Ruhr

Home > ... > Places > Germany, Scandinavia, and Central Europe > Central European Physical Geography > ...

Essential
reading

Compare
side-by-side

The Oxford Essential ...

A Dictionary of Contemporary ...

The Columbia Encyclopedia, ...

Ruhr

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Ruhr , region, c.1,300 sq mi (3,370 sq km), W Germany; a principal manufacturing center of Germany and formerly known as one of the world's greatest industrial complexes. In the 1980s the coal and steel industries declined, leading to serious unemployment. By the 1990s, more than three fifths of the working population came to be employed in the service sector. The Ruhr lies along, and north of, the Ruhr River (145 mi/233 km long), which rises in the hills of central Germany and flows generally west to the Rhine River at Duisburg. The Ruhr's principal cities are, in the west, Duisburg, Mülheim, Essen, Oberhausen, Bottrop, Gladbeck, and Gelsenkirchen; and in the east, Bochum, Dortmund, and the smaller cities of Wattenscheid, Recklinghausen, Herne, and Witten. Extensive coal deposits, especially the high quality coking coal required in steel manufacturing, underlie the region in basins that are near the surface along the Ruhr River (where the oldest mines and steel plants are located), and at greater depths to the north along the Lippe River (where most of the modern mines are found). Many coal deposits in this region have been exhausted. Iron ore, oil, chemicals, and other raw materials are imported into the region by way of the Rhine, the Ruhr (navigable below Witten), the Rhine-Herne Canal, the Dortmund-Ems Canal, and a dense network of rail and road connections. The Ruhr Planning Authority (est. 1921) protects designated farmlands and green areas from encroachment by the cities and enforces pollution legislation. The development of the Ruhr district began in the 19th cent. when the Krupp and Thyssen concerns built large integrated coal and steel empires. The Ruhr was occupied (1923) by French and Belgian forces during the dispute over reparations . The troops evacuated (1925), but the occupation greatly embittered German nationalist feeling. Some of the chief Ruhr industrialists helped Hitler to power in 1933. The Ruhr, which was vital in the production of armaments for the German military, was a major bombing target for Allied forces during World War II. About three fourths of the region was destroyed; nearly a third of the area's coal mines were forced to close down. The International Authority for the Ruhr was set up in 1949 with responsibility for development of the region. Control passed to the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952 and to West Germany in 1954. Coal production has suffered from competition from other fuels, but the overall industrial strength of the region is greater now than prior to 1945. In the creation of the new state of North Rhine-Westphalia in 1946, the provincial border between Westphalia and the Rhineland was removed, improving the integration of operations in the region.

Hide all research tools
Print this article Print all entries for this topic Cite this article Link to this article
Link to this article

CloseClose

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1E1-Ruhr" title="Facts and informations about Ruhr">Ruhr</a>

Add this article to Del.icio.usBookmark this article on DiigoShare this article on FacebookSubmit this article to RedditGive this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"Ruhr." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 9 Jul. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Ruhr." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (July 9, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Ruhr.html

"Ruhr." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Retrieved July 09, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Ruhr.html

Learn more about citation styles

Ruhr district

A Dictionary of Contemporary World History | 2004 | | © A Dictionary of Contemporary World History 2004, originally published by Oxford University Press 2004. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Ruhr district Together with parts of the neighbouring Rhineland, it has formed the industrial core of Germany owing to its rich coal deposits and its proximity to the Rhine which could be reached via the River Ruhr. As the home to the Krupp works, it was also the home of Germany's military production, so that after World War I it was demilitarized, while most of the Rhineland was occupied by French troops. In 1923, when Germany was slightly behind in its reparation payments, French troops occupied the Ruhr District in order to compensate France by using the mineral resources. In protest, the population engaged in a campaign of non-cooperation (11 January–26 September), but Germany's support for the passive resistance brought the country to financial ruin and thus had to be called off by Stresemann. After World War II, an international Ruhr Commission (1949–53) was set up to oversee German production of coal and steel, but it became redundant with the foundation of the ECSC (European integration).

Hide all research tools
Print this article Print all entries for this topic Cite this article Link to this article
Link to this article

CloseClose

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1O46-Ruhrdistrict" title="Facts and informations about Ruhr">Ruhr</a>

Add this article to Del.icio.usBookmark this article on DiigoShare this article on FacebookSubmit this article to RedditGive this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

JAN PALMOWSKI. "Ruhr district." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 9 Jul. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JAN PALMOWSKI. "Ruhr district." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (July 9, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-Ruhrdistrict.html

JAN PALMOWSKI. "Ruhr district." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Retrieved July 09, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-Ruhrdistrict.html

Learn more about citation styles

Ruhr Industrial Region

The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military | 2001 | © The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military 2001, originally published by Oxford University Press 2001. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Ruhr Industrial Region rŏor a region of coal mining and heavy industry in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. The Ruhr was occupied by French troops 1923–24, after Germany defaulted on war reparation payments. The Ruhr area is one of the world's largest industrial regions and Germany's most densely populated region. Because of its resources and industry, the Ruhr played a major role in Germany's preparations for World War II. The Allies bombed the region heavily, destroying about seventy-five percent of the area and disabling one third of its coal mines.

Hide all research tools
Print this article Print all entries for this topic Cite this article Link to this article
Link to this article

CloseClose

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1O63-RuhrIndustrialRegion" title="Facts and informations about Ruhr">Ruhr</a>

Add this article to Del.icio.usBookmark this article on DiigoShare this article on FacebookSubmit this article to RedditGive this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"Ruhr Industrial Region." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 9 Jul. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Ruhr Industrial Region." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (July 9, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-RuhrIndustrialRegion.html

"Ruhr Industrial Region." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved July 09, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-RuhrIndustrialRegion.html

Learn more about citation styles

Find thousands of answers related to Germany, Scandinavia, and Central Europe at Smart QandA.

All answers verified by trusted sources at Encyclopedia.com

Try Smart QandA now!

Free newspaper and magazine articles

Free Article Battle for the Ruhr: The German Army's Final Defeat in the West.(Book review)
Magazine article from: Infantry Magazine; 5/1/2008
Free Article Regenerating the Ruhr.(IBA Emscher Park project for the regeneration of Germany's Ruhr region)
Magazine article from: The Architectural Review; 2/1/1999
Free Article GREEN ACADEMY.(Herne-Sodingen Academy, Ruhr, Germany)(Statistical Data Included)
Magazine article from: The Architectural Review; 10/1/1999

Facts and information from other sites

Related topics

  Edit this list

Related articles from newspapers, magazines, and more

Battle for the Ruhr: The German Army's Final Defeat in the West.(Book review)
Magazine article from: Infantry Magazine; 5/1/2008; ; 509 words ; Battle for the Ruhr: The German Army's Final Defeat in the...95. Derek Zumbro's work, Battle For The Ruhr. The German Army's Final Defeat in the...much a history of the battle to close the Ruhr Pocket in March and April of 1945 as an... Read more
Regenerating the Ruhr.(IBA Emscher Park project for the regeneration of Germany's Ruhr region)
Magazine article from: The Architectural Review; 2/1/1999; ; 700+ words ; ...project for the regeneration of Germany's Ruhr region, Emscher Park, is now drawing to...Photographs give a poor impression of the Ruhr region. Not only does any run-down industrial...sewage channels; and though it all the Ruhr and Emscher rivers run to join the Rhine... Read more
GREEN ACADEMY.(Herne-Sodingen Academy, Ruhr, Germany)(Statistical Data Included)
Magazine article from: The Architectural Review; 10/1/1999; ; 700+ words ; A new government training centre in the Ruhr is a paradigm of ecological consciousness...the industrial powerhouse of Europe, the Ruhr is now a derelict, polluted wasteland with...former miners, the site lies over one of the Ruhr's deepest coalfields (now disused). A new... Read more
Theater an der Ruhr. (Teatro).(La ópera de tres centavos; Antígona; El principito )(Reseña de teatro)
Magazine article from: Proceso; 11/10/2002; ; 680 words ; ...n, el grupo alemán Theater an der Ruhr ha presentado en México tres obras...l, las nuevas obras del Theater an der Ruhr (La ópera de tres centavos de Brecht...culos presentados por el Theater an der Ruhr, así como otros que hemos comentado... Read more
Teatro: Theater an der Ruhr.(TT: Theater: Theater an der Ruhr.)(Reseña)
Magazine article from: Proceso; 2/25/2001; ; 629 words ; ...país, en 1992, del Theater an der Ruhr. En aquella ocasión, y con amplio...precisamente para bien, el Theater an der Ruhr ha vuelto a México. Esta vez, con...de escena alemán, el Theater an der Ruhr presentó Antes de que el milenio nos... Read more
Ruhr energy.(Conference Center and Theater, Recklinghausen, Germany)
Magazine article from: The Architectural Review; 8/1/1999; 700+ words ; ...cklinghausen's theatre was one of the glories of the Ruhr when it was finished in the '60s. It was built as a centrepiece of the Ruhr festival, a working class Festspielzentrum...conference centre as well as theatre (the Ruhr festival uses the place for only about... Read more
Chip Taylor and Carrie Rodriguez: Live From The Ruhr Triennale.(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
Magazine article from: Sing Out!; 3/22/2008; ; 302 words ; CHIP TAYLOR AND CARRIE RODRIGUEZ Live From The Ruhr Triennale Train Wreck 0027 Beginning in 2002, the city fathers in Germany's formerly heavily industrial Ruhr region organized a large festival that transformed abandoned factories and plants into... Read more
Ruhr revival. (Zollverein XII coalmine complex in Essen, Germany)
Magazine article from: The Architectural Review; 8/1/1997; ; 700+ words ; ...Essen is the old industrial heart of the Ruhr valley and centre of the den se conurbation...back eastwards from the confluence of the Ruhr and Rhine rivers. Long associated with...Arch. Of all industrial monuments in the Ruhr, the most spectacular is the Zollverein... Read more
A group of four regional freight operators in the Ruhr called Maekas is expected to increase railfreight volumes in the region.(Germany)
Magazine article from: International Railway Journal; 10/1/2008; 38 words ; A group of four regional freight operators in the Ruhr called Maekas is expected to increase railfreight volumes in the region. The operators are SBB Cargo, Muhlheimer Transport, Neuss Dusseldorfer Hafen, and Wanne-Herner Railway and Harbour. Read more
Ruhr Maglev project still in doubt. (World Report).
Magazine article from: International Railway Journal; 3/1/2003; 190 words ; FUNDING for the construction of the Metrorapid mag1ev line in the Ruhr is still not fixed, according to Transrapid International at the end of January. The German federal government had promised another... Read more
Click to see an enlarged picture
Ruhr. Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)

For students and teachers!

Encyclopedia.com provides students and teachers facts, information, and biographies from verified, citable sources, including:

Encyclopedia.com provides students and teachers facts, information, and biographies from verified, citable sources, including: