visiting the ugliest part of Germany

I visited the ugliest part of Germany so you don't have to. Or should you?
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Named after the Ruhr river , this is Germany’s most densely populated region, at least some websites say that.
Formerly Germany's coal-mining region. Now this region has changed significantly after all that happened. The new Ruhr region is considered a model for the transformation of industrial landscapes or they say.
I'm not an expert and I don't know everything, so if you know more about something I dont, feel free to let me know :))
00:00 ruhr
00:20 duisburg
00:50 why is ruhr ugly
02:35 oberhausen
03:50 essen
05:45 wuppertal (not ruhr woops)
06:40 parks
07:49 dortmund
09:00 public transport
10:06 hagen
10:56 final thoughts
i was certain wuppertal is in ruhr. Let's pretend u saw nothing 😅 thank you
Positive articles & what to see
www.smaracuja.de/10-illustre-...
ckanani.com/blog/ruhr-region-...
Sources:
Ruhr and what it is
www.germany.travel/en/cities-...
www.deutschland.de/en/topic/b...
www.britannica.com/place/Ruhr
What to see in ruhr
www.adac.de/reise-freizeit/re...
Redit sources:ckanani.com/blog/ruhr-region-...
/ i_believe_that_ruhrgeb...
/ duisburg_also_known_as...
/ kiosk_kultur_across_ge...
Ruhr area and history
• 5 Fakten über das Ruhr...
www.wri.org/update/germany-ru...
/ ruhrpott-the-former-in...
CityBuildingsRuhr
stadt-bauten-ruhr.tu-dortmund...
Essen 1943 - "Battle of the Ruhr" - Living Conditions
www.urban-kaleidoscope.eu/en/m...
Duisburg before and after the war
german-tragedy-of-destiny.lor...
deutsche-schutzgebiete.de/wor...
german-tragedy-of-destiny.lor...
Disclaimer: Sorry if you see misspellings, it happens more often than i notice. Thank you for watching and I hope you enjoyed the video!
✨ And see you soon! ✨

[@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.

[@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

[@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).

[@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.

[@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

[@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“.

[@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 :)

[@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 🖤♥️

[@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!

[@GenerationHollow]

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

[@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.

[@dontmindme6995]

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)

[@theodormiddeldorf309]

The inner harbour is such a highlight of Duisburg 😍

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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!

[@azzamfs]

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

[@helloerika]

You re welcome :D

[@niklasmorningstar4301]

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

[@helloerika]

Nice :D and thank you

[@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

[@RyanNightTalks]

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

[@mikedanyurs5126]

Thanks for another informative and charming video. Congrats on the new camera, I noticed you looked different but didn’t realize it was due to a different lens. Hope all is going well.

[@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.

[@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*

[@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.

[@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!

[@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

[@dinche21294]

I really enjoy your content. It is very charming and informative. Looking forward to more :)

[@ericderick02]

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

[@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.

[@fatihkymazarslan8308]

nice to watch your videos Erika! Dusseldorf is also my favorite and the place where i can live. i`m waiting for your new videos with your new camera :)

[@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.

[@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.

[@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 :)

[@user-zl1yz3hj8z]

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: (

[@Spielerandom]

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

[@DaveHeatherLivinginGermany]

Great video as usual! Also, your pigeon edits/cuts were awesome!

[@jooch_exe]

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

[@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

[@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 😄

[@miguelgalvez7960]

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

[@fernandotabora]

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

[@klarasee806]

Erika, you are definitely going somewhere. Through the ceiling that is, if you keep on doing such a great job with your videos 👍

[@suf5802]

As someone from dortmund, I liked your summary very much. It is indeed a city with many people and shops and some good looking buildings. Red things are cool too. But yeah I cant wait to move away

[@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🥹

[@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!

[@CathyTalksMiami]

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

[@Mordecai_daily_life]

Thank you for your video ❤❤ Love you😊❤

[@beebirdmoth]

UND DAS RUHRGEBIET BIN ICH!

[@inhalerofmoistmeals2931]

Man it's wild seeing someone make a proper video about the region I've lived in all my life! The Ruhrpott does grow on you once you found your spots in it. Thanks to the high density of cities and towns you get to see new places and meet new people whenever you want, which is a plus. It's a very connected area and pretty much everyone's been everywhere at some point.

[@gustavogomasov4107]

It's actually a very nice video, specially if you live nearby. You need to checkout Aachen or maybe Venlo which are on the opposite side of where you were. They are also more lively in my opinion. I will definitely go to Essen and Dortmund after watching this.

[@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.

[@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. ^^

[@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.

[@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.

[@Malik-rj7jc]

Your voice is soothing.

[@tam6838]

I really like your videos, please keep making them

[@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.

[@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

[@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)!! 😭

[@MrJray1120]

Great video, as always! Would love to see you visit some US cities someday 😄

[@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.

[@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.

[@TheBumbleCheese]

The people are more problematic than the cities. I live in Bochum and went to Dortmund last week and it felt like a fever dream when it comes to the people.

[@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!! 🇧🇪🇧🇪

[@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." : )

[@JessicaSanford]

This was great to watch! My Grandma came from Bochum and I have visited there so the vibes were familiar to see 🥹 I never thought of the area as ugly when I visited from Canada, I was just thinking hell yeah Germany is beautiful and awesome.

[@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 :)

[@latetodagame]

finally a halfway good representation of the area I life in, and there are a lot more places worth a visit there ;) not necessarily beautiful but they're there ;)

[@ozgegunaydn1935]

A lot of Turkish people moved Duisburg at 60's for work. Very very nice video Erica 🍒 is Cevahir AVM the biggest shopping store in the Europe ‼️ i didnt know that but i miss a lot that. So much tourist has came and it's channged a lot , i dont want to go anymore.. 10:01 cars are everywhere in Istanbul, i have to go work by walking but traffic and cars feels stucked in the crowded 😢

[@thejoker3151]

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

[@julientrue]

No sponsored segment this time? :( Those are my favourite parts 😫 Still a great video tho!!

[@poppyizzzzz]

I love your vids, I enjoy watching them and knitting simultaniously

[@28Saryvo]

If you are ever in Essen again I strongly suggest you visiting Villa Hügel, the history behind that building is quite something as the family Krupp who build it really shaped Essen through their steel company. Also it is extremely pretty and includes a huge park aswell.

[@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.

[@reverendbluejeans1748]

Not that ugly. And I am from the uk.

[@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.

[@TamimKhan-it7nd]

i love u Erika ...u r so great ...i love ur all videos

[@fabiankuntzig6507]

hello hello erika. Great video, I too was wondering: "why Hagen, why not Bochum?".

[@MegaCooliam]

Now do the prettiest cities in germany

[@LythaWausW]

Dresden!

[@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.

[@TacoFooo]

Love the new video and your new hair cut! Any new video game projects going on?

[@helloerika]

Thank you! Im not really a game designer per say. I mean the game i made for gamescon was fun and i really liked the outcome, but i mainly did the illustrations and the assets. So there will be no video on that topic in the near future. Other then that i was playing the sims for quite some time :D

[@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!

[@gambit_toys6554]

nice video! congrats on the new camera :D

[@novo9024]

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

[@theodormiddeldorf309]

First I was upset seeing my home region being called ugly. But then your pictures reminded me of the colorful bird and I kind of understand for some areas 😂

[@anacker93]

When I read the video title, I knew the video would thematize the Ruhrgebiet 😂 But actually it's underrated! It has a special charme, we call it Ruhrpott-Romantik ❤

[@geraldwagner8739]

The south of the Ruhrgebiet next to the river Ruhr is very nice. The landscape is very hilly (not so flat), there are beautiful reservoirs like the Baldeneysee in the south of Essen and some really pretty smaller towns like Hattingen. You would be very surprised.

[@ioan_jivan]

Educational💚

[@SimonMeulenbeek]

Congrats on the new camera!

[@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.

[@TheTarget1980]

If you like old german cities, you should try Wolfenbüttel, Goslar, Lüneburg, Wernigerode, Gotha, Erfurt, Halle (Saale), Görlitz, Brandenburg (Havel), . Esslingen, Tübingen, and many cities in Bavaria. There is not much more left in Germany of older times, unfortunately.

[@voyance4elle]

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

[@TylerVlogs97]

I am Glad you made it Out of Hagen alive. Jokes aside its Nice to See my area represented

[@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

[@BertiOnTour]

Ein schönes Video aus meiner Heimatstadt. Danke

[@tretbootpilot]

I'm originally from the countryside in. The Sauerland south of the Ruhrgebiet. Closeby here is a village there that is also valled Hagen. Therefore we usually distinguish between Kuhschisshagen (Cowshithagen) and Taubenschisshagen (Pidgeonshithagen). Even the clubs in the village Hagen often refer to their home as Kuhschisshagen

[@eduardozuniga7477]

Wow that was like a Home-Alone-number of pigeons in Hagen :O