Industrial Heritage Trail

Industrial Heritage Trail (German: Route der Industriekultur, also translated as "Route of industrial heritage") is a themed route in the Ruhr area in western Germany, and a prime example of industrial tourism.



Understand
Until the 1970s, the Ruhr was one of the most important zones of coal mining and heavy industry in Europe. Since then, many pits, cokeries and steel mills had to close down due to a declined demand and competition from low-wage countries. The economy, landscape and environment of the region has changed dramatically. Many industrial landmarks have been transformed into museums, exhibition halls, cultural institutions, event locations and recreational areas.

Prepare
The route has a total length of about 400 km. It encompasses important industrial sites, but also worker settlements, parks and panorama viewpoints. The vast majority of them are easy to reach by public transport, although even by car it'd be impossible to visit even a part of them in a single day.

The major sites are so-called Anchor points (Ankerpunkte), of which there are 25.

You should visit the official website or the Information Centre at Zeche Zollverein to get an idea of what you want to see and do on your trip.

Get in
The Ruhr area is well connected by public transport, both in itself, as well as to the rest of the country and region. The closest airports are in, serving many international and overseas destinations, and , which focuses primarily on budget flights, especially to eastern europe and the balkan countries.

ICE high-speed trains stop in Duisburg, Essen, Bochum, Dortmund and Hamm. InterCity trains serve additional routes and offer a direct connection from Frankfurt to the Ruhr. Eurostar trains ending in Dortmund and Essen offer a quick connection to Belgium and Paris. Regional services travel on countless routes across the entire region, NRW and to neighbouring Bundesländer and even cross the dutch border.

Highways cover the entire region in a dense web, but traffic during rush-hour can be a slow crawl. Large swaths of the central Ruhr are designated as low emissions zone and require all vehicles to display an Umweltzone sticker on the inside of the windscreen. This also applies to foreign vehicles, but only costs a few euros, see Driving in Germany for more information. Parking can usually be found plenty, although often a short walk away and not free.

Anchor Points
There are 25 so-called anchor points on the route, as well as 26 themed sub-routes.
 * Essen
 * Bochum
 * Recklinghausen:
 * Herten:
 * Recklinghausen:
 * Herten:
 * Herten:
 * Herten:


 * Marl
 * Waltrop:
 * Dortmund
 * Hamm
 * Unna:
 * Hagen
 * Witten: Zeche Nachtigall (pit and museum of industrial culture)
 * Hattingen:
 * Bochum
 * Essen
 * Mülheim
 * Duisburg inland harbour, museum of inland navigation Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord (LaPaDu, former steel mills estate, now partly recultivated)
 * Oberhausen Museum of Industry (former zink factory), Gasometer
 * Gelsenkirchen
 * (former coal pit transformed into a horticultural exhibition area)
 * Witten: Zeche Nachtigall (pit and museum of industrial culture)
 * Hattingen:
 * Bochum
 * Essen
 * Mülheim
 * Duisburg inland harbour, museum of inland navigation Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord (LaPaDu, former steel mills estate, now partly recultivated)
 * Oberhausen Museum of Industry (former zink factory), Gasometer
 * Gelsenkirchen
 * (former coal pit transformed into a horticultural exhibition area)
 * Duisburg inland harbour, museum of inland navigation Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord (LaPaDu, former steel mills estate, now partly recultivated)
 * Oberhausen Museum of Industry (former zink factory), Gasometer
 * Gelsenkirchen
 * (former coal pit transformed into a horticultural exhibition area)
 * Oberhausen Museum of Industry (former zink factory), Gasometer
 * Gelsenkirchen
 * (former coal pit transformed into a horticultural exhibition area)
 * Gelsenkirchen
 * (former coal pit transformed into a horticultural exhibition area)

Panorama Points
These vantage points, often on top of mining tips, give you the opportunity for many impressive views across it all. Sunsets with smoke stacks, chimneys and steel foundries, but also quiet, green river valleys: TBA

Important Settlements
These settlements and neighbourhoods offer a glimpse into the daily life of the average worker in the heydays of industry, and are in many cases architecturally quite pretty: TBA

Themed Routes
There are 26 additional themed routes, using the anchor points as information centres, that take you to locations specific to its topic. The route about the railways of the Ruhr which will take you to rail museums, import and architecturally interesting stations, old tram depots, bridge ensembles, rail to trail routes, water towers, etc., there's a route focusing all about the history of the Krupp family and Essen which covers residences, parks funded by them, restaurants, factory sites, In Dortmund there is a route about the trinity of coal mining, steel cooking and beer brewing in Dortmund, you get the idea. TBA
 * Duisburg: Stadt und Hafen (Duisburg - City and Harbour:
 * Industrielle Kulturlandschaft Zollverein (Industrial Cultural Landscape Zollverein)
 * Duisburg: Industriekultur am Rhein (Duisburg - Industrial Culture at the Rhine):
 * Oberhausen: Industrie macht Stadt (Oberhausen - Industry creates a city:
 * Krupp und die Stadt Essen (Krupp and the City of Essen):
 * Dortmund: Dreiklang, Kohle, Stahl, Bier (Dortmund - Trinity of Coal, Steel and Beer):
 * Industriekultur an der Lippe (Industrial Culture on Lippe River):
 * Erzbahn-Emscherbruch (Erzbahn Ore Railway to the Emscherbruch Park):
 * Industriekultur an Volme und Ennepe (Industrial Culture at the Volme and Ennepe Rivers):
 * Sole, Dampf und Kohle (Brine, Steam and Coal):
 * Frühe Industrialisierung (Early industrialisation):
 * Geschichte und Gegenwart der Ruhr (History and Future of the Ruhr):
 * Auf dem Weg zur blauen Emscher (The way to the blue Emsche River):
 * Kanäle und Schifffahrt (Canals and Shipping):
 * Bahnen im Revier (Rails in the Ruhr):
 * Westfälische Bergbauroute (Westphalian Mining Route):
 * Rheinische Bergbauroute (Rhenish Mining Route):
 * Chemie, Glas und Energie (Chemical Industry, Glass and Energy):
 * Arbeitersiedlungen (Worker Settlements):
 * Unternehmervillen (Entrepreneur Villas):
 * Brot, Korn und Bier (Bread, Wheat and Beer):
 * Mythos Ruhrgebiet (Myth of the Ruhr):
 * Parks und Gärten (Parks and Gardens):
 * Industrienatur (Industrial Nature):
 * Panoramen und Landmarken (Panoramas and Landmarks):
 * Sakralbauten (Sacral Buildings):
 * Eisen & Stahl (Iron and Steel) (in preparation)
 * Wasser (Water) (in preparation)
 * Bochum – Industriekultur im Herzen des Reviers (Bochum - Industrial Culture in the Heart of the Ruhr)
 * Gelsenkirchen (in preparation)

Stay safe
The Ruhr area may seem a little rough around the edges, but you'll find that most people are grumpy on the outside but friendly on the inside, if a little direct and blunt sometimes. Stick to the usual common sense rules and avoid hanging around dodgy train stations at night and you'll be 101% fine.

Go next
Similarly themed itinaries:
 * Industrial Britain
 * American Industry Tour, United States
 * European Route of Industrial Heritage, an initiative sponsored by the Council of Europe