Work-related trip but I got time to spare there. Any good stuff to see around there?

Only 200 km to teh 'Ring from there hmm...

There's pretty much interesting stuff around here
What do you want to know? A good place to start your
research would be the official homepage of Essen (be
sure to visit "Zeche Zollverein", an impresssing industrial
monument). If you have any questions, ask!

That town looks like a copy of my home town. /facepalm

Essen is quiet a town... I'd invest some time to visit Villa Hügel, the former residence of the Krupp family, now a museum. It's in a beautiful park. But in the neighbour city Bochum, no 20km away from Essen, you'll find the famous Starlight Express musical. In Dortmund you'll find the biggest casino in europe. Hattingen has got the beautiful castle Blankenstein. Anyways you're in the capital of culture 2010, in the Ruhrgebiet. There are many places you can go.

I'll resort to eating lots of sausage and drinking cola-beer.

Be sure to grab a bottle of Stauder (or better: a crate) and a currysausage with fries (Curry-Pommes as we say)

Dude that plate of sausage and chips looks nice.. *munches my monitor*.

Bratwurst: Check
Cola-Beer: Check

Essen was a really nice town. Same goes for Brehmen (Bremen?) where I stayed for one night.

Quote from spankmeyer :

Bratwurst: Check
Cola-Beer: Check

Essen was a really nice town. Same goes for Brehmen (Bremen?) where I stayed for one night.

Bremen

and get a fantastic piece of black forest cherry cake too !!!!!!