Antique map - Essen 1927

Map of the city of Essen (Plan der Stadt Essen) in 1927: the heart of the Ruhr basin, the Krupp industrial complexes, the central railway station, the districts of Stoppenberg and Bredeney, as well as the River Ruhr.

This map shows the city of Essen (Plan der Stadt Essen) in 1927 (at a scale of 1:15,000). Located in the heart of the Ruhr Valley (Ruhrgebiet), Essen is one of the largest industrial cities in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen). By the late 1920s, Essen’s population had surpassed 600,000, establishing the city as the region’s economic, mining and steelmaking capital.

Essen’s history in the 1920s was inseparable from Germany’s major industrial boom and the Krupp empire, whose factories, workers’ settlements (Arbeitersiedlungen) and railway facilities profoundly shaped the city’s geography. In 1927, Essen was also experiencing a period of cultural renewal and modern urban planning, driven by architect Robert Schmidt and the creation of the Ruhr Regional Association (KVR). The city was expanding southward towards the green banks of the River Ruhr, creating a striking contrast between the large industrial complexes in the north and the parks and forests in the south.

Places and districts shown:

• The city centre (Stadtkern) and central railway station: the commercial heart of the city and the main railway station (Hauptbahnhof), at the centre of a very dense rail and road network.

• Krupp industrial complexes and settlements: west and northwest of the centre, the vast Krupp factories, railway marshalling yards, and the settlements of Altendorf and Frohnhausen.

• The northern and eastern districts: the map includes Stoppenberg to the northeast, Frillendorf, Huttrop and Schonnebeck, shaped by mining activity and coal pits.

• The southern residential districts: Rüttenscheid, Holsterhausen, Bergerhausen and Rellinghausen extend to the south.

• The Ruhr River basin and Bredeney: at the bottom of the map, the River Ruhr winds in blue through the wooded areas of Bredeney, Stadtwald and Werden.

• Essen-Mülheim Airport: the regional airport (Flughafen Essen-Mülheim) is shown in the lower left.

• Administrative boundaries and map key: a prominent red boundary delineates the municipal territory of Essen, with a map key (Erklärung) in a box at the lower right.

Map features: This “Plan der Stadt Essen” at a scale of 1:15,000 provides an exceptionally detailed cartographic depiction of the Ruhr’s urban and industrial fabric. Built-up and residential areas are highlighted in ochre-orange, while industrial facilities and railway lines stand out in a complex network of lines and outlines, while the forests, parks and Ruhr Valley add broad swathes of green and blue to the southern part of the map. A metric and alphabetical grid (D to M) surrounds the map, with kilometre markings.

In brief: for anyone interested in the history of the Ruhr, Germany’s industrial heritage, the Krupp empire or urban cartography of the 1920s, this map offers a remarkable overview of Essen in 1927, with a population of over 600,000.

What area does this map of Essen cover? It covers the city of Essen and its districts: the city center, the main railway station and the Krupp factories in the center, Stoppenberg and Schonnebeck to the north, Altendorf, Frohnhausen and Essen-Mülheim Airport to the west, as well as Rüttenscheid, Bredeney and the Ruhr River to the south.

In what year was this map published? This map was published in 1927.

Reproduction of the “Plan der Stadt Essen” (Scale 1:15,000), published in 1927.

Printed on textured 200 g/m² art paper. Square / landscape orientation, standard sizes 50x50, 50x70 and 70x70: easy to frame.