The smoke no longer connects the cities, says Andreas Rossmann, referring to a report by Joseph Roth published in 1926, in his book about the Ruhr area. And with this, he conveys two things: reality and its perception have changed; the Ruhr area looks different today and needs to be viewed anew. Nowhere else in Germany can societal change be observed on such a large scale. The heavy industry, which has always shaped our ideas of the region, is losing its influence but still offers more than just a historical backdrop. The author, who has been the cultural correspondent for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in North Rhine-Westphalia since 1986, has journalistically accompanied (not only) the International Building Exhibition Emscher Park (1989-1999) and the European Capital of Culture Ruhr 2010. His explorations lead to classic sights.