General Information

About Essen

Essen is a city in western Germany located in the centre of the Ruhr area, one of the largest urban areas in Europe, comprising eleven independent cities and four districts with some 5.3 million inhabitants. The city limits of Essen itself are 87 km (54 mi) long and border ten cities, five independent and five kreisangehörig (i.e., belonging to a district), with a total population of approximately 1.4 million. The city extends over 21 km (13 mi) from north to south and 17 km (11 mi) from west to east, mainly north of the River Ruhr.

Climate

Essen has a typical oceanic climate with relatively mild winters and cool summers (different of Berlin or Stuttgart). Without large mountains and the presence of inland seas, it ends up extending a predominantly marine climate is found in Essen, usually a little more extreme and drier in other continents in such geographical location. Its average annual temperature is 10 °C (50 °F): 13.3 °C (56 °F) during the day and 6.7 °C (44 °F) at night. The average annual precipitation is 934 mm (37 in). The coldest month of the year is January, when the average temperature is 2.4 °C (36 °F). The warmest months are July and August, with an average temperature of 18 °C (64 °F). The record high is 36.6 °C (98 °F) and the record low is −24 °C (−11 °F).

Language

The official language is Standard German

How to reach Essen

By plane

The largest international airport nearby is located in Düsseldorf: Düsseldorf-International DUS (30 km, ca. 30 mins by train). Smaller airports in the vicinity are Dortmund Airport DTM (45 km) and Flughafen Münster-Osnabrück FMO (ca. 100 km). Of these two, the airport in Dortmund is faster to reach by public transport and is used by some no-frills airlines.

By car

Essen is located on Autobahn A40.

• From Hanover take Autobahn A2 to A40.

• Autobahn A45 from Frankfurt.

• Autobahn A52 from Düsseldorf.

By train

The ideally connected Essen Central Railway Station is a hub for over 120 daily ICE, InterCity, EuroCity and InterRegio connections in all directions.

Get around

Essen has a big subway, tram, bus and night bus system.

Useful number

Police -110

Non-emergency medical (doctor on call) - 116 117

Air rescue - (0711) 70 10 70

Nurse advice line - 00800 4759 2330