“Zeche Zollverein”: Industrial World Heritage near the city of Essen, Germany

“Once a father realised his son was not exactly bright, he simply registered him as a worker at the Zeche. Back in the days, up to 20.000 tons of coal had been mined here, at what was once the most modern coal mining facility in the whole world. Such was the heyday that everybody here could raise a family on coal … ” Wow. I listen to the stories rolling off the tongue of our passionate guide, one storyteller of a kind, standing right inside the epicentre of Germany’s coal mining industry about 100 years ago. It is crazy. I try to imagine the hopes and misery of the people working here, believing in the miracle of (economic) progress and whose everyday life must have been hard indeed. The Industrial World Heritage Site & Mining Complex “Zeche Zollverein” close to the city of Essen in the northwestern Ruhr district of Germany is something you should really come and see. Part of its “charm” comes from the unique combination of, say, a gourmet restaurant set inside a former coking plant, a multimedia museum housed next to gigantic furnaces. The industrial mining complex is clearly alive: Visitors mingle, events take place, agencies rent co-working spaces here, there is even a public pool as well as the gourmet restaurant. Anything else? “We are just about to open another large restaurant for our tour groups”, Martina Tendick, who is responsible for tourism development at the site, explains. Her eyes are alight with the passion for sustainable management of this precious World Heritage site, located close to the European cultural capital city of Essen. What an exciting visit I enjoy here!

Having arrived at the Zeche Zollverein, I am greeted by this splendid summer weather as well as charming Martina Tendick, tourism manager at the site. Meanwhile, the guard at the door does a great job repairing my suitcase … people are clever here, really. Thank you so much for your help!

A view over the so-called “Zeche” as well as the mining & coking plants: This model helps to imagine the dimensions of this 100 hectares site.

At the red dot design museum, innovative design awards are being exhibited from all over the world: A truly fascinating and stimulating contrast with the old mining complex.

Another example of this is the combination of a gourmet restaurant right next to these huge furnaces …

… I would be really tempted to come back here just for the difference in atmosphere! Something unique.

Up, up we go: This escalator, one of the largest of its kind, takes us up like “former coal bricks” and into the building which now houses the World Heritage Visitor Centre.

Summer at the Zeche Zollverein means many (outdoor) events are about to take place.

“Glowing staircases” using special lighting technique pay a tribute to the process of coal mining, coking & using them for powering the large furnaces used to produce iron and steel. A whole new industry set in motion here back in the days …

This modern multimedia museum offers a glimpse into the (hard) everyday life of workers at the plant here.

I really this interactive and modern museum which is focused on innovative means of cultural interpretation. With my study background of culture & authenticity at World Heritage Sites, this visit has been particularly interesting to me.

From the top of the building, Martina Tendick points out the former coking plants where, to this present day, coal is “coked” in large furnaces, albeit at a much lesser volume.

The largest mining tower of the era is what rises above the “Zeche Zollverein” industrial heritage & mining complex as a symbol of the past.

Do make sure you take part in a guided tour: It is only thanks to the lively interpretation and vivid storytelling that all the history and imagination of people living and working here in the past truly comes to life.

Really really exciting. I would recommend everybody (including myself 😉 ) to come back here and spend an entire day at the site: Pool, museums, gourmet restaurant and the unique idiosyncrasy of this old mining complex telling stories of a glorified past. Next to all the World Heritage Sites that I have already experienced as part of my trip through Germany – “cruise-cycling” along the Romantic Rhine valley, being dressed like a Roman at the Römerkastell Saalburg, walking through gardens & palaces of Augustusburg near Brühl, “fighting” at the gladiator school in Trier or eating typical German Bratwurst at the Historic Wurstkuchl Sausage Tavern in Regensburg – the Zeche Zollverein industrial mining complex near Essen is clearly worth seeing. A must-see in terms of German history and architecture: Thank you so much to all of you who made me feel quite strongly about this place!

See you next time at Zeche Zollverein!

Disclaimer: I have been invited by the German Tourist Board in order to travel to & experience several World Heritage Sites in Germany. All opinions are my own.