Bochum is part of the Ruhr Area (Ruhrgebiet), the center of heavy industry in Germany. It's history is linked closely to the one of the region. In 1850 Bochum was a small town of about 4.500 Inhabitants, it's population increased till 1900 to 100 000 inhabitants and till 1935 to 300 000 inhabitants. During World War II it's citycenter was nearly completely destroyed which provided the opportunity to rebuild the city after the war in a metropolitan way with wide streets and modern buildings. With the end of the coal boom in the 60s a structural transformation began. Bochum got the first University of the Ruhr Area which was opened in 1965. Today it is one of the largest Universities of the country with about 35000 students and excellent reputation. Also in the 60 the Opel car production plant became productive which offered jobs for those miners who had lost their job in mining. Mining and steel production came to an end in the 80s.Today Bochum is a modern city with a job focus in service sector. Bochum is situated at the borderline between the flat Münsterland in the north and the highlands of Bergisches Land in the south. Therefore the northern part of Bochum is quite flat, the highest hill is the Tippelsberg. According to a legend a long time ago the gigant Tipulus settled down there and when he removed the soil from his boots the Tippelsberg formed. A visit of Tippelsberg is highly recommended, the view from top onto the middle part of the Ruhr Area is excellent. Information boards advise of the landmarks arround. The southern limits of Bochum touch the Ruhr valley with lake Kemnade.In the 19th century industrialization began in the valley of Ruhr and moved in the following years northwards. Left was an environment in nearly good order. The valley of Ruhr is a recreation area for the population. The Ruhr is water reservoir for the region, therefore the rules for keeping the water clean are quite restrict. Swimming is forbidden in lake Kemnade, swimming in river Ruhr is permitted but not recommended because of strong flow. Pleasure boats are allowed everywhere.Like most cities in the Ruhr Area the southern quarters are of high standard and are quite expansive while factories will be found mainly in the northern quarters. http://wikitravel.org/en/Bochum