The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Essen, Germany.

Prior to 19th century

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• 845 – Essen Abbey founded (approximate date).
• 971 – Mathilde, granddaughter of Otto I becomes abbess of Essen Abbey.
• 1012 – Sophia, daughter of Otto II becomes abbottess of the Essen Stift.
• 1041 – Essen receives rights to a market.
• 1244 – The association of the ministeriales of the Essen Abbey and the citizens of the town of Essen arrange for the Essen town walls [de] to be erected.
• 1316 – Essen Minster (church) dedicated.
• 1390 – Essener Schützenverein (militia) formed.^[1]
• 1598 – Borbeck Castle rebuilt.^{[citation needed]}
• 1736 – Neueste Essendische Nachrichten von Staats- und Gelehrten Sachen (Newest Essen News of State and Learned Matters) newspaper begins publication.
• 1797 – G. D. Baedeker Verlag [de] bookseller in business.^[2]

19th century

• 1802 – Area occupied by Prussian troops.
• 1803
  • Essen Abbey secularized.^[3]
  • Franz Dinnendahl builds steam engine.
• 1810 – Krupp foundry in business.
• 1814 – Town becomes part of Prussia.^[3]
• 1822 – Town becomes part of the Rhine Province.
• 1841 – Simon Hirschland Bank in business.
• 1847 – Essen-Bergeborbeck station opens.
• 1849 – Population: 8,813.^[3]
• 1851 – Zollverein Coal Mine begins operating.
• 1862 – Essen Hauptbahnhof and Essen-Borbeck station open.
• 1866 – Fredebeul & Koenen booksellers in business.^[2]
• 1870 – Synagogue consecrated.^[4]
• 1871 – Town becomes part of the German Empire.
• 1872 – Neu-Westend developed.^[5]
• 1873 – Villa Hügel (Krupp residence) built.
• 1875 – Population: 54,790.^[3]
• 1880 – Historical Society for the City and Convent of Essen founded.
• 1881
  • Essener Turnerbund athletic club formed.
  • Beiträge zur Geschichte von Stadt und Stift Essen (journal of city history) begins publication.^[6]
• 1886 – Photographische Genossenschaft von Essen (photography group) founded.^[7]

• 1892 – City Theatre opens.^[8][9]
• 1893
  • Electric tram begins operating.
  • Rhenish-Westphalian Coal Syndicate headquartered in Essen.
• 1898 – Krupp's Essener Hof (hotel) built.
• 1899 – Essen Philharmonic Orchestra founded.^[10]

20th century

1900s–1940s

• 1901
  • Folkwang Museum founded.
  • Heinrich Koppers AG in business.
• 1905 – Population: 229,270.^[3]
• 1906
  • Essen Art Museum founded.
  • Gartenstadt Margarethenhöhe developed.
• 1908 – Moltkeviertel development begins.
• 1913
  • New Synagogue built.^[4]
  • Albrecht's shop in business (later Aldi chain supermarket).
• 1920 – Consulate of Poland opens.^[11]
• 1922 – Uhlenkrugstadion (stadium) built.

• 1923
  • Rot-Weiss Essen football club active.
  • French troops enter the city.
• 1924 – Filmstudio Glückauf (cinema) opens.
• 1925 – Essen/Mülheim Airport opens.^{[citation needed]}
• 1927 – Grugapark Botanical Garden^[12][13] and Folkwang School for the arts open.
• 1928 – Lichtburg Playhouse (cinema) opens.^[14]
• 1929 – Werden becomes part of city.
• 1932 – Zollverein Mine Shaft 12 built.
• 1933 – Theodor Reismann-Grone becomes mayor.
• 1936 – Consulate of Poland relocated to Düsseldorf.^[11]
• 1937 – Just Dillgardt becomes mayor.
• 1939 – Stadion an der Hafenstraße (stadium) built.
• 1942 – March: Bombing of Essen by Allied forces begins.
• 1944
  • 2 January: Schwarze Poth forced labour camp established by the SS. Its prisoners were mostly Russians and Poles.^[15]
  • 17 May: Schwarze Poth forced labour camp converted into a subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp.^[15]
  • August: Humboldtstraße subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp established. Its prisoners were mostly Jewish women.^[16]
• 1945
  • March: Schwarze Poth and Humboldtstraße subcamps of Buchenwald dissolved. Prisoners deported to the main Buchenwald camp.^[15][16]
  • March: Bombing of Essen by Allied forces ends.
• 1946 – City becomes part of North Rhine-Westphalia.
• 1948
  • Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (newspaper) begins publication.
  • Labour strike.^{[citation needed]}
• 1949
  • Essen I, Essen II, and Essen III parliamentary districts created.
  • Hans Toussaint becomes mayor.

1950s–1990s

• 1951 – Amerikahaus built.
• 1957 – Roman Catholic Diocese of Essen founded.^[17]
• 1958 – Grugahalle sports arena opens.
• 1961 – Sammlung Industrieform (museum) opens.^[18]
• 1962 – City hosts the 1962 European Judo Championships.
• 1965
  • City hosts Bundesgartenschau (national horticulture biennial).^[19]
  • Little Theatre founded.
• 1968 – Essen Motor Show begins.

• 1975 – Kettwig becomes part of city.
• 1979 – Essen City Hall built.
• 1983 – Spiel, world's biggest non-electronic game trade fair begins.
• 1988 – Aalto Theatre opens.^[20]
• 1989 – Annette Jäger becomes mayor.
• 1991 – Offener Kanal Essen television begins broadcasting.
• 1993 – City hosts the 1993 World Fencing Championships.
• 1994 – Stratmanns Theater Europahaus opens.
• 1996 – GOP Varieté Essen theatre opens.
• 1997 – Red Dot Design Museum active.
• 1999
  • ThyssenKrupp conglomerate headquartered in city.
  • Wolfgang Reiniger becomes mayor.
• 2000 – SGS Essen football club formed.

21st century

• 2001 – Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex becomes a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• 2003 – University of Duisburg-Essen established.
• 2009 – Reinhard Paß elected mayor.
• 2010 – City designated a European Capital of Culture.
• 2012
  • Stadion Essen (stadium) opens.
  • Population: 566,862.
• 2014 – June: Storm.