A mention of the densely populated Ruhr Valley evokes images of heavy industry and bleak landscapes. But those are outdated perceptions.

The region’s belching steel mills, ironworks foundries and coal mines ceased functioning two decades ago — replaced by new economies, new lifestyles and a remarkably transformed environment. Notable among sizable Ruhr cities, Essen — a halfhour north of Düsseldorf — exemplifies urban revitalization.

Developed as Germany’s first auto-free shopping corridor 80 years ago, Kettwigerstrasse draws steady pedestrian traffic into downtown’s commercial core. Pricey merchandise fills the skylit Linden Galerie inside 1928’s clock-towered Deutschlandhaus, a form-and-function Bauhaus classic. Amid the retail buzz, the Westphalian-Gothic Münster (cathedral) has stood for more than eight centuries.

Acquaint yourself with midcity open space by strolling through the Stadtgarten, an oasis of public greenery. It’s also a cultural oasis, thanks to Finnish architect Alvar Aalto’s curvilinear Opera House and the acoustically pitch-perfect Saalbau, home of the Essen Philharmonic.

For a moderately priced lunch or dinner, consider centrally situated Brinkhoff’s Pfefferkorn (Rathenaustrasse 5, tel 49 201 236 312), serving 10 versions of schnitzel augmented by Essen-brewed Stauder beer and an extensive wine list. GaultMillau culinary accolades distinguish Alsatianaccentuated French cuisine at Bonne Auberge (Witteringstrasse 92, tel 49 201 783 999).

Then head south to Folkwang(Kahrstrasse 16, tel 49 201 884 5314). The fine-arts museum showcases 19th- and 20th-century French and German paintings. Continue south and you’ll come upon the 173-acre Grugapark where you can join Essener families lagoon-side at Blumenhof(Lürmannstrasse 70, tel 49 201 856 1050), popular for kaffee und kuchen and epic Sunday brunches.

Now you’re walkably close to the upscale Bredeney neighborhood, where three generations of Krupps — the prewar Ruhr’s preeminent industrial dynasty — luxuriated in the 269-room Villa Hügel (Hügel 15, tel 49 201 616 290). The villa — open for tours, art exhibits and chambermusic concerts — features ancestral portraits and Gobelin tapestries. The grounds of the 185-acre estate slope down to Baldeneysee, a section of the Ruhr River fringed with willow trees and enhanced by beer gardens and shoreline cycling-jogging lanes.

South-side Essen’s Rüttenscheiderstrasse(Die Rü) and its environs draw the after-hours crowd to rows of hip pan-European restaurants and cafés such as Oliv (Rüttenscheiderstrasse 203, tel 49 201 455 5888), an Italian bistro, and Rüttenscheider Hausbrauerei (Girardetstrasse 2, tel 49 201 790 0600), a zesty beer-andbratwurst brewpub.

Aficionados of the arts may want to check out Essen’s Colosseum Theatre (Altendorferstrasse 1, tel 49 201 24020). The hulking 1,700-seat venue located in a former Krupp factory is a shining example of the city’s transformation from industrial center to multi-faceted urban destination.

Five miles north, the former Zollverein 12 coal-producing colliery is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. An A-frame monolith above the pithead functions as a welcome center. A restaurant is located in the original compressor building, and the Red Dot Museum (Gelsenkirchenerstrasse 181, tel 49 201 301 0425, http://www.reddot.de) — an unusual collection of contemporary design showcasing products from around the world — occupies a converted boiler house.