Essen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the ninth largest city in Germany with a population of 593, 085 as of 2019. It is located on the Ruhr river and is the central city of the Ruhr metropolitan area, which has a population of over 5 million people. Essen is known for its coal mining and steel production industries, as well as its cultural attractions such as the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex and the Folkwang University of the Arts.