The Rise of the Ruhr Area, Germany's Industrial

Heartland, in the 19th Century

Abstract

The industrial development of cities in the Ruhr Area in the nineteenth century is

described. The research was based on English and German language sources. Several

factors that shaped growth and paths of the cities were categorized and analyzed. They

are locations, resources, traditions, entrepreneurs, and technological developments.

Locations and resources were the most important among them; other factors may be

regarded as consequences from locations and resources. Among the cities, Bochum,

Essen, Gelsenkirchen, and Dortmund had the richest resources and most favorable

locations in the transportation network and grew to be the largest cities in the Ruhr area

near the end of the nineteenth century. Riverside location was also a favorable factor for

the development, as shown in the development of Duisburg on the confluence of Rhine

and Ruhr. Resource distribution can explain the rise of textile industry, metallurgical

industry, and coal and iron industries, and the northward progression of the mining

industry. Tradition was an important factor for cities such as Krefeld, Barmen, Elberfeld,

Solingen, and Remscheid, which experienced development based on their traditions

through the nineteenth century. Various entrepreneurs exerted influences within and

beyond the local level over the Ruhr area. Technological development stimulated the

northward progression of the mining industry and the deep connection between the coal

and the iron industries.

I. Significance and Definition of the Ruhr Area

            Until the mid-nineteenth century, the Ruhr area had not been anticipated to grow

to be the industrial hub essential to the European economy (1). Its cities such as Duisburg,

Essen, and Dortmund had only moderate size of population in 1800: about 4,000

residents each (2). The area was overall rural and its use was mostly for forestry, grazing,

and agriculture. Before 1850, the mining industry of the area existed in a modest scale

mainly in the hilly southern regions; in 1850, about 12,000 miners worked to produce 1.5

million tons of coal (3). However, during the second half of the century, the Ruhr area

showed dramatic increase in its scale of coal and iron industry, thus transforming itself

into the massive industrial core of great renown. Not only to Germany did it grow in

importance but to the whole Europe. Especially Germany's neighboring countries, such as

France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Netherlands, had their industries much dependent on

the Ruhr s coal, metallurgical coke, iron, steel. By 1910, the area had more than ��

400,000 miners whose quantity of coal production exceeded 110 million tons a year. For

both great quantity and quality of production, the Ruhr area won the acknowledgement as

the best coalfield on the whole European continent (4).

            This paper will analyze this interesting and dramatic change of the Ruhr area from

a rather rural region into the great industrial area and aim to explain the factors which

influenced paths of developments of different cities.

            The Ruhr area s boundary varies with the purpose and the author. In almost ��

all cases, the region bounded by the Rhine river, the Ruhr river, the Lippe river, and

Dortmund is regarded as the essence of the Ruhr area. Scholars often extend this concept

to include other closely interrelated regions under the name "the Greater Ruhr Area". For

example, in Charle s definition, Hamm, Lüdenscheid marks the eastern boundary of ��

the "Greater Ruhr Area", Mönchengladbach and Krefeld the western one, and Remscheid

and Solingen the southern one (5). Because regional difference and industrial variance are

important for this paper's purpose, the Ruhr area will be defined broadly in order to have

sufficient level of regional and industrial difference. Table 1.1 shows the cities that will

be covered in the Ruhr area and that are the focus of this paper.

Figure 1.1 : Cities, Towns and Rivers in the Ruhr Area, about 1800, after Pounds 1952

pp.35, 39

Table 1.1

Cities, Towns Barmen, Bochum, Dinslaken, Dortmund, Duisburg, Elberfeld, Essen,

Gelsenkirchen, Hagen, Hamm, Hattingen, Hörde, Krefeld, Müheim / Ruhr,

Oberhausen, Recklinghausen, Remscheid, Ruhrort, Solingen, Sprockhövel,

Wesel, Wetter, Witten

Rivers Emscher, Ennepe, Lippe, Rhine, Ruhr, Volme, Wupper

II. Geography

            The Ruhr basin is higher than the northern plains and lower than the southern

hills. The Ruhr area has various kinds of soils. Glacial and terrace gravels, often covered

with heath and woodlands, form unfertile soils. So do the marshes along the bottom of

the valleys. Meanwhile, the "loess" belt through the Ruhr area s heart provides a very��

productive region (6). Coincidentally, this belt approximately conforms to the distribution

of the coalfields. The Ruhr area is drained by slow-flowing rivers such as Ruhr, Emscher,

Lippe. The rainfall, though less than in the southern hills, is enough to render some ill-

drained areas impassable swamps (7).

            The coal is near the surface and thus easy to mine in the southern coalfields of the

Ruhr area. However, the coal hides deeper under the cover of Secondary rocks

northward. Northern coalfields bear coal of higher volatile content than southern ones.

Near the Ruhr river is the southern limit of the coalfield (8).

            The Ruhr river, rising in the hills of the Sauerland, flows to the west across the

southern Ruhr Area till it merges with the Rhine. The path of the Ruhr is within the

northern edge of the southern hills and is divided from the plain of North Germany only

by a single low ridge "Haarstrang" (9). The Haarstrang is very steep toward the Ruhr

valley, while having moderate slope northward to the plain. The river is located on the

intersection of the old Roman road on the left bank of the Rhine and the migration path of

some Germanic tribes to Western Europe (10). This location helped cities develop as

commercial and trading centers in the area.

            The plain to the north of the Ruhr valley is drained by the Emscher river. The

Emscher is small and slow. Its valley has various soil types: marshes, dry and gravel-

covered land, heaths, and rich loess soil. The Emscher valley is separated by a low ridge

from that of the Lippe, which joins the Rhine at Wesel and marks the north boundary of

the heart of the Ruhr Area.

            The Rhine river, a western landmark in defining the Ruhr area, is often regarded

the largest and most easily navigated river of the northwestern Europe. It offered a

highway for transporting goods from north to south. It leaves hills near Bonn and flows

northward.

            To the south of the Ruhr Area exist the hilly regions and uplands of Sauerland,

Bergisches Land and Siegerland. Because of the hills and forests, it is difficult to traverse

these areas. In the north, the hills suddenly end roughly along the Ruhr river. These hilly

areas have poor soil and harsh climate for agriculture. Whatever agriculture that was

practiced was unorganized and done in very small scale (11). The rivers such as Lahn,

Sieg, and Wupper are too shallow and swift to be of use for navigation, except for short

lengths in their lower courses near the Rhine. However, many swift streams, descending

to the Rhine, provide high water power which promoted the development of small

metallurgical and textile industries. The rivers of the Sauerland, such as Ennepe, Volme,

and Lenne, join the Ruhr near Hagen. The valleys of these rivers were used to be good

routes that penetrate the hills. The Ennepe valley and Wupper valley together formed a

part of a routeway from the Rhineland to the eastern part of the Ruhr (12). The Siegerland

had very high quality iron ores, which explain the prosperity of the iron mining and

smelting industries during a few centuries before the rise of the Ruhr area. The Sauerland

had low quality iron ores but was well-equipped with a number of small and swift

streams that provided water power. Therefore, it had thriving iron-finishing industry.

Bergisches Land also had flourishing metal industry.

Figure 2.1 : Iron Ore Mines and Iron Works in the Siegerland, Sauerland and Ruhr Area

in the Beginning of the 19th Century, after Pounds 1952 p.35

III. Brief History until the End of the 18th Century

III.1 Politics

            The Ruhr area had experienced severe political division for several centuries

before it was unified under Prussian rule. Many constituent petty states were theoretically

subjects to the Holy Roman Empire. However, some larger states practically behaved

independently in taxing, raising army, and making war and peace. This political division

had a large impact on the development of the Ruhr area. The states viewed one another as

a competitor and imposed taxes on goods passing through them, which impeded the

growth of commerce as a whole (13).

            In the beginning of the nineteenth century, the area was shortly ruled by French

under Napoleon. After the end of the Napoleonic wars and Napoleon's defeat, much of

the Ruhr area was added to the Prussian territory. After the unification, the area could

make more cooperative efforts to achieve industrial development, under the guidance of

the enlightenment spirit of the Prussian rule.

Figure 3.1 : The Political Map of the Ruhr Area, about 1800, after Pounds 1952 p.28

III.2 Technology and Industries

            As explained in the previous chapter, the metal industry prospered in Siegerland

and Sauerland, of which iron ores and swift streams were beneficial. Around the end of

the Middle Ages, the blast furnace was introduced and spread so widely that almost all

the smelting works in the Sauerland and Siegerland were done in blast furnaces (14). In

the eighteenth century, the Duchy of Berg saw its metal industry decline except in

Solingen and Remscheid, because of depletion of both ores and charcoal and difficulty of

attaining pit coal. Solingen and Remscheid succeeded to survive as the cities of

competent metal industries; former became the center of cutlery manufacture and had

many small workshops along the streams near it, while the latter developed as a less

specialized center of industry, producing numerous types of iron and steel goods (15).

Except in these two areas, the textile manufacturing industry gradually substituted the

metal industry in the Berg.

            At the same time, the metal industry of Berg began to spread over into the County

of Mark and the Ennepe valley during the eighteenth century. Around 1800, along the

Ennepe, Volme, Lenne, and their many small tributaries were the hammer-ponds located

very densely. Following factors all helped the Sauerland inherit the spirit of the metal

industry in the Berg and succeed to advance as an "industrial hive" : immigrants from the

Low Countries, abundant supplies of charcoal, many swift streams, and local deposits of

iron ores (16).

            The textile industry had already been widely spread as a domestic manufacture all

over Westphalia, the Sauerland and Siegerland before it started to prosper in the Duchy

of Berg. Grown on the damp soils of the northern plain, hemp and flax were brought to

the south to be bleached in Berg and Mark, where waters were considered very suitable

(17). Elberfeld and Barmen emerged to be the leading cities of textile industry. Pressure

that the growth of these two cities and their industries gave upon the Wupper valley

induced the replacement of bleaching by weaving and dyeing degree by degree. The

textile industry of wool and linen spread into the Ennepe valley, the Sauerland's plateau,

and the Ruhr valley. Though the industry was prosperous overall, it began to disappear in

Mark during the latter half of the eighteenth century (18).

            Agriculture and stock grazing were main works on the broad alluvium belt on the

west of the Rhine. The second most popular kind of occupation was cloth manufacturing.

Flax was grown and the linen weaving was common (19). The silk industry was

introduced into Krefeld in the second half of the seventeenth century and developed

during the next century.

            Along the Ruhr basin, which was located at the intersection of two important

trading routes, cities such as Duisburg, Essen, and Bochum emerged as commercial and

trading posts. The agriculture as well as commerce was the main activity (20). Due to the

fertility, the Ruhr basin often exported food to the southern hills of unproductive lands.

Until the nineteenth century, agriculture remained a chief occupation of the area even

though mining, metal, and textile industries in small scale accompanied.

            During the eighteenth century, textile industry spread into the Ruhr valley, too.

Clothe manufacture was vigorous in Hattingen (21). Flax and hemp were grown on the

damp soils of the Lippe and Ems valleys. Many towns of the Lippe valley were involved

in linen cloth businesses.

            Coal was mined in the Ruhr area as early as in the thirteenth century and shipped

down the Rhine to the Siegerland, then center of the smelting industry (22). Mining and

coal sale were most predominant nonagricultural activities. After what started, coal

mining was concentrated around Essen, M?lheim, Bochum, and other pits along the steep

banks of the Ruhr river where deposits were close to the surface (23). The coal were

attained from open-pit mining and drifts that were put into the hillside until the end of the

eighteenth century (24). These methods could not survive long without pumping

machinery. Coal output in Mark had shown steady rise during the latter half of the

eighteenth century.

            In 1782, Freiherr vom Stein was appointed by the Prussian government to

supervise mines and manufactures in Westphalia. He succeeded to found some

obstructions such as small sizes of mines, lack of pumps, difficulty of carrying coal from

the mines to the Ruhr river. Due to his continuous effort, the steam-engine was first

installed near Unna in 1798 (25).

            Coal was mostly used for heating, not for metal industry. Iron industry also

existed in a small scale in the Ruhr area, due to the small quantities of bog iron ore in the

marshes of the Lippe and Emscher valleys. Some furnaces were established near the

Emscher valley during the eighteenth century and helped the iron industry grow (26).

            Transmitted to the Ruhr area, the traditions of the metal industry from Bergisches

land, Sauerland, Siegerland brought out the appearance and development of mining and

metallurgical industry in the Ruhr area. However, mining and metal industry should not

be seen as leading industry of the Ruhr area before 1800. The textile industry was spread

as well, and the agriculture was certainly the predominant activity in the area.

III.2 Transportation

            To the west of the Ruhr area, the Rhine river had long been used as the highway

route. With roads undeveloped, "Hellweg" - a trading route along the watershed between

Ruhr and Emscher - and the navigable rivers, especially the Rhine, were the most

important and useful traffic ways for transportation. Planning for making Ruhr navigable

to facilitate transportation was first proposed in 1738 by glass-workers and traders, who

recognized the river, once made navigable, would offer a very effective transportation

route. However, only in 1778 under the scheme of Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm II

was the Ruhr made navigable (27). In 1780, the Prussian government appointed Freiherr

vom Stein to investigate how to improve the navigation of the Ruhr river.

            In the beginning of the nineteenth century, the poor and often unpaved roads and

the navigable rivers such as the Ruhr and the Rhine took charge of most traffic in the

Ruhr area. Only after the mid-nineteenth century did the railroads begin to take the

function of the main transportation routes from the rivers. The construction of highways

and canals in the late nineteenth century and the twentieth century also improved the

transportation in the region.

IV. Industrial Development by City

IV.1 Barmen and Elberfeld (Modern Wuppertal)

            Though Barmen and Elberfeld are often excluded from the definition of the

central Ruhr area, they are commonly included in that of the Greater Ruhr Area (28).

They are located in the Bergisches Land and surrounded by high wooded hills. Near them

is the Wupper river, which was a great advantage that helped successful development of

bleaching industries in these cities.

            Industrial development of Elberfeld was launched with a colony of bleachers, who

in 1532 won the monopoly of bleaching yarn for the Bergisches Land (29). From then,

various related industries were introduced and developed diligently. Ribbon making and

linen weaving were introduced in the 16th century. Silk manufacture, red-dyeing, lace

making followed in the eighteenth century. Bleaching industry spread to Barmen, just to

the east of Elberfeld (30). Soon, Barmen grew to be as central a city as Elberfeld in

bleaching industry.

            At the beginning of the nineteenth century, these two cities were greatly advanced

in both size and industrial development in comparison with the central Ruhr area such as

Duisburg, Essen, and Dortmund (31). Hemp and flax grown on the damp soils of the

northern plain were often brought to these cities to be bleached. Development of textile

industry was spurred by the introduction of cotton cloth manufacture and the rudimentary

factory system in Elberfeld and Barmen near 1800 (32). In the mid-nineteenth century,

the dominance of factory system led to the rapid decline of domestic spinning and

weaving industry performed in the cottages. Expansion of bleaching and textile industry

of Barmen and Elberfeld imposed great pressure on the water supply and limited space.

To alleviate this pressure, bleaching was by and by replaced by weaving and dyeing (33).

            The line from Steele on the Ruhr, through Kupferdreh, Langenberg, and Neviges,

to Vohwinkel in the Wupper valley below Elberfeld was the earliest modern railroad in

the Greater Ruhr area and was opened in 1847 (34). The Bergisch-Märkische Bahn (Berg-

to Mark Railroad) was under construction about this time, which was to connect

Düsseldorf, Elberfeld and the Wupper valley, Hagen, Witten, and Dortmund. Later, it

was extended to Hörde, Unna, and Soest. These improvements of transportation gave

another impetus to the commercial vitality of these cities.

            Even though the rapid development of coal, iron, and steel industries of the

central Ruhr area started to fade out the renown of Elberfeld and Barmen as the industrial

heads in the Greater Ruhr area, Elberfeld and Barmen remained great industrial cities as

far as textile industry is concerned. Barmen and Elberfeld were the centers of cotton,

wool, and silk manufacture, bleaching, and dyeing (35).

IV.2 Bochum

            Bochum developed as one of the commercial cities along the Hellweg, a trading

route along the watershed between Ruhr and Emscher. It remained fairly medieval both

in aspect and function till 1800, when it had a small population of 2000.

            At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the scale of mining was very humble

in Bochum, as in the other Ruhr areas then. Soon, the Gahlen Coal Road was built from

the mines near Bochum to the navigable Lippe to facilitate the transportation of the Ruhr

coal (36).

            The Bochum basin was one of the few Ruhr basins that produced Fettkohlen

(Coking coal). Coking coal was economically the most important because of its use in the

coking furnaces. Though much less abundant in the Bochum basin than in the Essen and

Emscher basins, coking coal was enough to assist somewhat the development of steel

industry in Bochum soon.

            By the mid-nineteenth century, furnaces had been installed to support the

puddling works of Bochum (37). A scatter of small miners' cottages was developing.

Jacob Mayer, who had first success in steel casting in 1841, established his works in

Bochum in 1842 (38). His effort would result in the successful company Bochumer

Verein renowned for cast steel goods. This company was the main reason that Bochum

could win its fame as a center of manufacture of steel of the highest quality. Moving parts

of machines, steel wheels, axles of railway locomotives, and church bells were among the

main products (39). Cast steel enabled the finer metallurgical products to be produced in

the Ruhr than before. Cast steel production required large quantities of coal, and therefore

Bochum with its coal basin near was one of the favorable places for it.

            In the latter half of the nineteenth century, Bochum and Bochumer Verein

experienced more spurred growths. Hundreds of thousands of people migrated from the

poorer German provinces and Eastern Europe to Ruhr valley in search of work. The

Population in Bochum increased tenfold from 1850 to 1890. Coal mines and factories

dominated the town's fields and meadows (40).

            Puddling methods were replaced by newly invented methods. In 1860s, the

Bessemer converter started to operate. In the 1870s, Bochumer Verein constructed the

first blast furnace plant for the metallurgical coke plant and open-hearth furnace plant

(41). The railroad reached Bochum near this time, thus giving another impetus for vitality

of the company and the city. Thomas process, which was in use around 1880, raised

economic values of German ores, which were both low grade and phosphoric (42).

            By 1900, Bochum, a humble and rural town only just a century ago, had

developed into the great industrial center of the iron and steel industries, manufacturing

cast steel, cast iron, iron pipes, wire and wire ropes, and lamps with some tin and zinc

works (43).

Figure 4.1 : Railroads of the Ruhr Area, around 1930, after Pounds 1952 p.213

IV.3 Dinslaken

            From 1540, Dinslaken was a minor Hanseatic city. A horse-drawn regular post

service through the line Düsseldorf - Dinslaken - Wesel was established in 1712 (44).

Dinslaken became its own district in 1816. A windmill was established in today's suburb

Hiesfeld six years later. Until the mid-nineteenth century, Dinslaken remained very rural

(45).

            In the latter half of the nineteenth century, Dinslaken experienced accelerated

industrial development. A glue factory, a fuel ignition device factory, and a rolling mill

were installed. A liquor distillery was also established (46). Several steel-making and

metal-using factories were built. Iron foundry work developed with the establishment of

steel mill. In 1896, August Josef Thyssen set up an open commercial company in

Dinslaken. A year later, the rolling mill "Deutscher Kaiser" was under construction and

first rolling attempts were made by August Thyssen (47). Pig iron from the smelting

works in Hamborn supplied the Dinslaken steel works (48).

            Dinslaken, located in the outer Ruhr area, was late to have industrial development

and had small size compared to the cities in the center of the Ruhr area, such as

Dortmund, Essen, and Bochum.

IV.4 Dortmund

            Dortmund is located on the Emscher in a fertile plain near the eastern boundary of

the Ruhr area. In the thirteenth century, it joined the Hanseatic League and gained the

status of an Imperial Free City. Like Bochum and Essen, it was commercial city along the

Hellweg. In 1803, Dortmund lost its free city status and was annexed to Nassau. After

some political changes, it finally ended up being a Prussian city in 1815 (49).

            In 1800, Dortmund was a humble city with only 4,000 inhabitants (50). However,

due to the favorable situation of the town in the center of the Westphalian coal basin and

extensive beds of iron ore in the vicinity, it could successfully develop to be the leading

industrial city and compete with Essen, Oberhausen, Duisburg and Hagen in the iron

industry (51).

            Improved transportation system gave further advantage to the location of the

town. The Köln-Mindener Railroad opened in 1847 to connect Düsseldorf, Duisburg,

Oberhausen, Dortmund, Hamm, and Minden. The Bergisch-Märkische Railroad was soon

built and went through Düsseldorf, Elberfeld, Hagen, Witten, and Dortmund (52).

            By 1874, Dortmund took over the role of iron mass production from Duisburg

(53). On the western edge of the city, blast furnaces and steel works of Dortmunder Union

and Carl von Born flourished. On the eastern edge, Eberhard Hoesch founded a steel

works in 1871. Bessemer and Thomas processes, which were particularly valuable for

processing German ores, began to be used at both Dortmunder Union and Hoesch (54).

The city was practically dominated by two industrial powers, Dortmunder Union and

Hoesch.

            In 1877, as the importance of overseas ore increased, plan for the canal

construction from Dortmund to the river Ems was suggested in the Reichstag (55). It was

adopted in 1886, and the canal construction was completed at the end of the nineteenth

century. Though insignificant until a few decades later, Dortmund-Ems canal greatly

facilitated the import of overseas ore soon (56). Ruhrschnellweg (Ruhr Fast Road) also

contributed the importance of Dortmund as a center of transportation network.

            With two flourishing steel works, Dortmunder Union and Hoesch, Dortmund

showed relatively varied industrial structure in comparison with Essen and Bochum,

which were dominated by a single industrial concern. Railway rails, wire ropes,

machinery, safes and sewing machines were among the iron products of Dortmund (57).

Large breweries also existed.

Figure 4.2 : Navigable Waterways of the Ruhr Area, around 1930, after Pounds 1952

p.205

IV.5 Duisburg

            Duisburg is situated in the lower Rhineland near the confluence of the Rhine and

Ruhr rivers. A former Hanseatic city, Duisburg thrived due to the tobacco and textile

industries in the eighteenth century.

            Even in the beginning of the nineteenth century, large coal trade along the Rhine

existed. Duisburg built a canal to have access with the lower Ruhr and thus to have a

share in the coal trade along the Ruhr and the Rhine, which was dominated by Ruhrort

(58). The rise of sugar refinery, sulfuric acid plant, tobacco plants, and cotton

manufacturing is attributed to the city's geographic advantage of being on important trade

routes of the Hellweg and the Rhine (59). These industries were based mostly on imported

materials.

            Throughout the nineteenth century, diverse industries were set up and flourished

in Duisburg and aided its industrial growth. In 1824, the sulfuric acid factory Fr. W.

Curtius was constructed. Franz Haniel built a dockyard for steamships four years later.

First local small iron foundry Borussiahütte (Borussia ironwork) was established on the

Rhine canal in 1844.

            Improvement of the transportation such as the opening of Köln-Mindener

Railroad in 1847 and canal construction from the Ruhr to the Rhine by Duisburg gave

great benefit to Duisburg (60). Therefore, large coal demand from the local iron smelting

and metal working became easier to satiate by moving the coal along the railways.

            Duisburg was the only city with heavy chemicals production near 1850. The

Curtius plant produced the sulphuric acid. The Duisburger Kupferhütte (Copper work)

was built along the river bank south of the city in 1857. Iron smelting and machine

construction now occupied significant part of the Duisburg industry. Rolling mill and

metallurgical plants were established. Two coal mines were sunk. Tobacco processing,

sugar refining, chemical production, and textiles all remained important as well. Steam

engine usage increased (61). Hütte Vulkan (Volcano Ironwork), Niederrheinische

ironwork, and the Johannis ironwork were set up between the Ruhr and the Rhine.

August Thyssen first attempted a small steel works at Duisburg, while blast furnaces

were erected under Krupp concern.

            It cannot be emphasized too much that Duisburg was extremely important in the

transportation network system of the Ruhr area. Located near both the Ruhr and the

Rhine and connected with important cities in the inner Ruhr area through two important

roads Ruhrschnellweg and Autobahn, Duisburg enjoyed its great situational advantage.

While the docks of Ruhrort handled little except coal, coke, and iron ore, those of

Duisburg dealt with various products such as timber, cotton, raw wool, grain, and oil

seeds (62). Duisburg, unlike most cities in the central Ruhr area, showed great variance in

its industrial development. Steelworks existed in harmony with numerous makers of

bridges, cranes, boilers, ovens, chains, and machines of various kinds, and shipbuilding

yards.

Figure 4.3 : Street-car Routes of the Ruhr Area, around 1930, after Pounds 1952 p.215

IV.6 Düsseldorf

            Düsseldorf is seated on the right bank of the Rhine. Until the eighteenth century,

Düsseldorf was overshadowed by the growth of Köln. Though a quay was built in the

fifteenth century and though a dock was added in the seventeenth century in Düsseldorf,

Köln obstinately insisted on its privilege on the Rhine traffic and was hostile to the

potential rival Düsseldorf and hindered its development (63). The possibility opened for

Düsseldorf to grow into a great port and industrial city when the ancient prerogatives of

Köln were abolished under Napoleonic rule.

            Düsseldorf was the capital of the Duchy of Berg. It was handed to the Kingdom of

Prussia in 1815. Despite the privileges of Köln, it somehow had managed to handle an

import of sugar, tobacco, grain, metals, and timber, which in turn aroused local

industries. Around the mid-nineteenth century, Düsseldorf had become one of the most

important steel-using centers. Riverside location and favorable railroad connection

functioned as advantages. Though steel goods were vigorously produced, little smelting

was done in the city (64).

            No single or even branch of industry dominated Düsseldorf as in Bochum and

Essen, but a number of somewhat large steel-making and steel-finishing works existed

together with smaller, more varied works. Düsseldorf was the major banking center of the

Westphalian coal and iron trade and had cotton spinning, weaving, calico printing, yarn-

spinning, dyeing and other various industries as well as iron industries (65). With

Duisburg, it functioned as the western hub of transportation of the Ruhr area.

IV.7 Essen

            Essen was one of the Hanseatic cities in the fourteenth and fifteenth century. Like

Bochum, it was one of the commercial cities that developed along the Hellweg in the

Middle Ages. It had made no further progress than remaining almost medieval until 1800,

when it had population of only 4,000 (66).

            From the beginning of the nineteenth century, basis for industrialization began to

be set up in Essen. Prussia annexed Essen in 1802 and organized the small existent

mining industry more effectively than before. Franz Dinnendahl devised the first

conveyor steam engine in 1809, which played a very significant role in stimulating deep-

cast coal mining in the near future (67).

            Coking coal of high economic value was more abundant in the Essen basin than in

the Bochum basin. The Haniel family, who had been coal traders, started to participate in

mining industry with financial support from the wealth they acquired from coal

transportation business along the Ruhr and the Rhine by barge (68). The first shaft Zeche

Kronprinz (Coalmine Crown Prince) was sunk through the thick cover of rocks near

Essen to obtain coal hidden below it.

            In 1826, Alfred Krupp inherited the cast steel works from his father, who found

out how to produce a cast steel, but who had financial failure (69). Alfred Krupp invented

the seamless wheel flange for the railways in 1852, which aided the firm in growing into

the giant company in the nineteenth century. Moving parts of machines, axles of railway

locomotives, heavy guns and armor-plate were other major products of the company.

            In the latter half of the nineteenth century, Essen expanded even to absorb villages

and farmsteads in the surrounding countries into its suburbs (70). It was a center of

steelmaking and steel-using, rather than that of iron-smelting. Iron ore supply on its own

stayed insignificant relative to ore supplies from the Siegerland and England during the

nineteenth century. Numerous steel works, machine shops, and factory buildings were

established.

            Essen's population reached 100,000 in 1896. Essen was at the center of the

railway network, which endowed it with access to various Westphalian iron and coal

fields. The large iron and coal fields of the Essen basin contributed to Essen's great

prosperity. Krupp's company was also vital to the city's development because it expended

much in building and supporting different local facilities (71). Woolen goods and cigars

were also produced, and dyeing works and breweries also existed.

IV.8 Gelsenkirchen

            Gelsenkirchen is located in the far west of Dortmund, north-west of Bochum.

Though documented as early as 1150, the growth of the city was mostly due to the

industrialization in the nineteenth century (72). In 1800, still a village, it was sparsely

populated. Even near 1850, only a small cluster of cottages existed in Gelsenkirchen.

However, the great improvement of the transportation system and the northward

progression of the coal mining from the central Ruhr area resulted in the vigorous

industrial development of the city.

            Coal was discovered here in 1840. Subsequently, the K?ln-Minden Railway and

the Gelsenkirchen Railway station were opened. Friedrich Grillo, an active promoter of

mining development in Gelsenkirchen, established Aktiengesellschaft für Chemische

Industrie (Corporation for Chemical Industry) and Gewerkschaft Schalker Eisenhütte

(Schalker Ironwork Association) in Schalke in 1872 (73). Soon, Glas- und Spiegel-

Manufaktur AG (Glass and Mirror Production Company) was also founded. Grillo was

the main concern and single greatest patron of the industry of Gelsenkirchen.

            Gelsenkirchen successfully transformed into the center of heavy industry with

rising population and signed the town charter in 1875. Surrounding smaller districts were

absorbed into the expanding city. Though iron furnaces, steel and boiler works, and soap,

glass and chemical factories existed, coal production was the largest concern in

Gelsenkirchen (74).

IV.9 Hagen

            Well-wooded hills surround Hagen located at the junction of the Ennepe and

Volme. Due to the affluent sources of water power along the rivers Ruhr, Ennepe, and

Volme, metal processing flourished in Hagen from the medieval age. Textile, steel, and

paper works were begun in the seventeenth or eighteenth century.

            Eberhard Pfandh?ffer set up a blast furnace and experimented in smelting with

coal in the beginning of the nineteenth century, but failed as a businessman (75). The

Bergisch-Märkische Railroad built near 1850 aided in supplying ores and coals to the

local industries of Hagen. Cast steel workings existed in small scale by 1850.

Markanahütte (Markana Ironwork) at Haspe, which was built in 1830s, was revived in

1853. Production of knives also existed and retained the tradition of the old local steel

industry (76).

            From long ago, Hagen had been a center of steel production and significant in its

output of puddle and cement steel (77). Near the end of the nineteenth century, numerous

steel-making and steel-using firms operated in Hagen. Markana Ironwork ceased

production, but puddling works at Haspe remained important. They became A.-G. Hasper

Eisen- und Stahlwerk (Hasper Iron and Steelwork Company) in 1894. Blast furnaces and

rolling mills were built time to time.

            Hagen was linked to Bochum and Wuppertal through the street-car system. At the

junction of important railway lines, it connects the principal towns of the Westphalian

iron district (78). One of the most thriving commercial towns in Westphalia, Hagen has

no single dominant industrial company. It possesses huge iron and steel works, large

cotton print works, woolen and cotton factories, manufactures of leather, paper, tobacco,

breweries and distilleries.

IV.10 Hagen

            Hamm is located northeast of Dortmund, near the Lippe river. It was a Hanseatic

city in the region in the Medieval Age. Wars in the seventeenth and eighteenth century

led to the decline of the city, but it was soon revitalized by the industrial revolution in the

nineteenth century (79).

            In 1847, the Köln-Mindener Railroad connected Hamm with other important

industrial cities Westphalia, and the industrial growth of Hamm started. The Westfälische

Union was founded in 1853, which would be Thyssen Draht AG (Thyssen Wire

Company) in the future. Three years later, Westfälische Draht Industrie (Westphalia Wire

Industry) was founded.

            Near the end of the nineteenth century, metal-using works had been well-

developed in the city. Along the line stretching from Essen to Hamm, a number of mines

producing coking coal and cokeries had been founded (80).

            Without doubt, the wire was dominant product of Hagen and Westf?lische Draht

Industrie produced over half the total wire goods made in the Ruhr area (81). Many wire

factories were coexistent with puddling and rolling works. The machine works and

manufactures of gloves, baskets, leather, starch, chemicals, varnish, oil and beer also

belonged to the city (82). As a junction of important railways near the eastern end of the

Ruhr area, Hamm also played a significant role in the transportation system of the Ruhr

area.

IV.11 Hattingen

            Hattingen is a city on the Ruhr, northeast of Düsseldorf. Hattingen was the most

important commercial center in the west of the county Mark in the fifteenth century (83).

The development was restrained by the wars in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries,

but stimulated again by the industrial revolution in the nineteenth century.

            It had active cloth production works in the beginning of the nineteenth century.

Lime stone existed near the city (84). In the mid-nineteenth century, discovery of the

Hattinger Spateisenflöz - name of an iron ore deposit - which led to the introduction of

the heavy industry and the diminishment of the significance of the textile industry (85).

Henrichshütte (Henrich Ironwork) was founded in 1851, which would become one of the

greatest blast furnace works along the Ruhr valley.

            The improvement of the navigation along the Ruhr river ensured the traffic to

Hattingen (86). In 1869, Hattingen received a railway connection. Of all the blast furnace

works along the Ruhr valley, only the Henrichshütte grew with stability and kept pace

with modern development (87). A number of smelting and steel works existed, though in

a smaller scale than those in the cities to the north such as Dortmund and Bochum.

Tobacco manufacturing also lasted.

IV.12 Hörde (Modern Dortmund-Hörde)

            Hörde is located to the south of Dortmund and has the river Emscher flowing

through it. Until the mid-nineteenth century, the Ruhr area had good prospect in the

mining and export of coal rather than in the metallurgical industry. However, when coal

measures iron ore was discovered, the situation turned favorable also for the development

of the metallurgical industry. Hörde was one of the first places to attempt the

metallurgical industry.

            When a deposit of blackband ore was found in the coal measures to the south of

Dortmund in the mid-nineteenth century, the first blast furnace since the eighteenth

century was built at Hörde. Hermann Diedrich Piepenstock, a wire drawer from the

Sauerland, had established a puddling works Hermannshütte ("Hermann's ironworks") in

1841. About ten years later, promoted by von Mevissen's Schaaffhausen'scher

Bankverein (Bank Association) of Köln, his works became the Hörder Bergwerks und

Hütten Verein ("Ironworks Association") (88). One of the iron works Hörder Verein was

famous as the pioneer of the basic process in Germany (89). Constructions of other

several furnaces followed to smelt the blackband ore.

            About 1860, the iron industry flourished at Hörde, though only few, such as the

Hörder Verein, of these early ironworks survived until the middle of the next century.

The Bergisch-Märkische Railroad was built to connect Hörde with other industrial hubs

about 1850 (90).

            By the end of the nineteenth century, large smelting works, foundries, puddling-

works, rolling-mills were in operation at Hörde. Iron and plated wares manufacture

prospered (91).

IV.13 Krefeld

            Major growth of Krefeld was started in the seventeenth century. Heinrich von der

Leyen, a Dutch Mennonite refugee, introduced the silk industry into Krefeld in the

second half of the seventeenth century. The industry proved to be very successful, and

eleven factories were in operation in 1809. Most of the raw silk was imported from Italy.

As early as in the beginning of the nineteenth century, the rudimentary factory system

was being employed in Krefeld (92).

            Throughout the mid-nineteenth century, silk industry was dominant with about

two hundred silk mills in existence. The dyeing industry began to develop along. Other

smaller industries were set up to improve the stability of the industry in Krefeld as a

whole. Krefeld experienced rapid growth due to the influx of workers from surrounding

countryside (93).

            Until the end of the nineteenth century, the main industry of Krefeld was

concerned with silk and dyeing. Exceptionally, an important chemical factory was

established in Uerdingen (today Bayer Uerdingen) in 1877. A liquor distillery, Dujardin,

was set up in 1900 (94). Also, production of significantly high quality of steel would

develop soon in Krefeld (95).

IV.14 Mülheim an der Ruhr

            Mülheim is located on the Ruhr, to the west of Essen. Before the nineteenth

century, the leather and textile industry which consumed water from the Ruhr existed in a

modest scale. Locks had been built and cargo shipping along the Ruhr prospered by the

nineteenth century (96).

            Water was the major route of coal trade in the Ruhr area. The Ruhr river and ports

of Mülheim and Ruhrort were almost monopolistic on this coal trade. Matthias Stinnes,

after the end of the Napoleonic Wars, started a regular service of coal barges from

Mülheim to Köln and Rotterdam. The barges often returned to Mülheim with textiles,

colonial goods, grain, and salt. In 1843, Stinnes replaced the horse-drawn barges by

steam tugs. New harbor with coal-storage space opened in 1841 (97).

            Until the significance of the Ruhr river as the transportation route declined

because of the development of railroads, Mülheim was a flowering center of coal trade

along the Ruhr river. Several international companies were also founded. Because of the

topography, early railroads were built to the north of Mülheim and Essen. It became

easier to deliver coal by rail to Ruhrort than to Mülheim - Mülheim had only one-tenth as

much amount of coal shipping as Ruhrort did in 1864 (98). As the coal shipping declined,

Mülheim experienced structural change. The mining, iron and metal processing industries

gained importance (99). Thyssen works existed in large scale. By the end of the

nineteenth century, Mülheim was chiefly engaged in iron-working and contained

numerous blast-furnaces, rolling-mills, foundries and engineworks. Though not as

dominant as in the early nineteenth century, the coal traffic by rail and river was still

enormous. Timber and colonial produced also composed considerable amount of trade

(100).

IV.15 Oberhausen

            Oberhausen is situated near the east bank of the Rhine, to the northeast of D?

sseldorf. Smelting technology was introduced long before the mid-nineteenth century

(101). The oldest steel mill was established in 1758. However, the city was mostly rural

until boom of coal mining and steel production near 1860. After the mid-nineteenth

century, the city expanded to absorb several nearby villages. Oberhausen smelting works

depended heavily on imports. It also possessed iron-rolling mills. Gutehoffnungshütte

("Good Hope" ironwork) was prevalent works in the town (102).

            With large ironworks, coal-mines, rolling-mills, zinc smelting-works, railway

workshops and manufactures of wire-rope, glass, chemicals, porcelain and soap,

Oberhausen, sometimes called "cradle of Ruhr industry", had grown into the city of

diverse industries by the end of the nineteenth century (103).

IV.16 Recklinghausen

            Recklinghausen is placed between the Emscher and Lippe, to the northeast of

Dortmund. It belonged to the archbishopric of Köln until 1803 and was handed to

Prussian rule in 1815 (104).

            The city experienced change from a humble town of mere two thousand people to

the great industrial city of more than forty thousand people. This development was

mainly due to the growth of coal industry in the Emscher valley and mostly undergone in

the second half of the nineteenth century (105). Charcoal was obtained from the woods of

Recklinghausen. The factory system was introduced after 1850 (106). Recklinghausen

railway station was opened in 1877. By the end of the century, Recklinghausen was a

well-developed city with extensive streetcar-system, coal-mines, brick-works, and the

manufacture of linen, beer, and tobacco (107).

IV.17 Remscheid and Solingen

            Remscheid is situated on an elevated plateau, to the south of Barmen and

northeast of Köln. It already had well-established tradition of metal working passed on

from before the nineteenth century (108). Unlike those of Solingen, iron and steel

products of Remscheid had great variance. By the mid-nineteenth century, Mannesmann

started cast steel production at Remscheid. Remscheid fabricated steel from Siegen and

also produced files, saws, and other cutting tools. Spinning and weaving virtually

vanished.

            Strong local tradition and excellence of craftsmanship were helpful in retaining

success of iron and steel working industry. No single industrial concern controlled the

city, but units of small to medium size were in the city. Most of them were related to the

finishing processes (109). By 1900, Remscheid had become the center of the hardware

industry. Tools, scythes, skates and other small goods of iron, steel, and brass were made

for export (110).

            To the west of the Wupper river and Remscheid is Solingen. Sword-blades have

been made at Solingen since the early middle ages (111). In the beginning of the

nineteenth century, Solingen was already famous as the center of cutlery manufacture

(112). The strong local tradition and craftsmanship helped maintain the vitality of

production of cutting tools. Around 1900, manufactures of weapons and various kinds of

tools, files and saws also had experienced fast growth (113). Solingen was more

specialized in particular products than Remscheid. The iron and steel products of

Solingen enjoyed international reputation and often were exported (114).

IV.18 Ruhrort (Modern Duisburg-Ruhrort)

            Ruhrort is situated at the confluence of the Ruhr with the Rhine. Ruhrort had long

been participated in the profitable coal trade along the Ruhr and the Rhine (115). In 1701,

the town fell to Prussia. A dock was dug at an old mouth of the Ruhr, and Ruhrort took

responsibility for considerable amount of coal traffic down the river Ruhr from Mülheim.

Freiherr vom Stein proposed a plan to establish a coal depot at Ruhrort and to improve

the navigation of the Ruhr (116). This plan was realized and stimulated the development

of Ruhrort further.

            As the waterway transportation remained significant even until the end of the

nineteenth century, Ruhrort continued to prosper as a port city throughout the century. It

was more convenient to deliver coal by rail from the central Ruhr area to Ruhrort than to

Mülheim and had better access to the rivers than Duisburg. Therefore, the function of

Ruhrort as a port exceeded much that of Duisburg and Mülheim (117). Docks were newly

built and extended. Tugs and barges were constructed.

            The Haniel family dominated the coal trade of Ruhrort. Ruhrort also had large

scale of smelting works, which were primarily based on imports (118). In 1852, Phönix

company established a works at Laar, close to Ruhrort. The company began to dominate

the iron industry of the city. The Rheinische Stahlwerke (The Rhine Steelwork) plant at

Ruhrort, which opened in 1870, was almost first to obtain right to use Thomas process

(basic converter process).

            Ruhrort docks increased steadily. It practiced almost monopoly on the coal trade

(119). The coal was sent principally to South Germany and the Netherlands. Grain and

timber were also exported, and iron ore was imported. The city possessed massive iron

and steel works, shipbuilding yards and tanneries (120).

IV.19 Sprockhövel

            Sprockhövel is located to the southeast of Hattingen and to the south of the Ruhr

river. Since the Middle Ages, a coal mining industry had existed on small scale.

Sprockhövel came under the Prussian rule in 1815. During the nineteenth century, many

coal mines were founded, and iron ores were also smelted and processed. Coal and iron

industry were the main contributions to the economy of Sprockh?vel. The city also

contained mechanical engineering industry (121).

            However, Sprockh?vel was less industrialized than the Ruhr area to the north,

which had much richer coalfields. Almost all mines ceased working near 1900, and the

city retained noticeable degree of rural aspects (122).

IV.20 Wesel

            Wesel was a fortress town at the confluence of the Rhine and the Lippe. After the

Napoleonic Wars, the town became the Prussian territory in 1815. In the beginning of the

nineteenth century, it was the largest town north of the Ruhr river. It was a vigorous

commercial city that had taken partly the function of Duisburg.

            Soon after 1800, Gahlener Kohlenweg (Gahlen Coal Road) was constructed from

the mines near Bochum to the navigable Lippe (123). Wesel saw its commercial

importance increase along with the importance of Lippe as the transportation route.

Wesel maintained its commercial significance until the end of the nineteenth century,

carrying on considerable trade in grain, timber, colonial goods, tobacco. It also

manufactured wire, leaden pipes and other metal goods (124).

            Though commercially important, Wesel was a little detached from the industrial

centers of the Ruhr area. Despite development of infrastructures such as Rhine-bridges,

harbors, and several railway lines, Wesel s traits as the fortress town constrained its ��

industrial development. The de-fortification in 1890 was too late to foster the industrial

growth of the town (125).

IV.21 Wetter

            Wetter is on the Ruhr river, to the southeast of Witten. It was the main place

examined in 1784 by Freiherr vom Stein who sought improvement in mining conditions

and plans for developments in the future (126). In 1819, Friedrich Harkort established the

first mechanical workshop which produced steam engines, gas light instruments, and

other various machine goods. He is also attributed to the installment of the first puddling

furnace in the Ruhr area at Wetter in 1826 (127).

            Cast steel began to be produced about 1850. Several small works produced steel

castings, plates, and boilers. Earlier works set up by Friedrich Harkort had ripened into

the engineering firm Märkische Maschinenbauanstalt A.-G. (Mark mechanical

engineering instution) Ludwig Stuckenholz, which generated castings, rolled goods, and

built cranes. Wetter was a substantial place of German mechanical engineering. Though

humble compared to the works of the cities to the north, many smelting and steel works

existed at Wetter (128).

IV.22 Witten

            Witten is among the coal-fields of the Ruhr, to the east of Essen and to the

northeast of Elberfeld. Coke had been produced before 1800 near Witten, and small

quantities had been sent south to the smelting works around Siegen. By 1801, Witten was

the practical limit of the navigable Ruhr river. Mines developed densely along both banks

of the Ruhr river from Kettwig up to Witten (129). About 1850, Witten started to produce

steel.

            In the late nineteenth century, the Bergisch-Märkische Railway was built to offer

Witten links to other important cities (130). Steel-making, steel-casting, and mechanical-

engineering firms had been established. J. D. Neuhaus was a famous winch producing

enterprise in Heven. It fastly developed during the nineteenth century as the demand for

winches rose from the growth of mining industry, railway system, and lock constructions

(131). Carl Ludwig Berger founded a significant cast-steel plant "Gussstahl-Werk Witten"

in 1853 (132). Witten had germinated the steel industry considerably, but was still small

in size and function compared to the important industrial centers to the north (133).

V. Conclusive Analysis

            The factors upon which development of cities in the Ruhr area were dependent

can be categorized in various ways. In this paper, they will be divided into six categories

and analyzed: politics, location and transportation, resources, technology, tradition, and

entrepreneurs. However, one single factor should not be seen as a guarantee of success. A

successful industrial development needed a combination of different factors.

V.1 Politics

            Before the nineteenth century, the Ruhr area was a divided territory practically

ruled by different authorities. States in the Ruhr area usually regarded one another as a

competitor, and this situation was an obstruction to the effective growth of the Ruhr area

as a whole.

            In the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Ruhr area underwent the

Napoleonic Wars. Destruction was not the only consequence of the Wars. The resultant

French rule facilitated the area by revoking tolls and restrictions on the trade along the

Rhine river, whose effectiveness as highway of trade was impaired by competitive tolls

imposed by different states nearby.

            After the defeat of Napoleon, the area was handed to the Prussian rule. The

Prussian rule was also beneficial to the development of the area. It now launched

organized and planned industrialization of the area. Moreover, after unified, the previous

competitive states now tended to be more cooperative with one another and thus

stimulated effective development of the area. Prussian administrators also tried to delay

the development of facilities of higher education in the Ruhr area, to spare human

resources for the industrial purposes.

V.2 Location and Transportation

            Location is perhaps the most important factor among the six categories for the

Ruhr area. A city's growth was very dependent on the distance from and connection with

the central Ruhr area between the Emscher and the Ruhr.

Figure 5.1 : Population of the Cities, 1905

after Jan Lahmeyer, Population Statistics : Germany, Urban

Centers

            As shown in the figure, the cities between the Ruhr river and the Emscher river

were largest. These cities, Bochum, Essen, Gelsenkirchen, and Dortmund, enjoyed rich

resources and excellent transportation system. They undoubtedly composed the core of

the Ruhr industrial area and leading centers of industrial developments. It is noticeable

that despite this seemingly favorable location, Hörde was exceptionally small. It is

possible that its growth was severely shadowed by the development of giant city to the

adjacent north Dortmund. Also, figure 4.3 reveals Hörde received very poor

transportation connection compared to Dortmund.

            Cities such as Dinslaken, Recklinghausen, Wesel, Barmen, Elberfeld, and Krefeld

were too far away from the cities of the central Ruhr area to have deep connection with

them. Dinslaken and Recklinghausen were late to start industrial development because of

their long distances from the central Ruhr and achieved only limited growth as shown in

Figure 5.1. Wesel to the distant north was also a commercial town detached from the

central Ruhr area and witnessed its significance as once the largest city to the north of the

Ruhr river sink. Remscheid and Solingen, though fairly well grown, were basically

independent from the industries of the central Ruhr area; their achievements were results

of their long traditions of metallurgical industries. Notably large sizes of Barmen,

Elberfeld, and Krefeld were also not owing to their interrelations with the central Ruhr

area, but to their deep-rooted and excellent textile industries.

            Mülheim, Ruhrort, and Duisburg thrived as port cities due to their suitable

positions near the Rhine and the Ruhr and thus joined the group of large Ruhr cities.

They all managed considerable amount of coal trade along the rivers, and Ruhrort was

the most dominant among them. They also imported various materials from outside the

Ruhr area. Even among them, different locations led to different fates. Because of

topographical reasons, the early railroads were built to the north of M?lheim and thus

strengthened dominance of already prevalent Ruhrort.

            Düsseldorf achieved successful development in spite of their far distance from the

central Ruhr area and benefited from their riverside locations. Düsseldorf was very

important for the Rhine traffic and became western hub of the Ruhr transportation

system. It succeeded in fostering numerous steel-using, steel-making, and steel-finishing

works.

            Sprockhövel, Hattingen, Witten, and Wetter near the Ruhr river experienced early

developments of mining industry, but these developments were short-term. These cities

faced stagnancy due to the progression of mining industry toward the richer coalfields to

the north. Many once operating mines in these cities closed near the end of the nineteenth

century. However, located relatively close to the central Ruhr area, Witten could continue

and promote its industrial development fairly well by engaging in steel industry since

1850. Hagen, though near the Ruhr river, benefited from its riverside position. Hagen's

development to be center of steel production was assisted by its tradition of metallurgical

industry, which employed well water power of many fast streams that Hagen had nearby.

V.3 Technology

            Technological developments also affected industrial patterns of the Ruhr area.

Near the early development, only basic mining technology such as open-pit and drift

mining was available and was used primarily to obtain coal near surface in the cities near

and on the Ruhr river. Soon, deep-cast coal mining and shaft mining were introduced and

enabled to coal buried deeper. This development of mining technology thus promoted the

northward progression of the mining industry and brought light to the northern cities.

            Introduction of the factory system stimulated further growth of textile industries

in Barmen and Elberfeld and decline of the domestic spinning and weaving in cottages.

Highly fine metallurgical products were able to be produced after the cast steel

production began. Early coal usage was mostly for heating. However, new processes and

technology of iron industry, such as the cast steel production, needed large quantities of

coal and thus created interrelation between the coal and the iron industry.

V.4 Tradition

            Long-standing traditions survived and even determined the industry in some cities

during the nineteenth century. Krefeld prospered with silk industry, which was first

introduced in the seventeenth century. Bleaching industry had developed since the

sixteenth century in Elberfeld, which had once practiced monopoly on bleaching yarns

for the Berg. Metal products of international renown in Remscheid and Solingen were

also results of the long local tradition and craftsmanship.

            Yet, outside influences were as important as local traditions in the Ruhr area, as

implied by the fact that immigrants heavily outnumbered the local population and

developed a melting pot identity and a peculiar dialect in the core Ruhr region.

V.5 Resources

            Resource was as an important determinant as a location in the development of the

cities. Water source often promoted textile industry, small streams fostered metallurgical

industry, and coalfield and iron ores were critical to the great industrial development. The

Ruhr basin possessed fertile soil, which led the region to engage in agriculture before the

industrialization and to export some foods to the unproductive southern hills. Before the

nineteenth century, Mülheim had a textile industry based on the water supply of the Ruhr

river. Lack of sufficient iron ores and charcoal were the main reason for the decline of the

metal industry in the Duchy of Berg. Meanwhile, the Sauerland could inherit the spirit of

the metallurgical industry from Berg due to a number of swift streams and considerable

amount of iron ores.

            Suitable water sources enabled Berg and Mark to develop early the bleaching and

textile industry. The bleaching industry of Barmen and Elberfeld benefited from the

Wupper river, but soon weaving and dyeing gradually substituted bleaching which

imposed too much pressure that bleaching imposed on water and land resources.

Bochum, Essen, and Dortmund could foster large steel industry which needed their

Fettkohlen (Coking coal).

            Coalfield distribution also substantially contributed to the industrial pattern in the

Ruhr area. Coal near the south was near the surface and thus very easy to mine. In

contrast, coal to the north went deeper under the ground and was hard to obtain, but it

contained more volatile components and thus had more usage than the southern coal. The

fact that mining the northern coal of high quality needed more refined and developed

technology induced the northward stride of the industrial center point in the Ruhr area

throughout the nineteenth century.

V.6 Entrepreneurs

            A number of entrepreneurs made great contributions to the industrial rise of the

Ruhr area. Some were such powerful businessmen that almost controlled the fates of their

basis cities. Their pioneering attempts sometimes led to not only improvements of not

only their companies but also the Ruhr area as a whole. Some were of local importance,

while others were of importance beyond local level.

            A group of founding fathers of businesses and works appeared in the late

nineteenth century and the twentieth century. Friedrich Krupp established Krupp cast

steel factory in Essen in the early nineteenth century. Eberhard Hoesch spied then the

most modern steel production in England and founded Hoesch, one of the most powerful

companies in Dortmund. Jacob Mayer's Bochumer Verein was renowned for the cast

steel goods. It dominated Bochum, whose fame as a center of cast steel manufacture

heavily depended on Bochumer Verein. Jacob Wilhelm Haniel and his wife Aletta Haniel

ran a successful trade business in and around Duisburg. August Thyssen had influences

over various cities. He possessed a commercial company in Dinslaken, a small steel

works at Duisburg, a wire company in Hamm, and many works in Mülheim. Friedrich

Harkort ran a mechanical workshop in Wetter.

            Many talented entrepreneurs succeeded these founders and led the major

developments of the businesses and works. It was usual that founders handed their works

to their posterity or relatives. Alfred Krupp, after taking place of Friedrich Krupp,

became one of the strongest and most influential businessmen in the Ruhr area. He had a

giant steel production company in Essen and blast furnaces in Duisburg. Essen was very

dependent on him who paid even for public buildings and local facilities in Essen. After

the founder Eberhard Hoesch retired, Hoesch AG was operated under his nephew

Leopold Hoesch. Afterward, Leopold's son Eberhard Hoesch managed the company.

Leopold and his son Eberhard Hoesch led Hoesch AG to the further growth. Wilhelm and

Aletta's two sons Franz and Gerhard Haniel took over responsibility for the Haniel

trading business and coal industry from their parents and strengthened the Haniel family's

power. The Haniel family prevailed in the coal trade in Ruhrort. Based on the wealth

acquired from the coal trade, the family attempted to work on mining industry in Essen.

Louis and Friedrich Baare directed Bochumer Verein's development after Jacob Mayer

withdrew. August's son Fritz Thyssen continued Thyssen companies. Friedrich Grillo,

who inherited an enterprise from his father, became the single greatest patron of the

industrial development of Gelsenkirchen. In the city, he started a chemical industry

corporation, a Schalker ironwork association, a glass and mirror production company.

Hermann Diedrich Piepenstock, who received bronze and brass manufactures from his

father Caspar Piepenstock, established Hermannshütte in Hörde.

Notes

(1)      Pounds 1952 p.21

(2)      Jackson 1997 p.3

(3)      Number of miners and coal produced in tons based on K. Tenfelde,

Sozialgeschichte der Bergarbeiterschaft an der Ruhr im 19. Jahrhundert, Bonn/Bad

Godesberg 1977, quoted in Brüggemeier 2002 p.108

(4)      Parker & Pounds 1957 p.218, Brooks & Lacroix 1925 p.21

(5)      Sawyer included Hamm, Lüdenscheid to mark the eastern boundary,

Mönchengladbach, Krefeld as western boundary, Remscheid, Solingen as the southern

ones of the "Greater Ruhr Area", excluding Bocholt, Borken, Cologne, Aachen,

Leverkusen. For more discussion of the Ruhr Area's definition, see Sawyer 1949 pp.2-3;

With the Siegerland, Aachen, Cologne excluded, Pounds considered Krefeld, Düsseldorf,

and Hagen as part of the "Ruhr Area", Wuppertal and textile industries on the left bank of

the Rhine as part of the "Greater Ruhr Area", Pounds 1952 p.25

(6)      For more discussion of the loess belt, see Pounds 1952 pp.24, 28

(7)      Pounds 1952 p.28

(8)      Sawyer 1949 p.3

(9)      Pounds 1952 p.30

(10)      Sawyer 1949 p.3, Jackson 1997 p.2

(11)      Pounds 1952 p.34

(12)      ibid. p.30

(13)      ibid. p.56, Parker & Pounds 1957 p.98

(14)      Pounds 1952 p.37

(15)      Sawyer 1949 p.3, Pounds 1952 p.38

(16)      Pounds 1952 pp.39-40

(17)      P. Benearts, Les Origines de la Grande Industrie allemande, Paris, 1933, pp. 97ff.;

Briefe eines reisenden Franzosen über Deutschland (1784), ii, 373; Steins Briefwechsel,

I, 142; J. F. Knapp, Regenten- und Volks-Geschichte der Länder Cleve, Mark, Jülich,

Berg und Ravensberg, Krefeld, 1846, I, 75-8. quoted. in Pounds 1952 p.40

(18)      See why in Thun, op. cit; von Kürten, op. cit; J. R. Rodan, op. cit; E. Voye,

Geschichte der Industrie im Märkischen Sauerland, 4 vols. Hagen, 1909-13. quoted in

Pounds 1952 p.41

(19)      Pounds 1952 p.47

(20)      For further explanation of the rise of the Ruhr area as commercial centers, see

Jackson 1997 p.3; Sawyer 1949 p.3; Pounds 1952 p.24

(21)      Pounds 1952 p.41

(22)      Sawyer 1949 p.3, Parker & Pounds 1957 p.98

(23)      Jackson 1997 p.5, Sawyer 1949 p.3

(24)      These methods were regarded inefficient. Parker & Pounds 1957 pp.98-99

(25)      J. R. Seeley, Life and Times of Stein, Cambridge, 1878, I, 50-77; M. Lehmann,

Freiherr von Stein, Leipzig, 1902, I, 39-80. Rheinisch-Westfälische

Wirtschaftsbiogaphien, iii, Münster, 1936, ch. I, Heynitz, Rede, Stein. quoted in Pounds

1952 p.49

(26)      See further explanation of blast furnaces in Pounds 1952 p.54

(27)      Wüstenfeld 1975 p.38

(28)      For the discussion of the definition of the Ruhr area, refer to the introductory parts

of this paper.

(29)      Article : Elberfeld, from Classic Encyclopedia

(30)      Pounds 1952 p.40

(31)      Jackson 1997 p.3

(32)      Pounds 1952 pp.41, 56, 84; Article :Barmen. from Classic Encyclopedia

(33)      Pounds 1952 p.40

(34)      ibid. p.88-89

(35)      See further explanation of industrial importance of Barmen and Elberfeld in

Articles Barmen. and Elberfeld. from Classic Encyclopedia

(36)      Pounds 1952 p.44

(37)      Parker & Pounds 1957 p.114

(38)      "History: 1842 - the Beginnings" Bochumer Verein Verkehrstechnik GmbH.

(39)      Pounds 1952 pp.76, 243

(40)      "Bochum Facts" Official Homepage of the city of Bochum

(41)      Pounds 1952 p.116; "History: Development and Expansion" Bochumer Verein

Verkehrstechnik GmbH.

(42)      For the detailed discuss of Thomas process, see Pounds 1952 pp.106-107

(43)      Article Bochum, from Classic Encyclopedia

(44)      "Stadtgeschichte."("City History") Official Website of Dinslaken.

(45)      Jackson 1997 p.46

(46)      "Stadtgeschichte."("City History") Official Website of Dinslaken.

(47)      ibid.

(48)      Pounds 1952 p.181

(49)      Article Dortmund, from Classic Encyclopedia

(50)      Jackson 1997 p.3

(51)      Article Dortmund, from Classic Encyclopedia

(52)      Pounds 1952 pp.70, 88-89

(53)      Jackson 1997 p.9

(54)      For the detailed discussion of Thomas and Bessemer processes, see Pounds 1952

pp.106-107

(55)      Pounds 1952 p.121

(56)      ibid., Bum 1961 p.iii

(57)      Article Dortmund, from Classic Encyclopedia

(58)      Pounds 1952 p.45

(59)      Jackson 1997 p.49

(60)      Pounds 1952 pp.72, 88, Jackson 1997 p.128

(61)      Pounds 1952 pp.112, 114-115, Jackson 1997 p.129

(62)      Pounds 1952 pp.118, 205, 214-215, Article Duisburg, from Classic Encyclopedia

(63)      Pounds 1952 p.45

(64)      ibid. pp.84, 88-89

(65)      Article Dusseldorf [!], from Classic Encyclopedia

(66)      Pounds 1952 p.43

(67)      "City of Essen History" Official Website of Essen.

(68)      Pounds 1952 pp.65-66

(69)      "City of Essen History" Official Website of Essen.; Pounds 1952 p.75

(70)      Pounds 1952 pp.114, 126

(71)      Article Essen, from Classic Encyclopedia

(72)      "History of Gelsenkirchen" Official Gelsenkirchen Website.

(73)      Pounds 1952 pp.66, 116, 129

(74)      Bum 1961 p.341, Article Gelsenkirchen, from Classic Encyclopedia

(75)      Pounds 1952 pp.50, 70, 76-77

(76)      ibid.. p.83

(77)      ibid. pp.17, 216

(78)      Article Hagen, from Classic Encyclopedia

(79)      History of Hamm �� �� Herb Severing s Site.��

(80)      Pounds 1952 pp.119, 142

(81)      ibid. p.188

(82)      Article Hamm, from Classic Encyclopedia

(83)      "Stadtgeschichte" ("History of the City") Record Office of the City Hattingen.

(84)      ibid. pp.41, 54

(85)      "Stadtgeschichte" ("History of the City") Record Office of the City Hattingen.

(86)      Pounds 1952 p.87

(87)      ibid.. pp.118, 129

(88)      ibid. p.76

(89)      Bum 1961 p.106

(90)      Pounds 1952 pp.77, 89

(91)      Article Horde [!], from Classic Encyclopedia

(92)      Pounds 1952 pp.47, 56, Jackson 1997 p.111

(93)      Pounds 1952 p.85; "Stadtgeschichte." Stadt Krefeld.

(94)      Article "Uerdingen." in Wikipedia in German Edition.

(95)      Pounds 1952 pp.181, 219

(96)      "The New Mülheim." Stadt M?lheim an der Ruhr.

(97)      Pounds 1952 p.71

(98)      ibid. p.72; "The New Mülheim." Stadt M?lheim an der Ruhr.

(99)      "The New Mülheim." Stadt M?lheim an der Ruhr.

(100)      Pounds 1952 p.128, Article Mulheim an der Ruhr [!], from Classic Encyclopedia

(101)      Jackson 1997 p.111

(102)      Brooks & Lacroix 1925 p.302, Pounds 1952 pp.87, 129

(103)      Article Oberhausen, from Classic Encyclopedia

(104)      Article Recklinghausen, from Classic Encyclopedia

(105)      Jackson 1997 p.5, Pounds 1952 p.43

(106)      Pounds 1952 pp.60, 97, 134, 136

(107)      Article Recklinghausen, from Classic Encyclopedia; "Grundriss der Geschichte

Recklinghausens." Stadt Recklinghausen Grundriss der Geschichte.

(108)      Jackson 1997 p.111

(109)      Pounds 1952 pp.84-85, 119, 129

(110)      Article Remscheid, from Classic Encyclopedia

(111)      Article Solingen, from Classic Encyclopedia

(112)      Jackson 1997 p.111, Pounds 1952 pp.38, 40

(113)      Pounds 1952 p.119

(114)      Article Solingen, from Classic Encyclopedia; Parker & Pounds 1957 pp.21, 48

(115)      Coal commerce continued to flourish even to the eighteenth century. Jackson

1997 p.5

(116)      Pounds 1952 p.46

(117)      Pounds 1952 pp.71-72

(118)      Pounds 1952 pp.87, 107, 112, 128

(119)      Pounds 1952 p.207

(120)      Article Ruhrort, in : Classic Encyclopedia

(121)      "Historisches." Stadtgeschichte, Sprockhövel.

(122)      Pounds 1952 p.65; "Historisches." Stadtgeschichte, Sprockhövel.

(123)      Pounds 1952 pp.42-44; Article Wesel, from Classic Encyclopedia

(124)      Article Wesel, from Classic Encyclopedia

(125)      "Detailed description of the history of Wesel.' www.wesel.de - .

(126)      Pounds 1952 p.50; "Wetter (Ruhr) - eine spannende Geschichte." Stadt Wetter

(127)      Pounds 1952 p.73; Parker & Pounds 1957 p.221

(128)      Pounds 1952 pp.76, 118, 129; "Wetter (Ruhr) - eine spannende Geschichte."

Stadt Wetter

(129)      Pounds 1952 pp.52, 65, 68, 89, 76

(130)      ibid. p.89; Ziese 1999 p.71

(131)      "History." J. D. Neuhaus - Portrait.; Ziese 1999 p.71

(132)      "Gussstahl-Werk Witten." Wikipedia in German Edition.

(133)      Pounds 1952 p.129; Article Witten, from Classic Encyclopedia

Bibliography

1.      Bochum Facts Official Homepage of the city of Bochum. Stadt Bochum. 7 Sept. 2007 http://www.bochum.de/english/index.htm. 2.      Brooks and Lacroix. "Chapter II the Ruhr-Lorraine System--The Material Foundations." The Ruhr-Lorraine Industrial Problem, a Study of the Economic Inter-Dependence of the Two Regions and Their Relation to the Reparation Question. New York: The Macmillan company, 1925. Questia, 29 July 2007 http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=77393303. 3.      Brüggemeier, Franz-Josef. "Normal Pollution: Industrialization, Emissions and the Concept of Zoning in Germany, 1800-1970." Towards an Urban Nation : Germany Since 1780. Ed. Friedrich Lenger. New York: Berg, 2002. Questia, 29 July 2007 http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=102235820. 4.      Burn, Duncan. The Economic History of Steelmaking, 1867-1939: A Study in Competition (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1961). Questia, 11 Sept. 2007 http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=3914930. 5.      "City of Essen History." Official Website of Essen. Stadt Essen. 7 Sept. 2007 http://www.essen.de/english/Leben_E/StelltSichVor_E/Geschichte_E.asp. 6.      Classic Encyclopedia Based on the 11th Edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica (Pub. 1911). http://www.1911encyclopedia.org. Articles Barmen, http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Barmen, Bochum, http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Bochum, Dortmund, http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Dortmund, Duisburg, http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Duisburg, Dusseldorf [!], http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Dusseldorf, Elberfeld http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Elberfeld, Essen, http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Essen, Gelsenkirchen, http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Gelsenkirchen, Hagen, http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Hagen, Hamm, http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Hamm, Horde [!], http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Horde, Mulheim an der Ruhr [!], http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Mulheim-an-der-Ruhr, Oberhausen, http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Oberhausen, Recklinghausen, http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Recklinghausen, Remscheid, http://www.1911encyclopeida.org/Remscheid, Ruhrort, http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Ruhrort, Solingen, http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Solingen, Wesel, http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Wesel, Witten, http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Witten, visited September & October 2007 7.      "Detailed description of the history of Wesel." www.wesel.de. Stadt Wesel. 10 Oct.

2007 http://www.wesel.de/kommunen/wesel/www-englisch.nsf/0/661D4593E7C183E7C1256F42003458C9?OpenDocument. 8.      "Grundriss der Geschichte Recklinghausens." ("Outline of the History of Recklinghausen") Stadt Recklinghausen Grundriss der Geschichte. Stadt Recklinghausen. 9 Oct. 2007 http://www.recklinghausen.de//TourismusStadtinformation/Geschichte/GeschichteStadtundVest/Grundriss_der_Geschichte.htm. 9.      "Historisches." Stadtgeschichte, Sprockhövel. Stadt Sprockhövel. 10 Oct. 2007 . 10.      "History." J. D. Neuhaus - Portrait. J. D. Neuhaus. 10 Oct. 2007 http://www.jdn.de/history.htm. 11.      "History: 1842 - the Beginnings" Bochumer Verein Verkehrstechnik GmbH. Bochumer Verein. 7 Sept. 2007 http://bochumer-verein.de/englisch/s619.html. 12.      "History of Gelsenkirchen" Official Gelsenkirchen Website. Stadt Gelsenkirchen. 11 Sept. 2007 . 13.      "History of Hamm" Herb Severing's Site. 16 Sept. 2007 http://www.severing.nu/hamm/hamhis.html. 14.      Jackson, JR., James H. Migration and Urbanization in the Ruhr Valley, 1821-1914. Boston: Humanities Press, 1997. 15.      "The New Mülheim." Stadt Mülheim an der Ruhr.. 17 Sept. 2007 http://www.muelheim-ruhr.de/cms/the_new_muelheim1.html. 16.     : Parker, William N. and Norman J. G. Pounds. Coal and Steel in Western Europe; the Influence of Resources and Techniques on Production. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1957. Questia, 29 July 2007 http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=54517439. 17.      "Historical Demographical Data of Urban Centers." Population Statistics. Jan Lahmeyer. 30 Dec. 2003. 17 Oct. 2007. http://www.populstat.info/Europe/germanyt.htm. 18.      Pounds, Norman J. G. The Ruhr: a Study in Historical and Economic Geography. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1952. 19.      Sawyer, Charles. The Ruhr Area: Its structure and Economic Importance. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1949. 20.      "Stadtgeschichte." ("City History") Official Website of Dinslaken. Stadt Dinslaken. 7 Sept. 2007 http://www.dinslaken.de/kommunen/dinslaken/www-dinslaken.nsf/index?readform. 21.      "Stadtgeschichte." ("City History") Record Office of the City Hattingen. 16 Sept. 2007 http://www.archiv.hattingen.de/stadtgeschichte/bisher.htm. 22.      "Stadtgeschichte." ("City History") Stadt Krefeld. Stadt Krefeld. 9 Oct. 2007 http://www.krefeld.de/Kommunen/krefeld/www.nsf/ab75e4be7b82e2e1c1256b750036d752/cdd4d2bc82a4679ac1256d820033ee42?OpenDocument. 23.      "Wetter (Ruhr) - eine spannende Geschichte." ("Wetter (Ruhr) - an exciting history") Stadt Wetter Stadt Wetter. 10 Oct. 2007 http://www.stadt-wetter.de/5119CEADCA364F7394F5F4C5A0967305_D5D00ED5C97D4BB184ECFC26F61B14E5.html. 24.      Wikipedia in German Edition. http://de.wikipedia.org. Article "Uerdingen." 6 Nov 2007. http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uerdingen. Article "Gussstahl-Werk Witten." 6 Nov 2007. http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gussstahl-Werk_Witten. 25.      Wüstenfeld, Gustav Adolf. "Aus den Tagen der Ruhrschiffahrt." ("Period of Ruhr Navigation") Frühe Stätten des Ruhrbergbaues (Early Places of the Ruhr mining). Witten

1975. 26.      Ziese, Stefan. Witten. Witten: Wartberg Verlag, 1999.