Essen.City overview
Square wooden city map made from oiled oak – two layers with a black back plate and frame.
About the product
Essen’s central urban area brings together landscapes with very different origins. Zollverein to the northeast expresses the architectural order of coal production. Borbeck Castle to the west recalls an older history of authority and designed grounds, while Grugapark opens a substantial green space south of the centre. Housing, transport routes and the dense inner city connect these larger sites. Their relationship adds depth to Essen’s industrial identity, revealing earlier settlement histories and a continuing culture of public gardens. The city has several distinct points of focus, each with its own scale and purpose. Together they show how work, representation and recreation shaped different parts of the same urban landscape.
What does the map show?
- Zollverein in the northeast
- Borbeck Castle and its grounds to the west
- Grugapark south of the centre
- Precisely cut and engraved
- Fine laser details with clear depth
- Carefully inspected and securely packed
- Handmade in Germany
Configuration
Shape: Square · Design: Framed · Material: Oak · Sizes: 23 × 23 cm, 35 × 35 cm, 50 × 50 cm
The configuration shown in the cart and at the time of ordering is authoritative. The preview is not a dimensioned technical drawing.
Availability & production
- Availability
- Made to order
- Production time
- Ships in 3-5 business days
Production starts after successful payment and complete product configuration.
Materials & care
Depending on the variant, lacquered or oiled MDF or oiled real-wood veneer on MDF; optional stainless-steel mounting screws. Acrylic lacquer spray, hard-wax oil and white glue are used in production.
Wood is a natural material. Grain and color may vary slightly from the product images.
Clean with a dry, soft cloth and protect from prolonged moisture and direct heat.
Included & installation
The selected product in the ordered configuration, securely packed and prepared for installation.
- Maximum dimensions 50 × 70 cm and maximum product weight 2 kg.
- Wall-fixing screws and wall plugs are not included. Use fixings suitable for the wall type, substrate and product weight.
- Installation must be carried out by an adult. Keep optional mounting screws and other small parts away from children until installation.
Shipping & returns
Securely packed shipping. Return and cancellation information is available in the legal section.
Shipping costs and delivery options depend on the destination and format. The published cancellation right applies to non-personalised standard goods; it may be excluded for individually made products.
Manufacturer & product identifier
- Manufacturer
- Benjamin Nöst - Lightworks
Rorichmoorer Str. 76
26802 Moormerland, Deutschland
kontakt@lightworks.de - Product identifier
- LW-CAT-0CBB4B71E89F-S, LW-CAT-0CBB4B71E89F-M, LW-CAT-0CBB4B71E89F-L
Together with the order or production batch, the relevant SKU enables traceability. Safety questions and incidents can be reported to the email address shown above.
Product safety
- Decorative product for dry indoor use only; not a toy and not intended for children.
- Protect from moisture, high heat and open flames.
- Do not continue to hang the product after a fall, breakage or visible damage. Keep damaged parts away from children.
Essen between Zollverein, Borbeck and Gruga
Essen’s larger sites offer contrasting ways to understand the city. A coal mine, a castle and a public park occupy different positions around the centre and preserve different ideas about space. Reading Zollverein, Borbeck and Gruga together reveals older histories beneath industrial growth and varied uses beyond production.
Architecture for industrial work
Zollverein is a major reference point in Essen’s coal-mining history. Shaft XII is especially notable for the relationship between industrial function and deliberate architectural composition. Buildings form a coordinated arrangement, and their clear geometry gives the complex a strong visual identity. The organisation of the whole site helps explain production alongside the machinery and technical processes once housed within it.
Subsequent cultural uses have changed how people encounter that working environment. Buildings and open areas can be experienced in new ways while retaining their industrial form. Zollverein consequently represents both the history of coal extraction and the later treatment of its physical legacy. Northeast of the inner city, it establishes a substantial focus beyond the main commercial centre.
An earlier history at Borbeck
Borbeck Castle occupies a different position to the west. Associated with Essen’s princess-abbesses, it recalls a history of authority that predates the industrial metropolis. The castle and its grounds follow spatial principles quite unlike those of a mine. Water, trees and formal architecture combine in a designed setting with older roots.
The contrast matters because both places belong to the same present-day city. Essen did not begin with coal. Industrial development transformed existing settlements and brought them into a larger urban network. Borbeck makes that earlier layer visible and broadens the story beyond the buildings and infrastructure of the industrial age. It is a reminder that later growth worked upon an already meaningful landscape.
A garden exhibition becomes lasting public space
Grugapark, southwest of the centre, originated in a garden exhibition held in 1929. The exhibition grounds developed into a permanent park, providing planted areas, paths and open space within the built city. Here, greenery was central to the original purpose rather than a later replacement for a different activity. The park adds another distinct history to Essen’s urban landscape.
Residential districts, transport routes and the dense centre lie between these larger sites. They are essential to the picture, connecting the exceptional places through ordinary city life. Together, the castle, mine and park reveal different ways of organising space: for authority, for work and for recreation. Their continuing presence allows those purposes to be understood side by side. This coexistence gives central Essen several distinct identities, with each major site contributing a different scale and historical perspective to the surrounding neighbourhoods.
Sources
- Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus – Essen — https://www.germany.travel/en/cities-culture/essen.html
- Wikipedia – Zeche Zollverein — https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeche_Zollverein
- Wikipedia – Grugapark — https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grugapark
- Wikipedia – Schloss Borbeck — https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schloss_Borbeck
- Wikipedia – Essen — https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essen
Still deciding?
Configure your motif in the studio and see how your city map will look in your space.
