Castrop-Rauxel is part of the Ruhrgebiet - an rich coal area, in which Steel Barons like the Krupp dynasty came to immense riches.
Now, since the mines are depleted, everything is a) going downhill, or b) is being rebuilt to fit modern needs.
The result is that where it goes downhill, towns and their citizens are very poor. *Very* poor. In some cases, it's areas with *lots* of social problems. Even Neo-Nazis tried to get a foothold there (and rumor says that they even suceeded in some of the poorest areas). Some towns are even on the brink of bancrupt. A bit like Detroid, I guess.
That's what I took from the press, at least.
So, this young man could have been very likely an unemployed young man with far too much time to spend because there's so few good jobs left his Ruhrgebiet area. The article also implies that he had constantly used drugs for himself. I don't know, but that's what I fear.
Now, since the mines are depleted, everything is a) going downhill, or b) is being rebuilt to fit modern needs.
The result is that where it goes downhill, towns and their citizens are very poor. *Very* poor. In some cases, it's areas with *lots* of social problems. Even Neo-Nazis tried to get a foothold there (and rumor says that they even suceeded in some of the poorest areas). Some towns are even on the brink of bancrupt. A bit like Detroid, I guess.
That's what I took from the press, at least.
So, this young man could have been very likely an unemployed young man with far too much time to spend because there's so few good jobs left his Ruhrgebiet area. The article also implies that he had constantly used drugs for himself. I don't know, but that's what I fear.
