visiting the ugliest part of Germany

[@maronrom]

Wuppertal is actually not part of the Ruhrgebiet. It´s part of the „Bergisches Land“.

[@helloerika]

I made a mistake 🥲 Let's consider it a bonus city in this video 😅

[@yunleung2631]

@@helloerika And thus god spoke, and Ruhrgebiet was born

[@achillesmichael5705]

Sure

[@jm2719]

Je moeder ook

[@rickmuc089]

Aber auch furchtbar 😂😂

[@RafaelBroz]

I'm a Brazilian living in the Ruhrgebiet for a few months. Lots of history and culture. Plus, the people here are very open and friendly.

[@Nils.Minimalist]

And they have the funniest german accent!!! ❤❤❤

[@djjnson546]

@@Nils.Minimalistabba dat kannse do getz ellich nich einfach so sagen hömma 😂

[@brubrunito8630]

hey how can I reach out to you I want to go to Germany 😮

[@lucasrem]

I meeted people in Brazil who could speak German, they did the same. I forgot their profession...

[@lucasricardofolco442]

sopa do macaco

[@de_anubis]

0:56 Correction: Steel doesn't have any natural deposits. You can produce steel with iron and coal which is booth available in the Ruhrgebiet.

[@Ferruccio001]

aah, that's why I've been struggling to produce steel! I wish I had known this way sooner. Anyway.

[@ropeburn6684]

The iron ore deposits are mostly depleted and have been for a long time. Germany imported iron ores worth 5 billion dollars in 2022, but exported only worth 270 million. Germany needing iron ore and France needing coal led to the Treaty of Paris 1951, a steel industry and trade pact that would eventually become the foundation of the EU.

[@christianx8494]

The last coal pit in the Ruhr closed down a few years ago. Mining had followed the coal further north and even deeper year after year. In the end coal mining needed heavy subsidies to be carried on. The coal pits are now being built back. The technology is removed and the open spaces are filled to prevent further sinking of the entire region.

[@borntoclimb7116]

Correct and funfact the rhine and air in the Ruhrgebiet nowadays is way more cleaner than in the 70s, in the 70s there was lot of smoke and sick peoples. Now we have even there some pretty nice places

[@asator2746]

I was born in the Ruhrpott and love it here. The industrial scenery fits its character to this day.

[@juicyfruit4378]

I had the opportunity to visit the Ruhr in 2020 and was surprised at how green the area was and that it was relatively clean. I made it to the major cities, but not the smaller ones that orbit around the larger cities; overall, it was a pleasant visit.

[@davidowen2396]

To someone who doesn't live in Germany, these cities look interesting. Personally, I like going to places where you have to scratch the surface to find fascination; I like places with industrial history and heritage...more relatable than "ancient" cities. Cities are about people more than buildings at the end of the day. Thanks for taking me to the Ruhr! Keep making videos with an alternative perspective and dry humour. Love from the UK!

[@EgoRaptorLP]

If you like indsutrial stuff you will like the area around the cities. Many impressive old factories and quite some creative ways of using them.

[@davidowen2396]

@@EgoRaptorLP Thanks for that..I'm definitely inspired to visit!

[@EgoRaptorLP]

@@davidowen2396 Oh and if you like cycling you might want to have a look at the Emscherweg. I recently watched a couple of videos about it. The Emscher is a river that used to be the sewer of the cities in that area because they couldn't build it underground due to the mines. It sounds like something from a developing country but parts of the river are still used like that! A lot of it has been renaturated though and makes an interesting "before/after" scenery. It's a gigantic project that has never been done in that size before in Germany and to that extent is very rare worldwide.

[@davidowen2396]

@@EgoRaptorLP Thank you again. I have just taken a look at some images of the Emscherweg. It looks very impressive and a great to see the natural world being returned without erasing the industrial heritage. This sort of project is much needed in the UK.

[@cajundragon]

If you enjoy industrial history than I'd suggest Pittsburgh. It's got a lot of water and bridges too so scenic.

[@sgt.rifleman]

I grew up there, and yes, it can be a depressing area. But it has a lot of decent, very hospitable and hard working people. It's easy to make friends there. However, shortly after school I moved to Hamburg and never regretted it.

[@detlefmann7433]

A lot of people emigrates out of this area, if they want to be sourronded with more nature, beautiful old towns, mountains, lakes or at the sea … it is not „everybody‘s destination“ like „Ludwigshafen/ Mannheim“, „Charleroi“ or „Detroit“ (in the US).

[@royklein9206]

From a photographers standpoint I always found the Ruhrgebiet very interesting! I'm a big fan of Germany anyways but I really like the old industrial buildings! Congrats on the new camera btw :D

[@voyance4elle]

Many ppl love the industrial style but to ne this is very depressing! Once someone I dated assumed that Cologne was part of the Ruhrgebiet and that really hurt me (as someone from Cologne)!! 😭

[@MrTohawk]

sad person from Bochum here :(

[@Sprossi]

BOCHUM 🗣️🗣️🗣️🔥🔥🔥 BESTE STADT 💙🤍

[@djjnson546]

yes at first i was disapointed too that she skipped Bochum. But, look at the headline, at least Bochum is not mentioned in this context haha

[@kingbeam80ify]

​@@djjnson546 bochum is legit prettyer than every other ruhrpott city.

[@sarahwritehere]

Really enjoyed this! I grew up in the so-called "rust belt" of the midwestern US. I love a modern city or an architecturally stunning one, but I always feel at home and charmed in a different sort of way by cities with industrial history. Haven't been to this part of Germany yet, but have always wanted to visit Wuppertal because of the Schwebebahn.

[@publicminx]

yep, they have indeed its own charme and unpretentious culture (including a certain market garden/carrier pigeon culture). the region was once THE industrial hotspot of Europe (especially coal-, iron- and steel) and played also historical a big role. After WW2 this was also the reason why the Montan Union was created. The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was a European organization created after World War II to integrate Europe's coal and steel industries into a single common market based on the principle of supranationalism.[2] It was formally established in 1951 by the Treaty of Paris, signed by Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany. The organization's subsequent enlargement of both members and duties ultimately led to the creation of the European Union.

[@jrgptr935]

Die Schwebebahn in Wuppertal ist so schrecklich, daß sogar Elefanten ... Gib einfach bei Google die Wörter "Elephant" und "Schwebebahn" und "Wuppertal" ein, vermutlich wirst Du ein spektakuläres Bild sehen. Es lohnt sich!

[@mauricebecker4455]

Nice video I come from Dortmund and have some small additions that might have been interesting for your video. First of all, I would like to emphasize with a smile that Dortmund is the largest city in the Ruhrpott (Ruhr area) with 593,941 inhabitants. (Essen 586 344) The largest Christmas tree in the world would certainly have fitted perfectly into your video, especially as you were only a few steps away from it. The Dortmund Christmas market is really beautiful. The U, which you liked and is the city's landmark, used to be one of the largest and most modern breweries in the world. Dortmund was once the largest beer city in the world next to Milwaukee. Last but not least, maybe you should watch a video of the south stand or maybe even visit it. then you'll quickly understand that "a club" was a bit of an understatement. In any case, a nice entertaining video. =)

[@dafff08]

dortmund is also one of the most migrant heavy cities. my father came with the italian wave during the 80s. now its mostly turks and arabian people.

[@65Tedybear]

I like your video. You showed not only the famous or maybe more infamous industrial zones. A big part of your video was also to show that there is way more to the 'Pott' than that. When we have visitors from elsewhere they are always amazed how much green areas are to be found here and your video shows just that. About Wuppertal, well technical ..... But since there is no strict and unified definition what IS the Ruhrarea, I think Wuppertal is near enough to be part of the video.

[@ericderick02]

I love your Videos there so fun thank you. Greetings from Germany, Hanover❤

[@MrTohawk]

the random metal thingies up on hills in the middle of nowhere are usually on artificial hills, Halden, made from all the earth we dug out of the ground here. If we had a proper earthquake the whole region would be a dozen meters lower afterwards. Same if we stopped pumping the water out of the now empty tunnels and caverns below

[@cloneoffunkenstein]

"Looking at Duisburg from the rest of germany is like looking at Germany from Switzerland " (Hazel Brugger)

[@sekborg5757]

Hazel Brugger ist ne unlustige Dumpfbacke, kaum zumehr zugebrauchen als dumme pipikaka-witze, bei denen sie Politiker darauf anspricht dass ihr Name in einen ihrer Pipikaka-Witze hineinpasst

[@detlefmann7433]

In the southwest- part or in a lot of bavarian communities it is similar to „switzerland“. For example Tubingen, Regensburg, Konstanz, Freiburg, Munich, Ulm … there are a lot of beautiful towns to have an well- done infrastructure and high life-quality.

[@d.sazzles4217]

​@@detlefmann7433yeah that's true. Isch oifach schee em Ländle z'woonâ Griaß gangâd nous🖤💛

[@detlefmann7433]

@@d.sazzles4217 Of course. I live in Baden close to the "triregio- district Basel" ❤💛 It is not far from the alps, Luzern, Berne, Zurich, Freiburg, Strassbourg, etc.

[@d.sazzles4217]

​@@detlefmann7433salli to the south! Beautiful area where you live😁 I am from the wine region of Württemberg 🖤♥️

[@voyance4elle]

that part about Hagen and the pidgeons made me laugh so hard!!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Yatsuzume]

I was in Duisburg at around the same time, I remember those exact christmas markets being closed 😅 I was also pleasantly surprised by the inner harbor! I think most ruhr cities did a good job renovating the industrial areas, I believe they deserve better than to be called the ugly part of germany even if they lost their historical buildings. Though the fact that I like the 1900s industrial style probably affects my opinion quite a bit.

[@lucasrem]

i did visited the KO and Christmas market of Dusseldorf many times, never found that anywhere else than in Germany.

[@Reorganiser]

I honestly think it's called the ugly part because that area is the pinnacle of "boring, weathered, slightly soviet looking city". Like literally all city centres there are like a budget version of Essen centre. If anything the industry parts are what gives the area character. Without them the cities would just look ugly and boring. The communities aren't very rich either hence the lack of renovation on buildings from the Nachkriegszeit (post war period)

[@TM21111]

The inner harbour is such a highlight of Duisburg 😍

[@erikvabrit7701]

I really like how your editing and presentation has evolved overtime and this is really your best video yet. I love the subtle wit and banter that you put in and you can really feel your personality and style through these videos more and more. Please keep doing what you are doing. It's really cool following your journey(s) here on youtube. Lots of love!

[@helloerika]

Thank you! Yes i am imrpoving and i want to keep improving and i appreciate that other also notice that too :))

[@megha4785]

I picked that up too, the editing was wonderful. Lots of love EriKa, your videos will be my guide for Germany this year :)

[@staslocovai]

Was in the Ruhr 3 weeks ago ( Thanks to Rammstein ) Essen - Dortmund - Gelsenkirchen - Düsseldorf.. Enjoyed the quiet in Essen and the more vivid vibes in Dortmund

[@FelixAufYoutube]

Then you clearly didn‘t visited Essen Rüttenscheid, a district in the South. So many trendy restaurants, bars, small clubs… And easily accessible by tram

[@fernandotabora]

Erika! you are killing it! love your videos mate!

[@fragdoch-nicht1290]

Love from the Ruhr, often enough seeing videos about germany that label the north,east and south of ger but casually pretend the west doesnt exist. Nice to see some visitors :)

[@YevgenZhurer]

The oldest known form of the city's name is Astnide, which changed to Essen by way of forms such as Astnidum, Assinde, Essendia and Esnede. The name Astnide may have referred either to a region where many ash trees were found or to a region in the East. 3:56

[@maniak1768]

Great video, but you missed Bochum, in my humble opinion the most interesting city in the Ruhr area. It's a little more cozy. I strongly recommend visiting it.

[@geistrich194]

Bochum love

[@Sprossi]

BOCHUM 🗣️🗣️🗣️🔥🔥🔥 BESTE STADT 💙🤍

[@Leksi_Lagoon]

As someone, who lives in Bochum, I would like to know, what you would recommend.

[@Sprossi]

@@Leksi_Lagoon BERGBAUMUSEUM, STARLIGHT EXPRESS, KEMNADER SEE, EISENBAHNMUSEUM DAHLHAUSEN 🗣️🗣️🗣️🔥🔥🔥👌👌👌

[@Sprossi]

@@Leksi_Lagoon und natürlich das Bermuda-Dreieck!

[@beebirdmoth]

UND DAS RUHRGEBIET BIN ICH!

[@ggilluminati4202]

Regarding germanys public transport, especially railway system: Especially in the Ruhrgebiet and the whole of NRW, because density is so high and because investments in the trains here were so low the last 40 years, the entire system is rotten nowadays. Everything about it is bad. So yeah the more you have to change trains for your journey the more likely it is to end up stuck somewhere in nowhereland or in a city you never wanted to visit in the first place. ^^

[@TheSniatch]

The Landschaftspark in Duisburg was used in the new Hunger Games movie for the District 12 scenery. You can actually see it in the trailer.

[@Chthrktz]

I think you would have enjoyed to see the southern areas of the big Ruhrgebietsstädte as well. In the south of Dortmund, Bochum, Essen, Duisburg, the Ruhr river crosses former independent villages. It’s surrounded by woods and meadows and there are a lot of barrier lakes. The bigges one is the Baldeneysee in Essen, which is a beautiful area to relax, spend time in nature or go on a little boat trip. Overall, I was very happy with what you said about my home town and surrounding Ruhrgebietsstädte.

[@grimaldus40k]

Raised in Oberhuasen, moved to Duisburg and work in Düsseldorf/ Duisburg. What treat to watch someone foreigner to expirience the cities

[@grimaldus40k]

the funny part is, that i work in Duisburg Theater behind the scenes.

[@lazrseagull54]

The subways and trams you're showing aren't the ones that are suffering from bad punctuality. The national rail network "Deutsche Bahn" is what sucks these days. The local rail is still better than in most countries. In the UK, a Duisburg sized city can only dream of having its own subway network.

[@germpore]

It was one of the things I noticed when visiting Germany - my first thought was "So much about Germany and its reputation for the trains running on time!" I had just come from The Netherlands where the trains really do seem to run like clockwork. Not that I minded, really - in Germany, the trains ran frequently enough that I was still able to get around in a timely manner. I contrast this with public transportation here in the USA, which is something you really can't rely on.

[@Frankfurtdabezzzt]

I actually went on vacation to the Ruhrgebiet and very much enjoyed it. As an enjoyer of industrial history it is a great place to go. Also a lot of old railway lines got converted to really nice bicycle paths.

[@LythaWausW]

I was part of that conversion in Wuppertal. I don't live there anymore so I don't get to enjoy it: ( I wouldn't be pushing my bike up those hills, I'd be on bridges cutting across valleys *sigh*

[@shrgn]

Essen is a lot nicer in the south! Should you ever come here again for some reason, I'd reccomend you to go to Rüttenscheid (which is considered the better center of Essen), Werden and Kettwig, also the Baldeneysee is very beautiful in the summer (big lake). But its a good vlog nevertheless, surprisingly a lot more positive than we ruhr people are used to 👍

[@raoulm.kisselbach1115]

And Borbeck Castle (in the north-west of Essen)!

[@ffr2498]

You should also visit the old town of Essen, called „Altenessen“.

[@RahmSchnitzelStudio]

Speaking of Rüttenscheid: one of the most exciting German bands at the moment have named their latest album Endless Rüttenscheid.😉 kzbin.info/www/bejne/hoXYXmOwodumj68 kzbin.info/www/bejne/qpfMg2yPbLF1jNE

[@underarmbowlingincidentof1981]

6:20 we once famously had an elephant jump out of the Wuppertaler Schwebebahn. there's photos of it. pretty crazy.

[@LythaWausW]

There is actually no photo of it (the ones you see are recreations) and I find this shocking because the Schwebebahn was full of journalists that trip. Who must have had cameras. When something like that happens, do journalists ignore their cameras?

[@niklasmorningstar4301]

I'm so early, the video actually shows "No views". What an achievement.

[@helloerika]

Nice :D and thank you

[@UncleHoCM]

The poorer towns in any place always interest me.

[@kachnolos]

One of my greatest hobbies is public transport. I visit the cities not only because architecture and culture, but because of metro, trams, buses and others. And right this is in Ruhrgebiet very, very interesting. There is Schwebebahn in Wuppertal, H-Bahn in Dortmund, Sky-train in Düsseldorf, gretest german partially trolleybuses system in Solingen, Spurbuses in Essen, U-Bahn (metro) which is combined with the trams, this both have two used track gauges and two different heights of platforms, but only one rail yard, some tram lines are only one-tracked, ... there is three level metro station in Dortmund too. And it all is connected by the train system so frequently, that in the rest of Germany you don't find something like this in such a large area. Maybe in Berlin you find so good train system, but Berlin is not so big like this area and other described isn't there. And up described is only transport. The people in this area are more open, like in the rest of Germany, the nature (seas, rivers, woods, parks...) nearby the cities, culture,... this all is very interesting too. In short: I was absolutely delighted with the "Ruhrgebiet" and nearby cities. I've been there three times already and I still have something new to discover. 🙂

[@cooltwittertag]

The Berlin S-Bahn is still a bigger systemt han the Rhein Ruhr one, Berlin is by far the best german city for public transport because its transit was originally designed for a population of up to 6 million

[@bahnspotterEU]

@@cooltwittertag The Berlin S-Bahn is not a bigger system than Rhein-Ruhr.

[@cooltwittertag]

@@bahnspotterEUBerlin has more lines and about 4 times the ridership

[@Astromegalul]

@@cooltwittertag The Berlin S-Bahn has 15 Lines while the Rhein Ruhr S Bahn has 11 Lines, but if you Combine them with the Cologne S-Bahn, which is part of the Combined Metropolitan Area Rhein-ruhr, and Also has Lines that exceed to Düsseldorf or even Essen, you get 17 Lines in the Rhein-Ruhr Area. But if you Compare the U-Bahn/Stadtbahn Linien you see how much Public Transport there is in the Ruhr/Rhein Ruhr Area. Berlin has 10 U-Bahn Lines. In the Ruhr Area you have a lot of U-Bahn (Stadtbahn) Lines: Essen: 3, Dortmund: 8, Duisburg:1, Bochum: 1. if you add Cologne and Düsseldorf you really get a lot. Cologne: 12. Düsseldorf: 10. and in most Cities you have even more Tram Lines. The Transport System is a bit outdated, but it's really Dense and good. The Central Stations in Dortmund and Duisburg are also getting a much needed Upgrade at the moment.

[@cooltwittertag]

@@Astromegalul comparing U-Bahn to Stadtbahn is disingenuous, at that point might as well add the Berlin Tram lines too. The U-Bahn in Berlin has significantly higher capacity, the ridership numbers speak for themselves.

[@AdamZugone]

Watching this video I'm amazed at how densely populated Germany is. I'm Latvian, and the fact that you're going to these random cities that I've never heard of and saying "it was pretty boring" and I'm looking at them like "wow, I'd be excited if I had this many big cities to go to in Latvia". Because most of these look about as exciting as the top 3 most populated cities in Latvia, and I've realized that Latvia is very empty...

[@AdamZugone]

After some Wikipedia browsing, only Latvia's capital is bigger than the 80 biggest cities in Germany....... Damn I live in the middle of nowhere 😂

[@dreamthedream8929]

​@@AdamZugonefirst of all Germany has a very high population, over 80 million. So you would expect that. If that is a good or bad thing, well many people would say different things on it. Many would say that it's not that good, it's way too much. As far as latvia goes it's population is just right for it's size while also allowing for better preservation of wild spaces there of which there are many there. This also applies to the other baltic countries. There are many nice cities and towns to visit in the baltic countries and also many natural places. This is great. Same applies to finland, it's population of around 5 million is just right for it's size while having many wild places. You wouldn't want to be like Belgium or the Netherlands which are smaller than latvia but seem to be overcrowded for their territories with their 10 million people squeezed in there. This can create various difficulties regarding nature and otherwise. The population in many places around the world is way too high now however in the baltic states it's not too different from what it was 100 years ago while in other places it has gone up drastically. I would say that Montenegro has a good population for it's size as well

[@dreamthedream8929]

I live in colombia now with a population of a bit over 50 million people. Huge country though, would be the largest in europe after Russia. So is 50 million too much or no for a country of this size? Perhaps it's even too much here. And this is a great example of that drastic increase in population in the 20th century that i mentioned before. Just think that colombia had around 4 million people at the beginning of the 20th century and now this. This also puts of a lot of pressure on the wild space preservation but colombia still has many of them however pollution seems to be a major problem, plastic and other garbage. It's also interesting to note that cartagena where I live now at around 1900 had a population of 20.000 which or more or less is like jekabpils now. However at the same time riga in 1900 already had 200.000 or more people. However now cartagena has over 900,000 people which riga had in the 1990. This cartagena example shows that drastic population increase in the 20th and 21st centuries.

[@juppzmuda9725]

At least in Latvia you still can talk your own language, in big german cities you should be capable to talk arabian...

[@chrizzlybear5565]

Keep in mind that the Ruhr area is the most densely populated region in Germany (not counting metropolises like Berlin or Hamburg), so don't expect all of Germany to look like this. Some parts of Bavaria might be closer to Latvia than to the Ruhr area.

[@waldmeister0815]

Great video, but I have to admit I studied at a "Montane university" and my heart had a little dropout at "natural deposits of iron and steel" The mainly mined raw material in the Ruhrgebiet was stone coal, then a variety of iron ores and a little lead and tin. Steel as we know it is produced with this iron and coal (and some amounts of other ingredients like chrome, molybdenum, titan, ...). and is very very rarely found in nature.

[@oldtop4682]

Wow, trains being late surprises me. In the 80s and into the 90s I almost never experienced a train being late in Germany. Thanks for showing a region that I didn't have an opportunity to visit while I was living there!

[@stefan1924]

I wanted to visit Düsseldorf last year, but the Bahn got stuck and so I ended up in Duisburg. Actually quite liked it. Beautiful town hall, interesting port and the mighty Rhine is always worth seeing.

[@robbar42]

thanks for showing us the beauties of Germany, I only know München and Berlin, and the south of Bavaria. I hope to see some more in the future

[@GenerationHollow]

Thank you for your sacrifice (using the German train system) And congrats on the camera upgrade!

[@cliveshakespeare9184]

Great presentation, I love your direct style! Personally, I am not keen on the Ruhrgebiet, I live in a village in Brandenburg so its understandable. Lets see some more!

[@vp7219]

Sad that these "ugliest" parts of Germany look magnitudes better than any average city in the USA.

[@Volvo_EG]

7:23 If you want to visit the Lego Bridge and don’t want to be stranded below you can just get on the Lego bridge as there is the Nordbahntrasse which was a former railway road which now got transformed to a combined cycling and walking park. It connects the whole city and you can get some beautiful views from viaducts high over the city.

[@LythaWausW]

It's a dream of mine to ride a bike on the entire Nordbahntrasse. Because my name is on it somewhere on a plaque, because I helped start conversion in 2007. I'm happy for all those people who don't have to push their bikes up hills anymore. And sad for me: (

[@00nigirimeshi]

Personally i LOVE the industrial history and whats left of it in the Ruhepott. And like she said, the people are very genuine. Not so pretentious and very friendly under the ruff surface.

[@Misselfilmen]

I stumbled with your channel because I’ve been thinking about moving to Europe via skills after, you know, America chose a let’s call it “vintage” leader with recycled scapegoat finding ideas and I got to say I really really like the style with which you present. You’re really good at this, and your videos and commentary bring me great joy in exploring the other side of the pond.

[@stevecyclemaker492]

If you try next Time to visit Krefeld and the Citycenter ... don´t forget a Citypart named Linn with a nice Castle and a very sweet Oldtown

[@stasbob2440]

Hello Erika ) Next week i am staying in Essen for Rammstein in Gelsenkirchen, your video helps to set up the mood for strolling. Thank you !

[@IvanVazquezS]

I mean literally one of the few things I liked when living in Germany was visiting the Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord. It's just so amazing and different to walk in, you feel like you are in The Last of Us. For a jogger, a photographer and somebody that appreciates kinda post apocalyptic vibes, that park is really a must

[@thejoker3151]

You should visit Mönchengladbach, it’s by far worse than any town you have covered

[@barrylyndon80]

I agree with you, I went there not long ago to buy a car, I was surprised how dirty and not nice it was there

[@popogast]

"Ruhrpott" is not ugly. It's a region which became a tourism hot spot. We have so many museums and other interesting places where You can find our history. Walk at the river Ruhr and have a good time!

[@kuchenblechmafiagmbh1381]

In the area of the CentrO Mall called "Neue Mitte" was a steel mill, the Gutehoffnungshütte (GHH) one of the origins of the MAN Company (they build trucks, buses, vans and huge diesel engines for ships nowadays), they sold their steel department "Ferrostaal" around 2010; the Gasometer now used for cultural purposes (mostly exhibitions) is one of the few relics. And the Centro's parking garages are free of charge, but when I was there, you had literally a traffic jam/queue of cars inside (I guess that would be even worse if you had to pay for parking and with the boom barriers). I was there just for two days around Herne, Gladbeck, Oberhausen and on the second day Duisburg and Bochum and it impressed me that there wasn't real empty area with nature etc. between most of these towns/cities, it felt like one huge conglomerate where one city just transitions into another, I see why this as a part of the Metropolitan Area Rhein-Ruhr has a total population of 10 Million, so roughly one eigth of Germany. I have plans to return there, got the 49€-Ticket since May and mostly used it for weekend daily trips yet (to Berlin, Leipzig, Magdeburg, Hanover, Minden), however it's not too far away from me (around 300 kilometres from Brunswick to Dortmund), I'm planning to take a week off in spring and go with bike and ride around there and do overnight stays in hostels. I'd call the ruhr area "run-down" in some ways like the buildings but in contrast especially the environment had become much better in the decades since the 80s especially through deindustrialization of course with a huge loss of employments (and the coke plant Kaiserstuhl III the most modern at the times was closed after a few years and most parts transfered to China while other coke plants here are pretty old, the one in Salzgitter was built before WWII and is still in service), however, rivers like the Emscher were extremly polluted (like the Ganges) really "dead" and are nowadays alive again.

[@Ravenocturnal]

I am from Colombia (Latam), I have visited these cities several times and I took a trip on my own to the industrial region after attending dark and gothic music festivals. I must say that it was a spectacular experience because of its people, food, parties and museums.

[@azzamfs]

Thanks for making a travel vlog to a place I won't likely visit 😅

[@helloerika]

You re welcome :D

[@SimonS44]

omg you're probably the first tourist in Hagen haha. But it's what I tell everyone always, the city centre is meh (although once you leave the station area and go the shopping area it's not too bad, at least compared to how it used to be - cars everywhere), but the outside parts are much nicer in my opinion. The open air museum (Freilichtmuseum) is worth a visit, there's a castle in Hohenlimburg, some nice parks and forests to hike in, the riverfront on the Ruhr is also quite nice. Also some smaller art and history museums, and areas like Eilpe or Wehringhausen have some old architecture. It's not super exciting, but also not the worst :)

[@KerzelHeinz]

iam from hagen and believe me the city is one of the uglyst germany have, but around is nice

[@LythaWausW]

Well that was my mistake, I never made it out of the station area: (

[@karstenkailer4669]

I really like the Pott-area. The cities may not be very nice, but there are several things to do and Industrial-culture is very interesting. There are several green spaces and you can canoe or even swim in the Ruhr-river

[@Spielerandom]

Thank you for making this video. I never been in those cities.

[@strubbleler]

lovely video! Here in Amsterdam, and other cities across the country, we have Elephant statues with similar various art on them, similar to the flying dragons you saw!

[@tmgarcia2002]

I lived in Duisburg-Neudorf area for 3 years. Not that bad really, Duisburg Zoo is good and Stadtwald was my favorite hiking area, as it's very near my flat. A lot of interesting places to visit, like Tiger and Turtle, Landschaftspark, Biegerpark. And if you avoid certain areas, can be an affordable and charming option especially for those starting to live/work in NRW.

[@Ruzzo14]

As a proud resident of Bochum, I was hoping you would visit my city. But we got skipped :(

[@helloerika]

Im sorry ;( i ve been there last year though for the christmas market and it was cool! There was a flying santa 😄

[@tatututuuu3515]

Thank you for the video!! I grew up in Oberhausen but i currently don't live in the Ruhrgebiet due to university. It was nice seeing these places again. I will be moving back to the region soon, there is a charm i cant really describe that makes it enjoyable to live there (and the cheap rent lol). My fav places are Baldeneysee (good for hiking), Grugapark, Saan-Mendener Ruhraue and generally walking by the Ruhr river. The nature is really great even tho there are so many big cities. They also started building many bike lanes that even connect the cities as a sort of Autobahn for bicycles which is really cool. I also enjoy the many different cultures that live here and come together. And a big plus as you've said is the closeness to Düsseldorf and Cologne. When i was living in Oberhausen we would usually go to Düsseldorf to hang out since as you saw there isnt much in Oberhausen other than petting animals in the kaisergarten (where u saw the weird long bridge) or going to Centro.

[@reverendbluejeans1748]

Not that ugly. And I am from the uk.

[@CathyTalksMiami]

You are very lighthearted and funny! Enjoy watching your videos!

[@donosodemaistre2764]

Hagen is really a mess. Once a month I have to make a round trip via Hagen, and boy, has this city suffered over the last 40 years. Basically, it is a train wreck in slow motion.

[@Malik-rj7jc]

Your voice is soothing.

[@publicminx]

in Essen is the headquarter of ALDI North, in Muehlheim a.d. Ruhr (same region) the one of ALDI South ...

[@hainsey6264]

I'm from Sydney. My German nephew always gets annoyed if everything is OK and I say 'Alles ist in Dortmund'. Thank you for introducing me to the city. Now when I say it, it'll make more sense.

[@LythaWausW]

I just asked if Alles ist in Dortmund is a saying and my husband replied, "I guess if you're in Gelsenkirchen, and you're jealous." : )

[@Kaffeebohne]

Hagen - betonierte Depression.

[@miguelgalvez7960]

your jokes and humor is really cool. Keep doing it like that!

[@afjo972]

15:20 „more international people in Köln and Düsseldorf“ 😂😂😂 the cities in the Ruhrpott have the highest share of foreigners in Germany 😂 there are entire neighbourhoods in Duisburg, Dortmund and Essen where you only hear Turkish and Arabic 😂

[@dirkwesselmann9393]

You missed some important things like Folkwang Museum in Essen which is pretty amazing. Also just focussing on architecture misses the point that the area has developed a very lively art and music scene. Also worthwhile to mention that the Ruhrgebiet has established many universities and science institutions over the past decades.

[@obaysh5047]

Thanks for the video .. I had a plan of moving to west part of germany to be near the netherlands.. but after seeing the groundbreaking architecture of those cities,, i think that i will stick to moving directly to utrecht.. nice hair cut

[@joshuatulici2180]

My head hurts like hell bc I am sick as hell and I was so bored of scrolling on tiktok..and your vid gave me something else to focus on so ty a lot :D hope you have fun with what your doing too

[@lonelypotato3001]

You should check out Oldenburg. In the war, it was barely destroyed and thus has kept almost all of its historical buildings and even its palace (which nowadays has a nice museum inside).

[@novo9024]

For me living here, The Landschaftspark Nord is some of the most beautiful thing around here. Loving it.

[@publicminx]

btw, close to Duesseldorf (which btw. is the capital of the Nordrhein-Westfalia state - the most populated one in Germany, slightly more than the entire Netherlands) is the Neanderthal - the valley lies within the limits of the towns of Erkrath and Mettmann. In August 1856, the area became famous for the discovery of Neanderthal 1, one of the first specimens of Homo neanderthalensis to be found.

[@Azrael1st]

0:38 what the actual fuck is that atrocity. I think will have nightmares seeing that thing.

[@MartinBrenner]

It is a "Nana" statue by Niki de Saint Phalle, you can find them in cities all over Europe.

[@JessicaDonnelly-he2kj]

Westfalenpark in Dortmund is a great place to visit and the Phoenixsee in the Hörde neighbourhood

[@MegaCooliam]

Now do the prettiest cities in germany

[@LythaWausW]

Dresden!

[@barrylyndon80]

Düsseldorf

[@ilBUZZo]

Wow!! Cool video! This is my least Germany's favorite region...way too crowded in my opinion. After watching your video I might have changed my mind a bit

[@TheAxel65]

It is indeed one of the most densely populated areas in Europe with around 5.1 million people. I moved to Dortmund 30 years ago and have never regretted it. I love the mentality of the people here: The down-to-earth attitude and helpfulness, but also the dry and often self-deprecating humor. The saying on my doormat puts it in a nutshell: _elsewhere sucks too_ ("woanders is auch scheisse") 😂

[@ilBUZZo]

@@TheAxel65 Hey there! I'm glad you didn't regret moving to beautiful Dortmund! I live in Berlin at the moment, not my favorite place though....a bit too chaotic and hectic in my opinion.

[@leifkunzel6701]

If you more like older buildings and architecture you can find this in the ruhrarea too but more in smaller towns like Hattingen or at least not in the center like in Essen Kettwig or Herten Westerholt. And in general in the area many towns are more interesting when you visit not only the main center, which is often boring. Btw. There are some exceptions like Recklinghausen or Hattingen.

[@Chthrktz]

The small town of Wetter has a very beautiful historic center as well.

[@jooch_exe]

That's a list with many of my favorite places. Absolutely love the industry stuff.

[@Dancetothetower]

i live in the ruhr valley and even were born in hagen for me these old factories have something very charming esspecially if nature begins to reclaim them it feels postapocalyptic and peaceful at the same time also dont go to hagen i lived there 19 years and i can confirm its like gotham even the pidgeons are brutal if they are in the way the look you straight in the eyes and just slowly walk away even for busses only exeption the Freilichtmuseum

[@RyanNightTalks]

Love your videos. Beautiful country. Have been there once, had a great time.

[@ofvigelosandammonia244]

When I am travelling in Europe, first I like to visit big cities like Berlin. Then I really want to visit small cities to compare the vibe and feel much more local atmosphere. That kinds of small silent cities in Europe have different vibes that affects me a lot. So, I would recommend to anyone who does not want to be tourist and who wants to feel more local, kinda creepy serene atmosphere. Thanks for the video!

[@dreamthedream8929]

Why is it creepy though? Is that good or bad? But yes there are many nice medium and small sized cities, was in berat in Albania and it was nice.

[@ofvigelosandammonia244]

​@@dreamthedream8929I don't know... When everything is so calm, perfect, I feel like something bad is gonna happen 😅 It's just a different feeling. Maybe I am not used to that calmness in city life.

[@dreamthedream8929]

@@ofvigelosandammonia244 I see, I didn't feel like that. It's good to go to towns and smaller cities. In fact a lot of people prefer living in them if they can. A nice town of 10.000 people will do just fine for many people. A big city is overwhelming for many and for too long

[@kaibroeking9968]

The idustrial culture is really a big thing. It was all kicked off with a 24 hour marathon session in 1999 which all the freshly created monuments first opened, and were connected by special bus routes. What was really cool was that whole families went exploring the sites, very often the grandfather showing the his grandchildren where he had been working. 6:04 "Soviet era looking buildings"? First of all we are in Western Germany ... , and then this is neoclassical and Palladian architecture of an 1870s train station. "Elberfeld-Döppersberg" as it was known back then was the station for a beautiful, prosperous and, most of all, a filthy rich city. This still shows in places. At some point, the Nazis/Air Marshal Harris/the US Air force decided to change that, and a car-crazy city council afterwards continued the destruction. Fun fact: not 2000 m from this station, Heroin was developed. As a kid, I remember seeing very strange people consuming it in the close vicinity to the very run down station in the 1990s.

[@danah3462]

There are some nice-looking older buildings in Duisburg-Duissern. Also, you might not enter the stairs of Tiger&Turtle on sundays, but you can climb the little hill that they are on. My personal favourite area in Duisburg (beside the Innenhafen) is the lake-area (6-Seen-Platte). Duisburg is actually not too bad and not that ugly as people think :)

[@Kuba85Kr]

It was very interesting and insightful as for a Gastarbeiter from Poland

[@DeerOhMyDear]

I loove industriality so cities like this I found beautiful!! Ostrava in Czech rep. is my favourite! 🖤 Also giirl you bit look like Kate Marsh from life is strange🥹

[@thorbenmoe4195]

One part from Duisburg belongs to Ruhr the northern halv belongs to the Niederrhein

[@kingbeam80ify]

Ruhrgebiet and Niederrhein don't exclude each other! A city can be part of both. Also the Ruhrgebiet has no clear borders. There are only associations that define the border by their members

[@thorbenmoe4195]

@@kingbeam80ify the Ruhr area has borders ???? Rhein ,Ruhr and Lippe

[@LythaWausW]

Someone gave us a day train ticket as a gift and we used it (what a weird thing to do, just ride trains for fun?). One stop was Hagen and I must say it's the only city in Germany where I felt unsafe. There seemed to only be loud hoodlums and they walked in the streets, in traffic.

[@Franzen_leila]

I love Essen... the city where my Grandparents were born...

[@dafff08]

as soon as i read ugliest part of germany i immediately thought it must be dortmund or surroundings. i live there because of work. that said its not all bad. there are areas that are good enough to live, but theres also many areas that its not recommended to visit, like the nordstadt. especially as a woman in the evening.

[@PrzemekM25]

3:59 No, Dortmund is the largest in terms of area and number of inhabitants. I originally come from Silesia in Poland, but from the more agricultural part and famous for its cement factories, called white Silesia, the capital of which is Opole, and the Ruhr area is the same as the mining part of Silesia, i.e. called black, the capital is Katowice. Here I live between the Ruhr area, Dusseldorf, Koln and Bergisches Land. It's also the agricultural and cement part of this region, so I feel at home here. You also need to visit these areas, specifically the Mettmann district, a lot of nice, interesting cities and towns.

[@AXELVISSERS]

You've made videos about Netherlands, Germany, France, Luxembourgh but nothing about Belgium 😭 please visit and make a video! Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp, Leuven are all must sees!! 🇧🇪🇧🇪

[@malieba1443]

I was expecting a comment from a local about the origin of the name Essen. "Die Esse" means "forge" and would make more sense

[@barrylyndon80]

The only not so good looking town in the "Ruhrgebiet" is Oberhausen in my opinion. The rest of the cities are mostly divided into two parts, the good and the bad.

[@isana788]

I live there and the Ruhr Area has 2 sides. Can be pretty Ugly in the inner Cities but also really beautyful. I have some Drone Videos on my channel if you are interested to see more of this area.

[@elijahcs3633]

Hey, that was my old school! And yeah, nobody I know knows what the red things are. Greetings from Dortmund!