Die Selbstwahrnehmung des Ruhrgebiets in der Nachkriegszeit

The article centres on the question, which forces contribute to the development that the Ruhr area in Germany is considered by its citizens and by outsiders as an identifiable region at the end of the industrial age. Due to the structural change of the post-war period the “old Ruhr area” with its heavy industrial coinage has been transformed into a “new Ruhr area” with a differentiated structure and a specific image of the region. In particular, the “new middle classes” have created new images of a “Ruhr city” with a special urbanity − differing from other conurbations