page_title: History of the Ruhr
section_title: Prussian Absolutism
hierarchical_section_title: History of the Ruhr / Prussian Absolutism
context_page_description: The actual boundaries of the Ruhr vary slightly depending on the source, but a good working definition is to define the Lippe and Ruhr as its northern and southern boundaries respectively, the Rhine as its western boundary, and the town of Hamm as the eastern limit.
  In the Middle Ages, local power was vested primarily in the counts of Berg, Mark and Cleves. The left bank of the Rhine was held by the Archbishop of Cologne. The Hellweg was an important trade route crossing the region from Duisburg to Dortmund and beyond as far as the rivers Weser and Elbe. The most important towns of the region were concentrated along the Hellweg.
  As a result of the Congress of Vienna the entire area came under the control of Prussia. This event was almost concomitant with developments which would eventually make the region one of the most important industrial areas in the world.
  In 1946 the state of North Rhine-Westphalia came into being, centred on the Ruhr. Nowadays, its hitherto important coal and steel industries have drastically declined and the region is in a state of re-adjustment.
context_section_description: Large areas of the Ruhr come under Prussian control. Ironworks are started up and coal-mining accelerates. Industry in general receives some direct and indirect encouragement from the Prussian state.
  1655 – Brandenburg assumes temporary control of  the  Duchy of Cleves and Frederick William I, Elector of Brandenburg, arranges for the foundation of a   University in Duisburg.
  1666 – As a result of an agreement over inheritance, the Duchy of Cleves and the County of Mark pass permanently to Brandenburg.
  1672 – During the Franco-Dutch War, French soldiers under Marshall Turenne invade the region. Amongst their actions, they burn down the Haus Steinhausen.
  1674 – A permanent freight and passenger service by river is set up between Duisburg and Nijmegen  (beurtvaart).
  1706 – In Vest Recklinghausen (which is under the control of Cologne) the last of a total of 130 witch trials since  1514 takes place.
  1716 – The Ruhrort Magistrat decide on the building of a harbour. This was the germ of the present-day  Duisburg-Ruhrort Harbour.
  1734 – The Königsborn Saltworks in Unna was founded by the Prussian state.
  1736 – In Holzwickede, the Caroline Adit mined coal which supplied the  Königsborn Saltworks.
  1736 – Essen's first newspaper appeared. Published by the printer of books Johann Heinrich Wißmann under the title Neueste Essendische Nachrichten von Staats- und Gelehrten Sachen (Newest Essen News of State and Learned Matters). In 1775 Zacharias Gerhard Diederich Baedeker took over both the press and publishing sections.
  1738 – The Mark Mining Office (mining office) was founded in Bochum. Among the largest deep mines of the County of Mark was the  "Glückauf" mine in Gennebreck with 17 employees.
  1755 – Frederick II commissioned Ludwig Philipp Freiherr vom Hagen and Johann Friedrich Heintzmann with the drawing-up of new mine and Knappschaft regulations.
  1756–1763 – Seven Years' War. This was a major international conflict in which Prussian was aligned with Britain (and Hanover) among others, against France, Austria and Russia. Prussia was very nearly brought to its knees but appears to have been saved by the death of the Russian Empress Elizabeth and the more conciliatory attitudes of the new czar, Peter III . In 1758, the Battle of Rheinberg preceded the more crucial Battle of Krefeld during which Hanoverian/Prussian troops pushed the French army across the Rhine.
  1758 – On 18 October, a new nine-meter high blast furnace of the  St Antony Smeltery in Osterfeld (in present-day Oberhausen) was used for the first time. The first ore-based production in the district.
  1766 – On 29 April, Frederick II issues the Revised Mining Ordinances for the Duchy of Cleves, the Principality of Meurs and the County of Mark
  1769 – The Dortmundischen vermischten Zeitungen appeared for the first time, published by a member of the Essen publishing family Baedeker. This is the town's first newspaper.
  1780 – The construction of the last of 16 Ruhr locks commissioned by Prussia was completed.  These locks were necessary to circumvent obstacles such as weirs and were constructed in tandem with other measures such as widening and dredging needed to make the Ruhr navigable. It became extremely well used, primarily for coal, although traffic fell off with the later construction of railways and the advance of the coalfield northwards. At this time, coal was being extracted from shallow  drift mines in the vicinity of the river. Of particular importance, a toll road, the Aktienstrasse, carried coal to the river at Mülheim an der Ruhr.
  1781 – Founding of the Gute Hoffnung Smeltery in Sterkrade (in present-day Oberhausen). This soon came under the control of a member of the Krupp family.
  1784 – Henry Frederick Karl Freiherr vom und zum Stein becomes director of the mining office in Wetter an der Ruhr. He encourages the development of mines and ironworks in the western areas of Prussia.
  1787 – The Rauendahler Schiebeweg  is opened in Sundern for the transporting of coal from mines to the Ruhr shipping lane. It is the first of several horse tramways in the Ruhr valley t
caption: Freiherr vom Stein
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