Culture
Glückauf
GLOOK-owf
The miners' greeting — literally the wish that a shaft would open up a seam. The pits are all shut and people still say it as hello and goodbye across the Ruhr.
Ruhrpott / Pott
ROOR-pot
What the region calls itself. 'Ruhrgebiet' is what the administration calls it; Pott is what you will hear, and using it correctly reads as respect rather than affectation.
Social
malochen
mah-LOKH-en
To graft — hard physical work. It came out of the pits and stayed, and it is still the highest compliment about how somebody works.
Kumpel
KOOM-pel
A fellow miner. It became the ordinary German word for mate, and the Ruhr is where the shift happened.
Hömma
HUR-mah
Ruhrdeutsch compression of 'hör mal' — 'listen'. The dialect eats consonants and merges words, and this is the one you will hear first.
Daily life
Trinkhalle / Büdchen
TRINK-hal-uh
The corner kiosk — beer, newspapers, sweets, and the social infrastructure of a Ruhr street. Your nearest one is a genuine way to meet neighbours.
die Rü
dee ROO
Rüttenscheider Straße, the long café-and-bar spine of Rüttenscheid, and where most of Essen's going out happens. Nobody says the full name.
Anmeldung
AN-mel-doong
Registering your address, legally required within two weeks of moving in, and the gate to your tax ID, bank account, health insurance and residence permit.
Kaltmiete / Warmmiete
KALT-mee-teh
Cold rent versus warm rent — base rent versus rent plus heating and service charges. Listings quote cold; your standing order is warm.
Schufa
SHOO-fah
The credit scoring agency. Landlords, phone operators and instalment sellers all check it, and a newcomer's file is empty.
Transport
Umweltplakette
OOM-velt-plah-KET-uh
The emissions badge on the windscreen. In the Ruhr only the green one gets you in, and the zone is regional rather than municipal.
Emergency
112 / 110
—
112 for ambulance and fire, 110 for police. 112 works across the EU.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.