhr and manufactures steam engines. *1819 – Friedrich Krupp sets up in business on land outside the actual city of Essen, adjacent to the Limbecker Gate. By 1824, things had gone so badly he had to sell his house on the Flax Market in Essen and move into a house in the works itself. He died in 1826, but the works he established became the location for the later more-successful enterprise. *1827 – In Lünen the Gewerkschaft Eisenhütte "Westphalia" started up business.Mertes, P.H.: Das Werden der Dortmunder Wirtschaft – Im Auftrage der Industrie- und Handelskammer geschrieben, Dortmund: Ruhfus, 1940, S. 109 *1828 – :de:Franz Haniel, Franz Haniel opens a shipyard in Ruhrort for the construction of steamboat, steamers. *1837 – a shaft of the :de:Zeche Kronprinz, Kronprinz Mine (on the boundary of present-day Essen and Mülheim) succeeds for the first time in boring through the overlying chalk seam in the Northern coalfield to reach the coal seams below). *1838 – The ''Gesellschaft der Hardenbergischen Kohlebergwerke'' is the first Aktiengesellschaft, joint stock company in the Ruhr. *1839 – According to the Prussian ''Regulativ über die Beschäftigung jugendlicher Arbeiter in den Fabriken'' (regulations on the employment of young workers in factories), the minimum age for child workers is nine years old and their working time is restricted to ten hours a day. Children cannot be employed on Sundays and Bank Holidays or during the night. *1839 – In the :de:Gutehoffnungshütte, Gutehoffnung Smeltery, their first steam locomotive is built – called the ''Ruhr''. * 1847 – Opening of the Cologne-Minden Railway Company, Cologne-Minden Railway. It is decisive for the industrial development of the Ruhr and follows the valley of the
Emscher The Emscher () is a river, a tributary of the Rhine, that flows through the Ruhr area in North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany. Its overall length is with an mean outflow near the mouth into the lower Rhine of . Description The Emscher h ...
, via
Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...
, Oberhausen, :de:Essen-Altenessen, Altenessen, Gelsenkirchen, Herne,
Castrop Castrop, since 1 April 1926, is part of Castrop-Rauxel, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The name comes from ''trop/torp'' for village (German ''Dorf'') and ''chasto/kast'' for shed. The oldest mention is from 834 as ''Villa Castrop''. During t ...
und
Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...
, and from there further to
Hamm Hamm (, Latin: ''Hammona'') is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northeastern part of the Ruhr area. As of 2016 its population was 179,397. The city is situated between the A1 motorway and A2 motorway. Hamm railwa ...
and via Bielefeld to Minden. *1839 – Even while the railway was still being built in the northern part of the Ruhr, the Cologne banking house of Camphausen und A. Schaaffhausen'scher Bank Association, Schaafhausen started to interest themselves in the resulting potential for growth in the :de:Emscherland, Emscherland. The :de:Kölner Bergwerks-Verein, Cologne Mining Association was founded as an early Aktiengesellschaft of Ruhr mines (including :de:abteufen, shaft mines) in Northern Essen, among them the Carl Mine. *1847 – The first steam locomotive to travel along the Ruhr valley, on the Prinz-William-Eisenbahn, Steele-Vohwinkler Railway *1849 – For the first time in the Ruhr, coke (fuel), coke was used for steel production – in the :de:Frederick Williams-Hütte, Frederick William Smeltery in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Mülheim.


Second half of the 19th century – industry booms

The advances made in the first half of the century were built upon, producing a significant advance in production. In 1850, the district produced 2 million tonnes of coal, by 1913 it produced 114 million tonnes. Likewise, in 1850 it produced 11,500 tonnes of cast iron which rose by 1913 to 8.2 million tonnes. Coal production moved northwards as steam engine technology allowed the exploitation of deep coking coal seams (the earlier mines, generally nearer the River Ruhr, had tended to be drift mines exploiting the anthracite lying nearer the surface). 'Vertical' concerns came into being, with collieries, cokeries and ironworks under common ownership, and it was not uncommon to have all constituents located on the same site or close together. *1854 – In
Hattingen Hattingen is a town in the northern part of the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. History Hattingen is located on the south bank of the River Ruhr in the south of the Ruhr region. The town was first mentioned in 13 ...
, the :de:Henrichshütte, Henrichshütte is founded. Initially, ore is available in the immediate neighborhood. Later the Ruhr Valley Railway transported ore and coal to the works. In Hörde a blast furnace using coke was also employed for the first time. It was meant to work with the local :de:Kohleneisenstein, Kohleneisenstein, a mixture of :de:Eisenstein, Eisenstein with clay and coal. *1855 – Under the supervision of William Thomas Mulvany the sinking of the first shaft of the :de:Zeche Hibernia, Hibernia Mine in Gelsenkirchen is begun. As a technical innovation, :de:Tübbing, tubbings was used for the :de:Küvelage, shaft lining. In the following years, Mulvaney had a hand in the opening of several mines in the :de:Emscherland, Emscherniederung, among them the :de:Zeche Shamrock, Shamrock Mine in Herne und the :de:Zeche Erin, Erin Mine in
Castrop Castrop, since 1 April 1926, is part of Castrop-Rauxel, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The name comes from ''trop/torp'' for village (German ''Dorf'') and ''chasto/kast'' for shed. The oldest mention is from 834 as ''Villa Castrop''. During t ...
. The money came from Irish and Belgian financiers. Their coal was transported over the Cologne-Minden Railway. *1856 – A Oberhausen–Arnhem railway, railway along the right bank of the Rhine connects Oberhausen with Arnhem in the Netherlands. *1857 – The panic of 1857, economic crisis of 1857 leads to a drop in sales for coal and steel, with ensuing social effects for employees. *1858 – The :de:Verein für die bergbaulichen Interessen im Oberbergamtsbezirk Dortmund, Association for Mining Interests in the Head Mining Office District of Dortmund, in short – the mining association, based in Essen, is founded on 17 December. *1862 – The Bergisch-Märkische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft inaugurates their Witten/Dortmund–Oberhausen/Duisburg railway between Witten/Dortmund and Oberhausen/Duisburg as the second important connection between East and West based in the South of the Ruhr. *1862 – In
Mülheim an der Ruhr Mülheim, officially Mülheim an der Ruhr () and also described as ''"City on the River"'', is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is located in the Ruhr Area between Duisburg, Essen, Oberhausen and Ratingen. It is home to many compan ...
a factory opens for the production of coke briquettes at the :de:Zeche Wiesche, Wiesche Mine. It is the first installation of this type in the Ruhr. *1867 – August Thyssen with several relatives founds das Eisenwerk "Thyssen-Foussol & Co." in Duisburg. (This is dissolved in 1870 and a new company founded in Müheim in 1871. Thyssen was involved in several organizations which were only later unified under one holding company) *1869 – The industrialist Alfred Krupp starts building the Villa Hügel in Southern Essen. In the 'Grundbuch der Stadt' he enters the estate as a ''family house with garden''. Four years later, the building is finished. *1870–1871 – The Franco-Prussian War is won by the united German states. Founding of the German Reich. *1871–1873 – The so-called Gründerzeit, Gründerjahre. The French reparation (legal), reparations lead to a building boom. In the Ruhr, numerous mining companies are founded with the help of the capital flowing in from France. *1873 – Crisis (''Gründerkrise'') – because of speculation by German investors, capital from the French reparations flowed into Ruhr mining companies, without the additional :de:Zubuße, capital requirements from the :de:Kux, mine share certificates being covered. Steel production in the Ruhr dropped by 13%. * 1882 – On 24 February 1882 fifteen Rheinish and Westfälish steelworks formed themselves into a cartel to protect themselves from competition. *1889 – A mass :de:Bergarbeiterstreik von 1889, strike of miners spreads from
Bochum Bochum ( , also , ; wep, Baukem) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 364,920 (2016), is the sixth largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) of the most populous Germany, German federal state o ...
to encompass the entire Ruhr. The workers demand a share in the profits of the companies whose production was stabilising after the years of the Gründerkrise. In the same year, the first permanent miners' union, the ":de:Deutsche Bergarbeitergewerkschaften, Alten Verband" was founded in :de:Dortmund-Dorstfeld, Dortmund-Dorstfeld. In 1894, a Christian union was also founded and in 1902 a Polish miners' union. *1892 – The :de:Grillo-Theater, Grillo Theatre is opened in Essen. *1893 – Formation of the :de:Rheinisch-Westfälisches Kohlen-Syndikat, Rhenish-Westphalian Coal Syndicate with its head office in Essen, as an association of a large number of Ruhr mines. Its aim is to regulate production, marketing and prices. Sales are organized at a central point. *1893 – In
Essen Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and D ...
the first electric tram in Rhine-Ruhr starts operating. *1895 – The later Social Democratic Reichstag Member :de:Otto Hue, Otto Hue becomes Contributing editor, editor of the ''Berg- und Hüttenarbeiterzeitung'' of the :de:Deutsche Bergarbeitergewerkschaften, Alten Bergarbeiterverbandes. Soon Hue, because of his job, becomes known as the ''Sprecher der Bergarbeiter'' (speaker for the miners). *1898 – The Rheinisch-Westfalische-Elektrizitatswerk-Aktiengesellschaft, Rheinisch-Westfälischen Elektrizitätswerke (RWE) is founded. *1899 – The :de:Emschergenossenschaft, Emscher Cooperative is founded, primarily to deal with drainage and flooding measures in the Ruhr generally. *1899 – The Dortmund-Ems Canal is opened. William II arrives for the official opening of the Dortmund Port, port of Dortmund and the Henrichenburg boat lift. The canal becomes particularly important for the transporting of imported ore, especially Swedish ore routed via the Norwegian port of Narvik.


First half of the 20th century (to 1945)

The coal and steel industries continue to expand, with the Ruhr reaching a position whereby its coal and steel production is in each case almost equivalent to the rest of continental Europe put together (excluding the USSR) *1904 – The businessman :de:Otto Heinrich Flottmann, Otto Heinrich Flottmann from Herne receives a patent for the ''jackhammer, pneumatic drill''. The use of the new drill in the Ruhr mining areas increases extraction levels markedly. *1905 – As a result of a district-wide strike, miners win a maximum 8-hour day. *1905 – For the purposes of extending the harbour at the mouth of the Ruhr, as desired by the Prussian Government,
Ruhrort Ruhrort () is a district in the borough of within the German city of Duisburg situated north of the confluence of the Ruhr and the Rhine, in the western part of the Ruhr area. Ruhrort has the largest river harbour in the World, with quays extendin ...
and Meiderich are incorporated into Duisburg. *1908 – The :de:Zechenverband, Zechenverband is founded on 22 January as an association of employers in the Ruhr. *1912 – Miners strike across the whole of the Ruhr. In response William II, German Emperor, William II sends in the troops. The workers give up in the face of the imperial threat. *1912 – In Mülheim an der Ruhr, the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research, Kaiser-William (today: Max-Planck) Institut für Kohlenforschung (institute for research into coal) is founded. *1913 – Under the influence of the work of :de:Karl Imhoff, Karl Imhoff on the cleaning-up of the
Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...
, the :de:Ruhrreinhaltungsgesetz, Ruhrreinhaltungsgesetz (law concerned with cleaning up the Ruhr) is introduced. At the same time, the work of the Ruhrtalsperrenvereins (the dams) is regulated by the :de:Ruhrtalsperrengesetz, Ruhrtalsperrengesetz (law concerned with the damming of the Ruhr). Both laws contribute significantly in ensuring the water supply of the growing conurbation. *1914 – Opening of the Rhine–Herne Canal, Rhine-Herne-Canal, which becomes the most-used inland canal in Europe. It makes a connection between the Rhine at Duisburg and Herne, from where it connects to the Dortmund–Ems Canal, Dortmund-Ems-Canal. *1914–1918 – First World War, in the 'Hunger Winter' of 1916–17 shortages in the supply of food in Germany become chronic. The inhabitants of the Ruhr suffer especially. *1919 – In the aftermath of the January KPD uprising, large-scale :de:Sozialisierungsbewegung im Ruhrgebiet, socialist uprisings in the Ruhr result in "armed struggles" between :de:Deutsche Bergarbeitergewerkschaften, miners and the Freikorps. *1920 – Ruhr Uprising following the Kapp-Putsch. The general strike called in response to the Putsch leads to a more military struggle involving the Red Ruhr Army. Initially engaged against the Freikorps, latterly they also engage the regular army. *1921 – French and Belgian troops occupy Duisburg (and Düsseldorf) on 8 March, in response to Germany defaulting on the World War I reparations, reparation payments laid down by the Versailles Conference. *1923 – On 10–11 January, the occupation was extended from Duisburg to the rest of the Ruhr (Occupation of the Ruhr). In Duisburg in October, separatists call for independence for the "Rheinische Republik", but by November their efforts are brought to an end by the occupying troops. The financing of the resistance the Ruhr occupation by the German Government Wilhelm Cuno, Cuno is one of the reasons for the impending Inflation in the Weimar Republic, hyperinflation and the Cuno strikes. The Ruhr industrialist Fritz Thyssen assists the NSDAP with a massive financial sum. *1925 – August/September: Adoption of the Dawes Plan by the German Government. The Allies end the occupation of the Ruhr. *1923 – Representatives from the towns of Köln, Düsseldorf und Duisburg found the "Studiengesellschaft für die rheinisch-westfälische Schnellbahn". A Schnellbahn (suburban railway) direct from Köln to Dortmund is planned. The Reichsbahn (National railway system) hinder these plans and intend to extend the current lines and construct their own Schnellbahn system. *1923 – The Westfalenhalle is opened in Dortmund. It becomes a location for six-day racing and other large sporting events, as well as political meetings of the Weimarer Republik, Weimar Republic. *1925 – On 27 April 1925 Dortmund Airport is opened for business. Dortmund became a stop on the route Copenhagen-Hamburg-Bremen-Dortmund-Frankfurt(M)-Stuttgart-Zürich operated by Deutsche Luft Hansa (this was a different airport than the present-day Dortmund Airport). *1926 – Despite having been completed in 1921, the Wedaustadion in
Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...
is officially opened. With a capacity of 40,000 it is the second-largest in Germany after the Deutsches Stadion (Berlin), Grunewaldstadion in Berlin. By 1922 the Deutsche Leichtathletik-Meisterschaften, German Athletics Championships are being staged there. In 1924, Germany lost a football match for the first time on German soil, against Italy in the Wedaustadion, losing 1:0. *1928 – :de:Paul Reusch, Paul Reusch founds the :de:Ruhrlade, Ruhrlade in January 1928. *1928 – A period of :de:Gebietsreform, boundary reforms. As a result, the "double-towns" of Gelsenkirchen-Buer and Duisburg-Hamborn were formed. Two years beforehand, this new construction had a precedence in the likes of Castrop-Rauxel and Wanne-Eickel. *1928 – During the :de:Ruhreisenstreit, Ruhreisenstreit (Ruhr Iron Strike) more than 200,000 employees of the iron and steel industry were locked out and had to be helped by the state. *1929 – The Volkspark Botanischer Garten Grugapark, Grugapark is opened as ''Große Ruhrländische Gartenbau-Ausstellung'' (Great Ruhr Garden Exhibition). *1929 – The Gasometer Oberhausen, Oberhausen Gasometer is completed, the largest gas holder in Europe. *1929 – The start of the world economic crisis causes the export-orientiated production of the :de:Mondanindustrie, coal and steel industry to collapse. *1932 – The Great Depression reaches its high point. Unemployment in the Ruhr stands 31.2%. Production of iron had reduced by 60%, and it was a similar situation in the steel and coal industries *1932 – The industrialist Flick family, Friedrich Flick manages to sell his interest in :de:Gelsenkirchener Bergwerks-AG, Gelsenkirchen Bergwerke to the German government for about three times its market value, an event sometimes known as the :de:Gelsenberg-Affäre, Gelsenberg affair. *1933 – Machtergreifung, National Socialist takeover – the :de:Steinwache, Steinwache in
Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...
becomes a prison and torture chamber of the Gestapo. *1936 – Jewish business owners were dispossessed, like for example the :de:Gebr. Alsberg AG, Gebr. Alsberg. *1938 – During Kristallnacht, the synagoges in most Ruhr towns were destroyed, such as the :de:Alte Synagoge (Dortmund), Alte Synagoge in Dortmund. The construction of the Old Synagogue (Essen), Old Synagoge in Essen is so robust that it proves impossible to blow it up without damaging the surrounding buildings – therefore the building remained standing, although its interior was desecrated and burnt out. *1938 – In Drewer Mark in Marl, the :de:Chemiepark Marl, Chemischen Werke Hüls is founded. It is largely a subsidiary of IG Farben, IG. Farben. During the Third Reich, synthetic rubber, Synthetic rubber, Buna, was produced there for tyres. Unfree labour, Slave labor was also used for production. *1939 – The Second World War began on 1 September. *1943 – Allied Battle of the Ruhr, Bombing of the Ruhr destroys over 65% of houses in several cities, such as
Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...
and
Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...
. In
Essen Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and D ...
more than half the houses are destroyed. Thousands of people lose their lives. The centres of towns along the Hellweg zone lie almost completely in rubble. *1943 – On 18 May, the Möhne Dam is bombed and breached by 617 Squadron of the Royal Air Force (see Operation Chastise). A flood wave races along the valleys of the Möhne and the Ruhr. Over 1,000 people lose their lives. The town of :de:Hüsten#Geschichte und Entwicklung: Neheim, Neheim-Hüsten (now a part of Arnsberg) is hit hard and the :de:Kloster Himmelpforten (Möhnesee), Himmelpforten Monastery is completely swept away. Most of the reported fatalities were foreign forced labourers and prisoners of war. By October the dam had been repaired and general industrial production in the Ruhr had recovered by about the same time. The following year, the Dortmund-Ems canal is breached by 617 Squadron. *1943 – During the Tehran Conference, it was already clear enough how important the Allies considered the Ruhr area for the new ordering of Germany after the war. Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed placing the region under international administration, independent of other German states. *1944 – The Morgenthau-Plan is discussed in the USA. This would have made the Ruhr area an international zone administered by the United Nations, and would have set up separate North German and South German states. Industrial installations were threatened with dismantling as part and parcel of a prohibition on re-industrialization. *1945 – The fighting in the Ruhr Pocket/Ruhrkessel results in about 105,000 dead. *1945 – On 11 April, the arms manufacturer Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach was placed under arrest by American troops in the Villa Hügel. *1945 – During the Potsdam Conference, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin discuss an exchange of Ruhr coal from the British occupation zone in Germany, British zone of occupation for food from the Soviet Zone. Simultaneously, reparations were determined in the form of industrial equipment from the Ruhr area. Stalin and Harry S. Truman, Truman are agreed that the Ruhr should remain a part of Germany, against the wishes of France who wanted a special state status for the region.


Second Half of the 20th century (from 1946)

Industry in the district is restored after the war, but by the end of the 20th century the coal and steel industries have declined drastically *1946 – Founding of the Land of
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...
by the Control Commission for Germany - British Element, British military government, with the entire Ruhr region lying within its boundaries previously France had been pressing for the Ruhr to be detached from Germany (similar to the situation they were able to engineer in the Saarland).Pounds, pages 253/4 *1946–1947 – The :de:Hungerwinter, hunger winter affects the population of the Ruhr area particularly hard. Thousands of town inhabitants undertake :de:Hortung#Hamsterkäufe, Hamsterfahrten, Hamsterfahrten (travel to farming regions to barter jewellery and other goods for food) to the farming regions of the uplands. *1948 – In January, in the towns of the Ruhr area, the number of strikes is growing and growing – in Essen alone 50,000 workers take action. The workers protest about shortages in the supply of food. Bavaria, especially, refuses to fulfill its obligations to the exchange of goods in the Bizone (i.e. the area covered by the British and American zones). *1948 – With the :de:Währungsreform 1948 (Westdeutschland), currency reform in June, goods started to become more plentiful again – however households with limited income, for example working-class families, had to bear the burden of the cost of the war via the resulting reduction of the value of money. *1949 – The International Authority for the Ruhr, Ruhrstatut of 28 April 1949 regulated the control of the coal and steel production by setting up the International Ruhr Authority to supervise these industries. When state sovereignty is taken on by the History of Germany (1945–1990), Federal Republic in May, industries relevant to the armament industry remain under international control. On 13 June Belgian soldiers went into action against German workers who erected barriers to block the demolition of :de:Hydrierwerk, Hydrierwerk. *1952 – The Dortmund Westfalenhalle is re-constructed in its present form, after the destruction of the first in the war. The official opening took place on 2 February in the presence of the President Theodor Heuss. *1952 – On the founding of the European Coal and Steel Community on 23 July, the International Ruhr Authority ceases their work. The Coal and Steel Community is the seed of the later European Union. *1954 – In Oberhausen the Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen, annual short-film festival takes place for the first time. *1955 – In Dortmund the oldest (stone) :de:Altes Rathaus (Dortmund), Rathaus in Germany is demolished. *1956 – the demand for coal reaches 124,6 million tonnes per year and the number of workers in Ruhr mining reaches its high point at 494,000. *1957 – At Bochum Observatory in October, Heinz Kaminski receives radio signals from Sputnik 1, possibly the first outside the Soviet Union to do so. *1959 – In Bonn, Bochum miners protest against the import of cheap American coal. The ''Zechensterben'' (death of the mines) begins. *1962 – Opening of an Opel factory in Bochum. *1962 – The writer Max von der Grün publishes his first novel, influenced by the working world of miners of the Ruhr, ''Männer in zweifacher Nacht''. *1963 – The Bundesliga (German football league) is inaugurated. It has three clubs from the Ruhr: FC Schalke 04, Schalke 04, Meidericher SV (heute: MSV Duisburg), Borussia Dortmund *1964 – The Adolf-Grimme-Preis is awarded for the first time in Marl. The first winner is :de:Günter Gaus, Günter Gaus. *1964 – The :de:Rationalisierungsverband des Steinkohlenbergbaus, Rationalisierungsverband des Steinkohlenbergbaus proposes the closure of 31 large mines employing 64,000 workers. Demonstrations follow. *1964 – The :de:Zeiss Planetarium Bochum, Planetarium Bochum is opened. Since then it has been the most modern and largest installation of its type in Germany. *1965 – The Ruhr University Bochum, Ruhr University in Bochum is opened, the first University in the Ruhr. Garden show in Botanischer Garten Grugapark, Gruga in Essen. *1966 – On 5 May, Borussia Dortmund win the European Cup Winners Cup by beating Liverpool F.C., Liverpool 2–1 in Glasgow. *1966 – The :de:Duisburger Vertrag, Duisburger Vertrag is concluded on 16th. September. It forms an agreement between the Federal Republic of Germany and Bavaria over the financing and execution of the extension to the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, forming the basis for a through connection between the mouth of the Rhine in Rotterdam and the mouth of the Danube on the Black Sea. *1967 –
Krupp The Krupp family (see pronunciation), a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, is notable for its production of steel, artillery, ammunition and other armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG (Friedrich Krup ...
was converted into a Corporation, Kapitalgesellschaft. *1968 – The Dortmund University of Technology, University of Dortmund was founded on 16 December. *1969 – The Ruhrkohle AG was founded. *1969 – The ''Stadtbahngesellschaft Ruhr'', founded on an initiative of the Land of North Rhine-Westphalia takes over the planning of the :de:Stadtbahnnetz Rhein-Ruhr, Stadtbahnnetz Rhine-Ruhr (local railways). *1970 – The first :de:Revierpark, Revierpark comes into being in Herne. *1972 – The universities of Essen and Duisburg are founded. In 2003, they are fused into the University of Duisburg-Essen. *1973 – The :de:Zentralstelle für die Vergabe von Studienplätzen, Zentralstelle für die Vergabe von Studienplätzen is set up in Dortmund. In Mülheim an der Ruhr, the :de:RheinRuhrZentrum, RheinRuhrZentrum opens, Germany's first undercover shopping centre. *1974 – The World Cup in Germany. Games are played in the newly constructed stadiums – Parkstadion in Gelsenkirchen and Westfalenstadion in Dortmund. *1975 – Bochum and Duisburg are extended: Bochum incorporates Wattenscheid and Duisburg receives Rheinhausen, :de:Homberg (Duisburg), Homberg und Walsum. Herne and Wanne-Eickel are united. *1977 – The steel crisis signals problems in the industry, problems which started to occur in 1975. Since 1974 the production of steel has sunk from 32,2 million tonnes to 21,5 million tonnes. The crisis affects large parts of the Ruhr. 200,000 jobs are lost. *1977 – In the centre of Essen the :de:Stadtbahnnetz Rhein-Ruhr, Straßembahn line between Saalbau and Porscheplatz is transferred underground. The U18 between Mülheim and Essen becomes the first "genuine" Stadtbahn. *1979 – The :de:Kommunalverband Ruhrgebiet, Kommunalverband Ruhrgebiet (KVR) arises from the :de:Siedlungsverband Ruhrkohlenbezirk, Siedlungsverband Ruhrkohlenbezirk (SVR). *1979 – For the first time in the Ruhr, a Smog alarm is given on 17 January. *1980 – The :de:Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr, Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr is founded. In the Haard, the :de:Zeche Auguste Victoria, Haltern 1 Shaft is dug. The :de:Alte Synagoge Essen, Old Synagogue in Essen becomes a memorial. *1981 – First Tatort TV programme with Horst Schimanski, commissar with the Duisburg Police, provokes protests in
Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...
. *1982 – Area wide protests by steelworkers against closures and lay-offs in the Ruhr. Krupp shut down the rolling mill in Duisburg-Rheinhausen. The last blast-furnace between Duisburg and Dortmund is closed down in Gelsenkirchen. *1983 – Proposal for a new structuring of the German steel industry. The last piece of the S-Bahn connecting Düsseldorf with Dortmund, between Bochum and Dortmund, is completed. *1984 – In Dortmund the first U-Bahn line is opened. *1985 – In the western part of the Ruhr, a highest-level smog warning level is issued in January. North Rhine-Westphalia at this time had the highest levels of smog in Germany. *1985 – Günter Wallraff's book '':de:Ganz unten, Ganz unten'' is published. *1986 – In May, there is a serious accident at the Very high temperature reactor, Hamm-Uentrop atomic power station and a radio-active cloud hangs over
Hamm Hamm (, Latin: ''Hammona'') is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northeastern part of the Ruhr area. As of 2016 its population was 179,397. The city is situated between the A1 motorway and A2 motorway. Hamm railwa ...
and over the Ruhr. The operators attempt to hush the incident up. In Essen they became aware of the increased radiation as they had been taking regular measurements ever since the Chernobyl disaster. *1988 – The :de:Initiativkreis Ruhrgebiet, Initiativkreis Ruhrgebiet is founded. *1989 – The :de:Internationale Bauausstellung Emscher Park, Internationale Bauausstellung Emscher Park begins its work. * 1992 – In December, the Yankuang Group, Kokerei Kaiserstuhl in Dortmund starts business as one of the most modern :de:Kokerei, Kokerei in Europe. The installation will only operate for eight years. *1993 – The first Mayday (music festival), Mayday takes place in the Westfalenhalle. It is the largest indoor rave in Germany and until today a part of the :de:Technokultur, Techno culture. *1994 – In December an European Council, EU-Summit is held in Essen, in the Grugahalle. The most important themes for the Council of the European Union are suggestions for fighting unemployment and for the promotion of equality of opportunity in the European Union. *1995 – The Ruhr becomes a part of the newly defined European metropolitan area Rhine-Ruhr. *1995 – The last base of the British Army of the Rhine in the Ruhr, Suffolk Barracks in Dortmund, closes on 17 November. *1996 – On 11 September, the CentrO shopping centre in Oberhausen is opened. It is the core of the '':de:Neue Mitte Oberhausen, Neue Mitte'', built on the grounds of the former Gutehoffnungshütte and a visible sign of economic change in the Ruhr. *1997 – As part of the Bundesgartenschau in Gelsenkirchen, the grounds of the former :de:Zeche Nordstern, Nordstern Mine is converted into the Landschaftspark :de:Nordsternpark, Nordsternpark. *1999 – Final stages of the :de:Internationale Bauausstellung Emscher Park, IBA Emscher Park – portraying new uses for the Duisburg Inner Harbour, Inner Harbour in Duisburg.


21st century

*2004 – The Kommunalverband Ruhrgebiet (KVR) is replaced by the Regionalverband Ruhr (RVR). On the insistence of the towns of the Reich district, this body has extended rights and has now, for example, authority over so-called master-plans such as the conversion of the Emscher system to an underground :de:Emscherkanal, Emscherkanal. *2004 – Adam Opel AG plans to lose several thousand jobs in Bochum. A Wildcat strike action, wildcat strike, unauthorized by IG Metall and against their own Works council, Betriebsrat brings European production to a standstill. On 19 October, 25,000 people gathered on the Platz am Schauspielhaus as a spontaneous display of solidarity. *2005 – The introduction of Hartz concept, Hartz IV. Almost a million people in the Ruhr are affected. *2005 – The formation of a Regionalpräsidiums Ruhrgebiet is announced by the parties in the North Rhine-Westphalian government. *2005 – In Duisburg and its neighbours of Mülheim an der Ruhr, Oberhausen und Bottrop, the 7th World Games took place. *2006 – Essen is chosen as the European City of Culture 2010. Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen stage games during the FIFA World Cup, World Cup. *2007 – In January, the Federal Government announced the intention to subsidize the German coal industry until 2018. The Land government announce that aid from them will cease in 2015.LANDTAG INTERN 3/2007
S. 9
*2007 – In August the Loveparade takes place in. The first staging of the event since its move from Berlin to the Ruhr carries the motto ''Love Is Everywhere''. *2008 – The :de:Nokia-Werk Bochum, Nokia factory in Bochum is closed. *2008 – The Loveparade is celebrated in Dortmund with 1.6 million participants – a record. *2008 – Foundation of the Ruhr University Hospitals in Bochum and metropolitan area. *2009 – Opel is in crisis following the insolvency of General Motors. *2010 – Essen and the rest of the Ruhr stage :de:RUHR.2010 – Kulturhauptstadt Europas, RUHR.2010 – Kulturhauptstadt Europas.


See also

*:de:Geschichte Westfalens, History of Westphalia *:de:Ruhrbergbau, Ruhr Mining *:de:Ruhrschifffahrt, Ruhr Shipping *:DE:Liste von Bergwerken in Nordrhein-Westfalen, List of Mines in North Rhine-Westphalia *Histories of individual Ruhr towns/cities: :de:Geschichte der Stadt Bochum, Bochum, Bottrop#Geschichte, Bottrop, :de:Geschichte der Stadt Dortmund, Dortmund, :de:Geschichte der Stadt Duisburg, Duisburg, Essen#Geschichte, Essen, Gelsenkirchen#Geschichte, Gelsenkirchen, :de:Geschichte der Stadt Hagen, Hagen, :de:Geschichte der Stadt Hamm, Hamm, :de:Geschichte der Stadt Hattingen, Hattingen, Herne, :de:Geschichte der Stadt Kamen, Kamen, :de:Geschichte der Stadt Mülheim an der Ruhr, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Oberhausen#Geschichte, Oberhausen, Recklinghausen#Geschichte, Recklinghausen, Unna#Geschichte, Unna und Wesel#Geschichte, Wesel. * Timeline of Essen history


Bibliography for References

*Menne, Bernhard, ''Blood and Steel – The Rise of the Krupps'' (2008) *Parent, Thomas, ''Das Ruhrgebiet, Kultur und Geschichte in >Revier< zwischen Ruhr und Lippe'' (1984)


References


External links


Ruhr Museum
Natural, cultural history and industrial museum
Bombing raids on the Ruhr 1939–1945
(the post-war development of the railways)
Reproduction of the call to miners in support of the strike in the Ruhr, 7 January 1905Contemporary report on the strike of 1905


Literature

*Dietmar Bleidick/Manfred Rasch (ed.): ''Technikgeschichte im Ruhrgebiet. Technikgeschichte für das Ruhrgebiet.'' (Technological History of the Ruhr District) :de:Klartext Verlag, Klartext Verlag, Essen; 2004; *:de:Ernst Dossmann, Ernst Dossmann: ''Auf den Spuren der Grafen von der Mark. Wissenswertes über das Werden und Wachsen der ehemaligen Grafschaft Mark und über den Märkischen Kreis''; (On the Trail of the Grafs of the Mark) Verlag Mönnig Iserlohn; 1983; *Doris Freer (concept); Stadt Duisburg, Frauenbüro (Hrsg.): ''Von Griet zu Emma. Beiträge zur Geschichte von Frauen in Duisburg vom Mittelalter bis heute.'' 2. (Contributions to History from Duisburg Females, from the Middle Ages to the Present) Duisburger Frauengeschichtsbuch, Duisburg 2000.
pdf Teil 1 (1 Mb)pdf Teil 2 (3,25 Mb)
*Jan Gerchow: ''Haus, Stand und Amt. Die Gesellschaft des Ruhrgebiets vor der Industrie'' (Society of the Ruhr District before Industrialization), in: ''Die Erfindung des Ruhrgebiets. Arbeit und Alltag um 1900.'' Katalog zur sozialhistorischen Dauerausstellung, Ruhrlandmuseum Essen, hrsg. von Michael Zimmermann u.a., Essen-Bottrop 2000, S. 31–46, *:de:Roland Günter, Roland Günter: ''Im Tal der Könige: ein Reisebuch zu Emscher, Rhein und Ruhr'' (A Travel Guide to the Emscher, Rhine and Ruhr), Essen; 1994; *Bodo Harenberg (ed.): ''Chronik des Ruhrgebiets.'' Dortmund: WAZ-Buch Chronik Verlag, 1987. (mit 155 Kalendarien, 1.693 Einzelartikeln, 1.759 überwiegend farbigen Abbildungen, 19 Übersichtsartikeln, Tabellen- und Statistik-Anhang sowie Personen- und Sachregister) *Wilhelm Hermann, Gertrude Hermann; ''Die alten Zechen an der Ruhr'' (The Old Mines on the Ruhr); 2003; *Joachim Huske: ''Die Steinkohlenzechen im Ruhrrevier. Daten und Fakten von den Anfängen bis 1997'', Bochum 1998, *Hetty Kemmerich: ''Sagt, was ich gestehen soll! Hexenprozesse – Entstehung-Schicksale-Chronik!'', Dortmund: Lessing, 2003, *Egon Erwin Kisch: ''Stahlwerk in Bochum, vom Hochofen aus gesehen'' / ''Das Nest der Kanonenkönige: Essen''; zwei Reportagen; in: ''Der rasende Reporter'', Berlin 1924; Aufbau-Verlag 2001, *Ruth Kersting, Lore Ponthöfer: ''Seydlitz / Gymnasiale Oberstufe / Wirtschaftsraum Ruhrgebiet.'' Berlin: Cornelsen Schroedel, 1990 *Wolfgang Köllmann u.a.: ''Das Ruhrgebiet im Industriezeitalter. Geschichte und Entwicklung'', 2 Bde., Patmos Verlag, Düsseldorf 1990. *Harald Polenz; ''Von Grafen, Bischöfen und feigen Morden''; Klartext-Verlag, Essen; 2004; *Andreas Schlieper: ''150 Jahre Ruhrgebiet. Ein Kapitel deutscher Wirtschaftsgeschichte.'' Düsseldorf, 1986. *Ferdinand Seibt (ed.): ''Vergessene Zeiten, Mittelalter im Ruhrgebiet'', Ausstellungskatalog, 2 Bünde, Essen; 1990, *Gregor Spohr, Wolfgang Schulze; ''Schöne Schlösser und Burgen: der Revier-Freizeitführer''; Pomp, Bottrop; 1996; *Diederich von Steinen: ''Westphälische Geschichte'', 1757 *Albert K. Hömberg: ''Geschichtliche Nachrichten über Adelssitze und Rittergüter im Herzogtum Westfalen und ihre Besitzer.'' aus dem Nachlass veröffentlicht, Münster / Westf. 1969–1979, 20 Hefte (Veröffentlichungen der Hist. Komm. Westfalens, Bd. 33) *Friedrich Keinemann: ''Soziale und politische Geschichte des westfälischen Adels 1815–1945'', Hamm 1976 *Paul Kanold [et al.]: ''Grundlagen für die Neuregelung der kommunalen Grenzen im Ruhrgebiet'', Berlin 1928 *''Die kommunale Neugliederung im Ruhrgebiet als Etappe zur diktatorischen großpreußischen Zentralisation'', Schriften der Reichsarbeitsgemeinschaft deutscher Föderalisten, Köln 1929 *Gustav Adolf Wüstenfeld: ''Auf den Spuren des Kohlenbergbaus : Bilder u. Dokumente zur Geschichte d. Ruhrbergbaus im 18. u. 19. Jh.'', Wetter-Wengern : Wüstenfeld, 1985, *ders.: ''Frühe Stätten des Ruhrbergbaues'', Wetter-Wengern : Wüstenfeld, 1975 {{DEFAULTSORT:History Of The Ruhr District Ruhr History of North Rhine-Westphalia, Ruhr History of Germany by region, Ruhr