Photo: Cesar von Meissen
Path of change in the Ruhr area
Anyone who is at today towpath between Essen-Werden, Kupferdreh and the Baldeneysee Anyone traveling along the towpath experiences an almost idyllic tranquility: joggers, cyclists, people with dogs, canoes and rowboats on the water, excursion boats leisurely making their rounds. It seems so natural that this riverside path is a recreational paradise – yet the towpath tells a story of hard work, technological change, and a Ruhr Valley that has reinvented itself several times throughout history, thus standing as a prime example of the transformation in the Ruhr region.
Werden – Hub of Ruhr shipping
In the Essen district Werden, once an abbey and independent abbey town, the towpath crosses to the other side of the Ruhr. Here, the Towpath to the former hub of the Ruhr as a transport route. A little further downstream, near the paper mill, a section of the former towpath has been made visible. In Werden itself, the towpath, which is still preserved today, served as a transport route. Haus Heck as Ruhr Customs Inspection. The youngest ones can be on the Brehminsel Experience towing with horses in a play boat modeled after the Ruhr barges of yesteryear.
Muscle power instead of engines
The term "towpath" originates from a time when ships were propelled not by engines, but by muscle power. Along the Ruhr River, horses, other draft animals like oxen, or even people used to pull the cargo barges (Ruhraaken) upstream – a process known as "towpathing." The ships were usually loaded with coal, ore, or later, industrial goods, and the towpath was their "hauling route": a narrow but vital work path right on the riverbank. One can imagine men with bowed heads, harnessed to the towlines, while the barge sluggishly struggled against the current, and hooves transforming the riverside paths into muddy ruts with deep furrows. Nothing remains of this physical exertion today – what remains is the path, now associated not with burdens, but with ease.
Fast lane of industrialization
The Ruhr River itself was navigable for long stretches, and its shipping shaped the Ruhr region long before the name "Ruhr region" became synonymous with heavy industry. The river was already used for transport in the Middle Ages; in 1033, the abbey received the right to collect tolls for shipping between the town and the mouth of the river, when the Ruhr was primarily used for fishing and small-scale trade. With the boom in Ruhr coal mining in the 18th and 19th centuries, the river became the main artery of transport: locks, harbors, and towpaths made it possible to transport coal from the mines towards the Rhine. The towpath where people stroll today was therefore once an infrastructure strip – essentially the fast lane of industrialization, only with horses and wooden boats.
Change of perspective at Baldeneysee
The Baldeneyee is not a natural body of water, but a reservoir created in the 1930s when the Ruhr River was dammed to clean the heavily polluted river and improve the drinking water supply for the growing population. Around 90 years ago, this involved flooding large areas, reshaping sections of the riverbank, and fundamentally altering the landscape. That this intervention is now considered a scenic highlight of Essen is one of those typical historical twists: what began as a major technical project for water quality and security of supply is now one of the most popular recreational areas in the entire region.
Photo: Cesar von Meissen
Tourism in the Ruhr Valley
But long before the Baldeneysee existed, the Ruhr Valley attracted travelers. The Essen-based publisher Karl Baedeker, founder of the famous red travel guides, raved about the Ruhr region as early as 1843 in his "Rhine Journey": He described the Ruhr Valley as an area "rich in natural beauty," shaped both by mining and by the industriousness of its inhabitants. Anyone walking along the towpath today can still sense this very blend: On the one hand, the view of the water, the green slopes, historical sites like Essen-Werden; on the other hand, industrial relics, railway lines, bridges, old locks, and factory buildings that blend seamlessly into the landscape.
From towpath to tourist highlight
The Baldeneysee itself is today a hub for water sports, recreation, and excursion boat trips. Passenger ships of the Weisse Flotte Baldeney GmbH, a subsidiary of the city of Essen, operate on the reservoir. They offer round trips, while sailboats, rowboats, and stand-up paddleboarders are a common sight. The Ruhr River is navigable for motorized vessels from the Rhine to Essen-Werden; in some sections, such as up to Mülheim, it is even developed as a federal waterway and continues to be used commercially. At the same time, locks – such as at the Baldeney lock (weir) – maintain the connection between the various sections of the Ruhr, so that shipping on the Ruhr is now more of a tourist experience than an economic necessity, as Ruhrverband notes. Traveling on one of the excursion boats on the Baldeneysee is, in a sense, the culmination of a long development: from towpath boats to cargo steamers to the leisure fleet.
Towpath – three perspectives
Anyone walking or cycling along the towpath today can experience it on several levels. On the most obvious level, it's part of a well-developed network of paths: the Ruhr Valley Cycle Path, hiking trails, jogging routes – a piece of modern leisure culture. On a second level, it's an archaeological thread of industrialization: former towpaths, traces of locks, bridges, and bank reinforcements tell the story of how much the Ruhr was once a working space. And on a third level, it's an emotional space of remembrance, where travel notes from the 19th century, the engineering vision of the 1930s, and the memorials of the 20th century intertwine. Perhaps the most beautiful way to experience the towpath and the Baldeneysee is therefore to consciously take your time on your next walk to experience all perspectives: the water, the path, the history.
