Mülheim


Mülheim, officially Mülheim an der Ruhr and also described as "City on the River", is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr Area between Duisburg, Essen, Oberhausen and Ratingen. It is home to many companies, and two Max Planck Institutes.
Mülheim an der Ruhr was granted city rights in 1808, and a century later its population surpassed 100,000, officially making it a major city.
WWW muelheim-ruhr.de

Geography

Mülheim an der Ruhr is located to the southwest of Essen in the Ruhr valley. The city consists of 19 districts, 14 of which are located on the right bank of the Ruhr and 5 on the left bank.
Right bank of the RuhrPopulation
Innenstadt ³24000
Dümpten18800
Styrum16200
Eppinghofen¹12500
Mellinghofen¹11000
Holthausen10800
Heißen10000
Heimaterde²6300
Winkhausen5000
Raadt1700
Menden1200
Ickten200
Left bank of the RuhrPopulation
Saarn20500
Speldorf18900
Broich14200
Selbeck1800
Mintard700

¹ Eppinghofen and Mellinghofen are part of the northern inner city.
² The old name for Heimaterde in the land register is Fulerum.
³ officially referred to as Altstadt I.
Figures are estimates based on statistical data from 2025.
The city is divided into three administrative districts, six sub-areas for planning purposes, and nine districts and 28 statistical districts. There are 27 electoral districts for local elections.

Geology

The northern foothills of the Rhenish Massif are characterised by the distinctive rock formation of the bare mountain slopes through which run coal-bearing layers which formed during the carboniferous period. Here the Ruhr cuts more than 50 meters deep into this Mittelgebirge. This natural erosion partly uncovered these mineable black coal deposits, which enabled their exploration and extraction using adits. However, the coal-rich layers became ever deeper as one progressed northward, which required setting up mines to extract the black coal. In contrast, the broad bayou of Styrum borough is characteristic of the features of the Lower Rhine Plain.
RankNationalityPopulation
1Turkey

History

Mülheim was chartered in 1808. Between 1878 and 1929, Mülheim absorbed its neighboring towns, including Broich and Heissen. Later, during World War II, forced laborers of the 3rd SS construction brigade were dispatched in the town by the Nazis in 1943.

Transport

The U18 metro line connects the city with Essen.
The nearest airport is Düsseldorf Airport, located south west of Mülheim. Mülheim also shares an Airfield with Essen.

Politics

Mayor

The current mayor of Mülheim is Marc Buchholz of the Christian Democratic Union since 2020. The most recent mayoral election was held on 14 September 2025, with a runoff held on 28 September. Following results are from 2020:
! rowspan=2 colspan=2| Candidate
! rowspan=2| Party
! colspan=2| First round
! colspan=2| Second round
! Votes
! %
! Votes
! %
! colspan=3| Valid votes
! 64,809
! 98.7
! 48,700
! 98.6
! colspan=3| Invalid votes
! 879
! 1.3
! 679
! 1.4
! colspan=3| Total
! 65,688
! 100.0
! 49,379
! 100.0
! colspan=3| Electorate/voter turnout
! 130,571
! 50.3
! 130,561
! 37.8

City council

The Mülheim city council governs the city alongside the mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows:
! colspan=2| Party
! Votes
! %
! ±
! Seats
! ±
! colspan=2| Valid votes
! 64,507
! 98.3
!
!
!
! colspan=2| Invalid votes
! 1,144
! 1.7
!
!
!
! colspan=2| Total
! 65,651
! 100.0
!
! 54
! ±0
! colspan=2| Electorate/voter turnout
! 130,571
! 50.3
! 0.0
!
!

Education and research

Mülheim is home to two Max Planck Institutes, a university campus, and various other educational and scientific institutions.

Economy

Mülheim an der Ruhr has a longstanding industrial heritage as part of the Ruhrgebiet, historically focused on coal mining, steel, and chemicals. While heavy industry has declined, the city has shifted towards logistics, retail, scientific research, and high-value services.
Mülheim has positioned itself as a logistics and services hub within North Rhine-Westphalia, supported by its proximity to Düsseldorf, Essen, and the Rhine-Ruhr transport network. The local economy includes strong retail and food distribution sectors, along with growing activity in energy and environmental sciences, partly driven by the presence of research institutions such as the Max Planck Institutes and Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences.

Companies

  • Siemens Energy, an energy technology company, is the largest employer in Mülheim
  • Aldi Süd, a discount supermarket chain, has its corporate headquarters in Mülheim
  • PVS rhein-ruhr handles billing for the healthcare sector
  • Europipe GmbH, Europipe produces large seamless pipes for oil and gas pipelines, including Nord Stream
  • At ThyssenKrupp Presta, steering systems for the automotive industry are assembled
  • Harke Group, formerly Syntana, wholesaler for chemicals

Sports clubs

Twin towns – sister cities

Mülheim is twinned with:

Notable people