After exploring parts of the world I was ready to start exploring the “Ruhrgebiet”, the area I´m living at.

Most people abroad just know Germany as the country of beer and the October feast. Well, I have to disappoint you. Our country has a lot more than just white sausage, leather pants (both very typical for Bavaria) and beer (all of Germany). There is more to see and to explore here in this country! Ancient history, young metropolitan style cities, nature and multicultural people (if you haven´t recognised our soccer team during the world cup ). Sure, there do exist many more stereotypes, but these were the ones people were talking about mostly during my trip.

I decided on my flight back that I will present you Germany from my point of view! Sure, I haven´t seen everything yet but I know a lot and I have friends living all over Germany who might like the idea of telling you out there what is going on in their hometown! 

Especially this year is great for doing that with the area I´m living!  

Gelsenkirchen, situated in the west of Germany. The biggest  known city around here in NRW (Nordrhine Westfalia) for people from abroad is Cologne. Ok, if you drive north along the river Rhine you will notice Düsseldorf! If you drive a bit further North West you will reach the Ruhrgebiet – an area of many cities situated along the river Ruhr.

“The area around here is truly on its way. An immense structural change from a mining district to a creative, 21st century metropolis is in full swing – the Ruhr Metropolis!”¹

This year the city Essen was named to be one of the ‘European capital of culture’, which is just around the corner of my hometown. But what does that actually mean?
“The aim of selecting a “European Capital of Culture” is to emphasise the cultural riches, the variety and the common cultural heritage in Europe, and to make a contribution towards mutual understanding amongst the citizens of Europe. The chosen “Capital of Culture” presents numerous cultural events throughout its respective year. Other cities like the Hungarian city of Pécs and the Turkish city of Istanbul have been selected of the EU to be “European Capitals of Culture” alongside the city of Essen and the Ruhr metropolitan area.”¹
53 towns of the Ruhr region, round about 5.2 million residents, more than 250 projects and one year to show this transformation through culture to the world– RUHR2010!

A40 – a motorway gets closed down for one day, Sunday. The Highlight of this year!

“It is 60 km long and stretches from west to east linking the towns and cities, the suburbs and the inhabitants of the Ruhr Metropolis. Indeed it is 35 km longer than the longest north-south traffic artery in Manhattan. It is the main traffic artery throughout the region, has one of the highest rates of traffic in Germany. This Sunday on the 18th July 2010 this traffic artery will come to a halt for a day! The road will be banned to motor traffic and turned into a unique stage for everyday culture.”¹

“Schools and kindergartens, clubs and church communities, choirs and brass bands, Boy Scouts and Turkish ravers will take over the motorway to reveal the huge range of colourful life that otherwise remains hidden behind the noise protection walls. An almost 60 kilometre long banqueting area consisting of no less than 20.000 tables to celebrate the largest and most colourful street festival in Europe. And when the inhabitants from 170 different nations arrive with their food and their cultures to take part in the international picnic, the A40 will be linking everything which goes to make up life in the Ruhr Metropolis.  As the locals say: “Zu uns kommt man als Gast. Und geht als Kumpel. – Arrive as a guest and leave as a friend” ( The local German word “Kumpel” means both a miner as well as a pal, a mate, a buddy)!¹

I took my inline skates and started from the Gelsenkirchen main station. A shuttle bus took all the walkers and skaters like me to the motorway. All bicycle drivers had to cycle to the motorway.

I arrived and couldn’t believe my eyes!

There was traffic on the motorway – bicycle and people traffic!!! My target for the day was to skate from the exit of Gelsenkirchen to Mühlheim via the epic centre Essen which is also the ‘European capitel of culture’.

While 12km skating I have never seen so many people before on a motorway Well, I have never seen people besides counstruction sight workers who where working I mean walking on a motorway at all!  The last time so many people walked, cycled and rollerskated on a motorway like that was in the 70ties, because of the oil crisis.

This time people met for the biggest folk festival ever in this region.

And the Ruhr region or now called ‘Metropolis Ruhr’ didn’t need to be told twice - of the expected 1 million actual round about 3 million people came to enjoy this exciting event! The further I got to Essen the more crowded it was. Children, people my age, older people it seemed as somehow everyone was there! The police had to close several exits, ’cause there were too many people on the motorway *haha* Think about it, not cars, people themselves were doing this traffic! Amazing to watch!

After the 12km’s I arrived in Mühlheim to meet my friend Jasmin! I have to admit the closing of the A40 brought people together and brought old friends together again, too - like Jasmin and me. We haven’t seen each other for a long time, but Jasmin discovered my blog, my posts on facebook and contacted me! The last bit of the day we had some yummi ice cream and relaxed while listening to some good jazz music on the big artificial grass carpet at the main station in Essen!

What a incredible day! An awesome Sunday! A40 motorway rocks!

Cheers your skater girl, Livia

P.S. Check out my pictures of the A40 Still-Leben-Ruhrschnellweg event and this link of BBC news!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-10676728

Thanks for the pictures and reports of the RUHR2010 and Metropole Ruhr – I couldn´t describe this year of celebration and highlights any better!
¹: http://www.metropoleruhr.de/index.php?id=6826; http://www.essen-fuer-das-ruhrgebiet.ruhr2010.de/home.html