The development of ironworks, steelworks, and coal mines during the 19th century stimulated Essen's rapid growth from a small town (about 3,000 inhabitants in 1802) to the largest industrial city in the Ruhr coalfield. It was occupied by the French (1923–25) and suffered heavy destruction in World War II as a centre of German war industry. The city has since been rebuilt with large, modern administrative and office buildings and housing.

Coal was once the leading industry, but all the mines have since closed; the Zollverein coal-mine complex, once the largest in the world, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001. The industrial hub of the Ruhr, Essen is also a retail trade centre, a rail junction, and a business service centre. In the second half of the 20th century the city was converted from a preeminent manufacturing city to a modern centre of diversified economic activities, including construction, chemical and glassworks, and factories for textiles and precision instruments.

The southern part of Essen presents a landscape of woods and parks. The city is the seat of Folkwang College of Art (founded 1927) and the University of Duisberg-Essen (founded 1972). Essen features concert halls and an economic-research institute. Museums include the Museum Folkwang, featuring 19th- and 20th-century art, and the Ruhr Museum, with natural history, art, and cultural collections. Essen boasts a critically acclaimed philharmonic orchestra. The Ruhr is dammed at Essen to form Baldeney Lake, which is near the Villa Hügel, originally the home of the Krupps (the noted German industrialists) and since 1953 used for meetings and cultural events. Pop. (2003 est.) city, 589,499; (2000 est.) urban aggl., 6,531,000.