Images from the Ruhr Region, Germany, 2000

In late 2000 our group went to the Ruhr, in Western Germany, to do some economic reporting. The Ruhr is Germany's "rust belt," much like Detroit in the US, and the two regions share many of the same problems—pollution, unemployment and a lack of investment in new industries and technology. For some stories from the Ruhr click here. Part of the Bauhaus-inspired Zollverein coal complex in the Ruhr. Zollverein. Zollverein. Condenser stacks, viewed from the top of a massive steel blast furnace in the Ruhr. They've turned decommissioned coal, coke and steel complexes into public parks. Industrial art at its apex. A Ruhr skyline. More Ruhr skyline. Tobias views the Ruhr from the top of the blast furnace. Back to the index page