Climate
The main rule about the central European climate is that you cannot predict the weather. Sometimes summers can be cold and wet, while April most years very rainy is warm and sunny. But in general the best chance for sun will be from May to August and in October. July and August can become very hot with temperatures up to 35 degrees Celsius. In wintertime, from December to February, the average temperature is about zero. Winter is not generally recommended for travelling to the Ruhr area, but on the other hand in December, Germany's famous Christmas markets take place. The Christmas markets in Dortmund and Münster are definitely worth a visit.
| Heavy Industry nearby Bottrop |
| Farmland at the banks of River Ruhr |
| inside a big city |
| ... and this is also The Ruhr: medival City Center of Hattingen |
| coal seam at Mutten-valley |
| Industrial ambiente: Colosseum Theater |
Characteristics
Do not expect that every German wears leather-trousers. They are common only in Bavaria and, even there, only on special occasions.
Germans mind in general the traffic rules and often become angrily if others do not. Crossing the road while traffic lights atr green for drivers can become dangerous. Drivers rely on that you mind the rules too.
Germans are not prude, so be prepared if you watch German TV.
If you get the idea that a parking slot is quite small, look for a bigger one before you touch another car when parking.
There are not so many public toilets. If you need one, try a snack bar or a restaurant. Also, big shopping malls have a customer toilet. Not recommended are the toilets of the fast food chains. They are often badly serviced.
To be dressed casually in the streets is generally accepted and most restaurants.
Smoking is forbidden in public buildings as well as in bars and restaurants, except the owner has set up a separate smoking room.
You may drink water from the tap everytime and everywhere. It is always of best quality.
Understand
From outside the region is often called simply 'The Ruhr'. Do not confuse it with the river Ruhr, from which the region got its name.
A rural region, which was the Ruhr area till 1850, became within 50 years the heart of heavy industry of Germany. Population increases in this time by 50 times. People imigrated from everywhere in Europe, but mainly from East Prussia. Today, the Ruhr area is still a densely populated part of Germany with around 5.3 million people. In the last decades of the 20th century a structural transformation began. Most mines and steel mills were closed down, the remaining updated to the current state of the art. New key technologies are IT, research, solar energy, logistic and medicine engineering althrough about 30% of the European steel production still comes from the Ruhr. The pollution of air and water has come to an end, and the region has more parks, leasure grounds and rural districts than most visitors expect.
The economic strength of the cities during the coal boom has prevented the formation of a common government for a long time. The incorporation waves in 1920 and in 1970 are associated with the decline in coal production in the smaller communities. However, fragmentation was also very politically desired. A united Ruhr Valley, it would be by far the largest city in Germany and the third largest city in Central Europe, would have a political weight which would be located undoubtedly left of the center.
Still today, the fragmentation of the region inspires a lively competition between the cities. The allocation of funds to many equal deciders generated the most prominent cultural, sporting and recreational offerings in Germany, but also inhibited nationally-known prestige objects. Also it had a negative impact on public transport system. On the other hand this makes the character of the Ruhr. Despite its immense size, parts of the Ruhr do not look like a big city: regional, almost small-town, character is everywhere evident. The lack of eye level with other major cities will be disadvantageous to the cognitation from the outside, which does not meet the dynamics and the offer of culture in any way.
Although, after the end of the German coal and steel boom, many companies of all kind have settled at The Ruhr Valley, unemployment here is quite high 7.7% national average, 11.5% of the Ruhr, as of July 2008. This has several reasons. First, many imigrants stick to the living and educational ideals of their origin. Second, the residents of all nationalities are very down to earth, because they are involved generally in strong social networks that mitigate the worst effects of unemployment. In addition, good-quality housing in the Ruhr area is quite inexpensive. Therefore, the attendance for migration is low. Also, many of the newly created jobs are in the high-tech sector and cannot easily be filled by workers exempted from production.