Last foothills of the Ardey Hills

Essen is situated on a range which belongs to the northwest foothills of the Ardey Hills. They form the watershed between the Ruhr and the Emscher rivers. The courses of the streams divide here into the Emscher or the Ruhr. Along the Ruhr, the Ardey Hills have a pronounced mountainous character. The landscape is dominated by great differences in height, steep rocky slopes and deep valleys. Viewed from north to south, the Ardey Hills present themselves from a softer side with sweeping hills of woods and meadows.