Travelog post for: Philbert

Today we had wonderful weather and decided to go to the old Zollverein coal mining complex.

It's a huge complex within the city of Essen and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was once called the most beautiful and modern coal mine in the world.




Here's a model of the complex:


First construction of mine shaft 1 and 2 began in the middle of the 19th century.







The coking plant with its 6 chimneys:


The coking plant was built in 1057 to 1061.







Now there's a solar power plant that also powers this ferris wheel.




Some of the huge machinery in here could be moved on rails.




The six distinctive towers are directly in a row, so you see 5 of them as one here:


Over 1000 people could produce roughly 8600 t of coke per day.


The best-known shaft 12 was built in 1930 and around that time the mine expanded exponentially. Shaft XII and the accompanying buildings were meant to be functional and beautiful and the cubistic architecture of the time.  All the processing of the coal centered around this mine shaft. It was a prestige object of mechanical processing as well as architecture and drew international visitors.


The 55m high double tower if Schacht XII is also called the "Eiffeltower of the Ruhrarea". The pit below it is over 1000m deep.



At one time, over 5000 people worked here.






Coal mining on Zollverein was stopped in 1986 after only 55 years.



It was first meant to be dismantled but was eventually turned into an exposition and design center over 10 years. Since last year, the Ruhrmuseum, a museum of archeology and industrial culture is housed here btu there are still places for offices, the red dot (design) expo and all kinds of exhibitions as well as nature walks and bicycle routes.

Nature is clearly regaining control over the area and biologists have studied the developing eco system where special kinds of frogs live in the brackwater and alpine birds nist in the towers.