Skip to content
Germany's rust belt revival episode artwork

EPISODE · Oct 25, 2026 · 54 MIN

Germany's rust belt revival

from BBC · host BBC

On location in Dortmund, in Germany's Ruhr region, historian and author Katja Hoyer reports on the dramatic transformation that has taken place in the city in the last 20 years. Once known for its heavy industry, especially steel production, Dortmund realised the future lay elsewhere. The city would instead become a centre for hi tech industries, for start-ups, for logistics and it would attract talent to make that happen. Investing in two world class technical universities was a huge help together with the efforts of local government to support new businesses with access to workspace and useful contacts. The city cleaned up its act with new parks and lakes and a river free of pollution. The cultural centre Dortmunder U, the famous football club Borussia Dortmund plus a concert hall helped to turn the city into an attractive place to live. Yet in neighbouring Essen, people have been left behind in this transformation. What can Dortmund and its neighbouring cities teach the world about the process of deindustrialisation ?

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Oct 25, 2026

Embed this episode

Ready to play

Germany's rust belt revival

0:00 54:33

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of BBC?

This episode is 54 minutes long.

When was this BBC episode published?

This episode was published on October 25, 2026.

Can I download this BBC episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!