Essen (Germany)

Essen
Skyline of Essen
Flag Coat of arms
Essen
Location of Essen within North Rhine-Westphalia
Coordinates: 51°27′3″N 7°0′47″E / 51.45083°N 7.01306°E / 51.45083; 7.01306Coordinates: 51°27′3″N 7°0′47″E / 51.45083°N 7.01306°E / 51.45083; 7.01306
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Düsseldorf
District	Urban district
Government
• Lord Mayor	Thomas Kufen (CDU)
Area
• Total	210.32 km2 (81.21 sq mi)
Elevation	116 m (381 ft)
Population (2015-12-31)
• Total	582,624
• Density	2,800/km2 (7,200/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	45001–45359
Dialling codes	0201, 02054 (Kettwig)
Vehicle registration	E
Website	www.essen.de

Essen (German pronunciation: [ˈʔɛsn̩] ( listen); Latin: Assindia) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Its population of approximately 589,000 (as of 31 March 2016^[update]) makes it the ninth-largest city in Germany. It is the central city of the northern (Ruhr) part of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan area and seat to several of the region's authorities. Essen is seat to 13 of the 100 largest German corporations, including three DAX corporations, placing the city second only to Munich and on-par with Frankfurt am Main in number of corporate headquarters.

Founded around 845, Essen remained a small town within the sphere of influence of an important ecclesiastical principality (Essen Abbey) until the onset of industrialization. The city then — especially through the Krupp family iron works — became one of Germany's most important coal and steel centers. Essen, until the 1970s, attracted workers from all over the country; it was the 5th-largest city in Germany between 1929 and 1988, peaking at over 730,000 inhabitants in 1962. Following the region-wide decline of heavy industries in the last decades of the 20th century, the city has seen the development of a strong tertiary sector of the economy.