News

#RouteIndustriekultur – The social wall of the route

The Industrial Heritage Route on social media – discover the highlights of our social media on our social wall […]

 People are ice skating indoors under vibrant purple and blue lights, with a disco ball hanging from the ceiling and spotlights creating colorful patterns on the rink. The space has a festive, lively atmosphere.
13.12.2025-11.01.2026 The EisSalon Ruhr – Ice skating amidst impressive industrial heritage

The EisSalon Ruhr in the Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum offers a unique opportunity to go ice skating amidst impressive industrial heritage during the Christmas season […]

 People of all ages ice skating outdoors on a long rink surrounded by industrial structures and pipes, with bright sunlight and blue sky in the background. Some skaters are moving while others stand or sit on the ice.
06.12.2025-06.01.2026 The unique Zollverein ice rink in Essen

The popular ice rink at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Zollverein in Essen opens for the winter season on December 6th! Ice skating enthusiasts will find plenty to enjoy here […]

 Two cyclists stand next to their bikes on a paved path, giving a high five near a tall red sculpture and a sign, with a partly cloudy sky and grassy landscape in the background.
18.11.2025 Route of Industrial Heritage by Bike awarded by the ADFC

The long-distance cycle route "Route Industriekultur per Rad" (Industrial Heritage Route by Bike) has received a three-star quality rating from the General German Bicycle Club (ADFC). On […]
Extraordinary Christmas markets on the first weekend of Advent

This year, the first Advent Sunday in November provides a cozy start to the Christmas season. From the 27th […]

 A large, glowing, tree-like structure radiates light in a dark, misty environment. Thin golden branches and roots extend from its trunk, while small human figures stand at its base, emphasizing its immense size and mystical presence.
“Myth of the Forest” – New exhibition at the Gasometer Oberhausen

The Oberhausen Gasometer has announced its new exhibition "Mythos Wald" (The Forest Myth). Starting March 20, 2026, the Gasometer will present the new […]

 A DJ wearing headphones performs on stage at an outdoor music festival at sunset as a large crowd dances and enjoys the event. Bright lights and festival setups are visible in the background.
06.09.2025 | 15:00 – 23:00 Sunset Picnic 2025

Enjoy the festival atmosphere at the Hoheward slag heap! Breathtaking views, chilled beats, and a sunset – the Sunset Picnic attracts festival fans on September 6th […]
08.10.2025-27.10.2025 IndustrieFilm Ruhr on Tour

Experience film treasures from the Ruhr region's archives in a truly unique industrial setting! IndustrieFilm Ruhr is back on tour: On October 8th at […]
27.09.2025 | 09:00 – 18:45 Bus tour to Oberhausen and Kelmis/Belgium

On September 27, we'll be taking a bus tour to a neighboring region: from Oberhausen to Kelmis in Belgium! Experience industrial culture […]
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ANCHOR POINTS

The Route of Industrial Culture includes 27 historic locations with special historical significance. They are the industrial monuments most attractive to tourists in the Ruhr area and therefore the anchor points of the route. Here, visitors can experience industrial culture and the history of the Ruhr area directly and impressively.

Bochum

German Mining Museum

The German Mining Museum in Bochum, which is also the Leibniz Research Museum for Georesources, collects, preserves, researches and communicates the material heritage of mining.
Food

World Heritage Zollverein

Monument and symbol for the structural change of the Ruhr Metropolis. The UNESCO World Heritage Site Zollverein offers space for various cultural and leisure activities.
Bochum

Century Hall

The Bochum Centennial Hall is an imposing industrial monument and an impressive venue in one.
Recklinghausen

substation

This anchor point is a modern business premises, museum and monument at the same time. The "Electricity Journey Through Time" presents the cultural, social and technical history of electrification on 2500 square meters.
Dortmund

Zollern colliery

The Zollern colliery, also known as the "Castle of Work", is one of the most beautiful sites of German industrial history and LWL Museum.
Dortmund

Hansa coking plant

The only surviving central coking plant Hansa from 1928 offers a fascinating insight into the history of industrial plants as a "large walk-in sculpture".

Bochum

railway museum

The Bochum railway museum stands for the close connection between railway history and the developing coal and steel industry in the Ruhr area.
hagen

Open Air Museum

The picturesquely located LWL open-air museum in Hagen is one of the most beautiful museums in the region. Its 62 half-timbered buildings bring 200 years of craftsmanship history to life.
hattingen

Henrichshuette

The blast furnace of the Henrichshütte Hattingen towers over the landscape like a colossus, a museum on the history of iron and steel with exhibits of a very special dimension.
Dortmund

DASA

The DASA is Germany's largest world of work exhibition. Interactive worlds of experience to discover and participate extend over a size of about 2 football pitches.
Duisburg

inner harbour

The inner harbor in Duisburg is a prime example of structural change in the Ruhr area. The once central port and trading center now houses museums, restaurants and offices.
Duisburg

Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord

Fascinating metropolitan oasis and symbol of structural change: The landscape park Duisburg-Nord combines industrial history and nature as an extraordinary park landscape.
Duisburg

Museum of German Inland Navigation

The largest museum of its kind in Germany is located in the former Ruhrort bathing establishments, including its own "museum fleet".
Food

Villa Hill

The Villa Hügel, built between 1870 and 1873 according to the ideas of the steel industrialist Alfred Krupp, served as a residence for the Krupp family. With its 28-hectare park, exhibitions and cultural events, the house is open to the public.

Gelsenkirchen

North Star Park

On the site of the Nordstern colliery, a 100-hectare brownfield site was transformed into an impressive park landscape. Where coal once wrote history, people stroll, climb and relax today.
hagen

Hohenhof

The Hohenhof is one of the few surviving Art Nouveau works of art and a monument of European importance. The former home of Folkwang founder Karl Ernst Osthaus has created a cultural oasis in the middle of the industrial district.
Hamm

Maximilian Park

For a long time an overgrown industrial wasteland and then the first renatured colliery site in Germany. As one of the most popular amusement parks in the region, the Maximilianpark Hamm sets "animal accents" with the largest glass elephant in the world and its butterfly house.

Deer

Zeche Ewald

With its long history, the colliery site in Herten is an impressive testament to several mining eras and is today a versatile location for the future.

Kamp-Lintfort

Friedrich Heinrich colliery park

Friedrich Heinrich in Kamp-Lintfort is considered a crystallization point for industrial culture and is the westernmost point of the route. The mine had a significant influence on urban development and today wonderfully combines nature and industrial culture.
Mülheim an der Ruhr

Aquarius Water Museum

The award-winning Aquarius Water Museum combines modern media technology and historical architecture to create an extraordinary museum experience all about the liquid element.

Oberhausen

Gasometer Oberhausen

Since its closure in 117,5, the 1988 meter high Gasometer Oberhausen has transformed into one of the most unusual exhibition locations in Europe.

Oberhausen

Peter Behrens Building

The Peter Behrens Building is the former main warehouse of Gutehoffnungshütte and today houses more than 350.000 items from the LVR Industrial Museum as a depot.

Oberhausen

St Antony Hut

The St. Antony Hütte is the oldest ironworks in the Ruhr area and is one of the most important testimonies to the early industrial development of the region.

Unna

Linden Brewery

The Lindenbrauerei was one of the most traditional breweries in the area and is now a vibrant cultural and educational center. It houses the Center for International Light Art in Unna.
Waltrop

Ship lift Henrichenburg

The Henrichenburg ship lift is the largest building on the Dortmund-Ems Canal and is one of the most unusual museums in the Ruhr Metropolis. The LWL Museum offers a comprehensive overview of the history of inland navigation.
Witten

Nightingale colliery

Ruhr mining began more than 300 years ago with the Nachtigall colliery. A spacious area at the entrance to the idyllic Muttental and an LWL museum on pre-industrial mining now invite you to visit.
Marl

chemical park

The Marl chemical park is one of the largest chemical sites in Germany and at the same time the only anchor point that is purely a production site. Visits to the six square kilometer operation are therefore only possible by prior arrangement.
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PANORAMAS

The 17 panoramas and vantage points of the Route of Industrial Culture guarantee special insights and fascinating views of one of the largest metropolitan areas in Europe. The former industrial wastelands, monuments and towers often allow all-round views of the region. As the "artificial summit" of the Ruhr area, the heaps combine the areas of recreation, art and history. And where the overburden of mines and smelters was once dumped, people and nature have long since reclaimed the land and new forms of leisure activities have established themselves.

Bergkamen

Stockpile of large wood

At 140 hectares, the Großes Holz heap is one of the largest heaps in the Ruhr area. The fantastic view, cycling and walking paths and the light sculpture by Maik and Dirk Löbbert make it a popular destination.
Bochum

Tippelsberg

The Tippelsberg is one of the few natural elevations in the region. It got its name from the legend of the giant Tippilus.

Bottrop

Halde Haniel

With the Halde Haniel, the 185 meter high tailings of the Prosper-Haniel colliery pile up. In 100, the Basque artist Augustin Ibarrola installed painted railway sleepers for the 2002 "totems" on the heap.
Bottrop

tetrahedron

The tetrahedron in Bottrop crowns the tip of the "An der Beckstrasse" heap. The artist Wolfgang Christ created this walk-in pyramid for the International Building Exhibition (IBA) Emscher Park.
Castrop-Rauxel

Schwerin dump

The Halde Schwerin is the highest elevation in Castrop-Rauxel. At the top is the "Sundial" - a walk-in sculpture by Jan Bormann.
Dortmund

TV tower Florian

The Florian television tower is Dortmund's landmark and offers a fantastic all-round view of the region.
Dortmund

Hohensyburg

The ruins of the Hohensyburg in Dortmund are picturesquely located above the Ruhr Valley and offer a spectacular view of the Sauerland mountains.
Duisburg

Alsum mountain

The former Alsumer Berg rubble dump is now a landscaped conservation area and a popular destination.
Duisburg

Tiger & Turtle—Magic Mountain

The work of art "Tiger & Turtle - Magic Mountain" in Duisburg is the "roller coaster" of the Ruhr area. The loops and inclines are walkable and spectacularly lit at night.
Food

Heap Schurenbach

The "slab for the Ruhr area" is a large sculpture by the artist Richard Serra and crowns the ellipsoidal dome of the Schurenbachhalde.
Gelsenkirchen

Rheinelbe dump

On the Rheinelbe heap, 35 concrete blocks are stacked up to form Herman Prigann's "Stairway to Heaven". More of his works and wild nature can be discovered in the surrounding sculpture forest.
Gelsenkirchen

Rungenberg dump

Its striking shape makes the Rungenberg heap special: two pyramids made of black mining material. On the tips are two huge spotlights that shine on special occasions.
Hamm

Kissinger height

The Kissinger Höhe network of paths leads through the most beautiful industrial nature past the orange observation tower.
Deer

Hoheward Landscape Park

The Hoheward landscape park forms the largest contiguous heap landscape of hard coal mining in Europe. "New Horizons - On the Traces of Time" can be seen in the Hoheward Visitor Center.
Moers

Pattberg dump

The Pattberg spoil tip was redesigned while it was being used by the mine of the same name. Streams have been renatured, forest areas have been enlarged, biotopes have been created and cycling and hiking trails have been created.
Moers

Stockpile Rhine Prussia

The Rheinpreußen heap rises 72 meters above its surroundings and is crowned by an oversized miner's lamp weighing 90 tons.
Witten

Berger monument on the Hohenstein

The striking Berger monument made of Ruhr sandstone was erected in 1903 in honor of the Witten industrialist and Reichstag politician Louis Berger ( 1829 — 1891 ).

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SETTLEMENTS

When the number of workers skyrocketed thanks to the industrial giants steel and coal in the Ruhr area, one thing above all was needed: living space. The solution was factory settlements and colliery colonies. 13 of the most important settlements in the region are part of the Industrial Heritage Route. In addition to the diverse architecture and the picturesque buildings of the workers' settlements, they are also a monument to everyday life in the "inner colony".

Bochum

Dahlhauser Heath

With the Dahlhauser Heide settlement, the Krupp company wanted to create an idyll in the "home style". Half-timbering and deep eaves give the settlement a village character.
Bottrop

Garden City of Welheim

The garden city of Welheim is a picturesque colliery settlement in the northern Ruhr area.

Dortmund

Old Colony Evening

In the old Eving colony in the north of Dortmund you will find unusual types of houses with plaster, red clinker or half-timbered ornaments.
Duisburg

Settlement Rheinpreussen

With its beautiful front and kitchen gardens and the right-angled street grid, the colony offers the image of a typical industrial settlement.
Food

Altenhof II

Altenhof II was built in 1907 as a picturesquely designed settlement, which was influenced by suggestions from the English garden city movement.
Food

Margarethenhöhe

The settlement, founded by Margarethe Krupp and considered the first German garden city, is particularly impressive due to its romantic facades and the representative market square.
Gelsenkirchen

Seam thick bench

The Flöz Dickebank settlement, created as the Ottilienaue colony, was built in 1868 for the workers at the Alma colliery.
Gelsenkirchen

Settlement Schüngelberg

Surrounded by the pit, colliery railway and slag heap, the Schüngelberg settlement is immediately recognizable as a mining settlement and connects great excursion destinations.
hagen

Long squad

With more than 300 years of history, the Lange Riege is the oldest workers' settlement in Westphalia. The half-timbered houses create a particularly idyllic and rustic atmosphere.
Herne

Settlement Teutoburgia

A varied streetscape, diversity in architecture and lots of greenery - the idea of ​​the garden city movement can be felt in the Teutoburgia settlement.
Kamp-Lintfort

Old Friedrich-Heinrich settlement

The listed old Friedrich-Heinrich settlement is located directly on the former colliery site and is one of the most beautiful parts of Kamp-Lintfort.
Lünen

Ziethenstrasse

A typical late 19th-century colony, Ziehtenstrasse was designed with simple practicality in mind.

Oberhausen

Eisenheim

The Eisenheim settlement was built from 1846 by Haniel & Huyssen. One of the first citizens' initiatives in the region secured its preservation in the early 1970s.

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ROUTE BY BIKE

Dortmund

Black Gold - Find out the way of coal

The black gold from the ground has changed the Ruhr area. The RevierRoute Black Gold follows this path and takes visitors to important places of industrial history.
Food

Mine ride – Experience the mining

This approximately 41-kilometer bike tour connects several important colliery locations and heap views. The UNESCO World Heritage Site Zollverein in Essen is the starting and end point for this bike tour. With the
Bochum

Railway history(s) – experience routes

Former railway lines, which today have been developed into ideal cycle paths away from traffic, are becoming more and more a cult among cyclists. This approximately 33-kilometer circuit presents several important railway cycle paths in the Ruhr area.
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DIVERSITY ALONG THE ROUTE

EXPERIENCE THE HISTORY OF THE RUHR AREA MULTIMEDIA

PERSPECTIVE CHANGE APP

Experience the history of the Ruhr area with the "Change of Perspective" app: choose your adventure area and listen to the personal story of the work and everyday life of fictitious protagonists at selected locations along the route.

Discover the route

DISCOVERY PASS 2025

The standard work of the Route of Industrial Culture: With the "Discovery Pass" of the RVR, we encourage you to go on a journey of discovery that leads through the past and the future of the Ruhr area.
Central information points

VISITOR CENTERS

As central contact points for visitors to the Route of Industrial Heritage, the visitor centers provide important information on site about events, tours and guided tours.
All facets of the Ruhr area

THEMED ROUTES

Discover the Ruhr area in a completely different way: Experts in the respective fields have developed themed routes through the Ruhr Metropolis on topics such as nature, city history, architecture, mining or transport.
Mining experience

UNDERGROUND ROUTE

At some places on the route, visitors can still experience the working world of the miners up close: Removed seams, reconstructed routes, training tunnels and demonstration mines lead visitors into the hard everyday work underground.
Premium cycling experiences

ROUTE BY BIKE

The wide-meshed network of the Route of Industrial Culture by Bike is well developed, mostly off-road and perfectly signposted thanks to the junction system.
A man in a suit operates a vintage film camera mounted on a tripod indoors, with industrial equipment and large objects hanging in the background.
Film treasures from the Ruhr area archives

INDUSTRIAL FILM RUHR

Far beyond the borders of the region, IndustrieFilm Ruhr is a trademark for a technically well-founded presentation of historical industrial films that are only very rarely seen by a broader audience.

Discover the route via GPS

Geocaching

For explorers on the Industrial Heritage Route, we have a great opportunity to rediscover the highlights of the Ruhr region's industrial heritage: With geocaching, you can go on a treasure hunt with a GPS device at the anchor points of the Industrial Heritage Route and explore the locations!
Exceptional

bus tours

The Industrial Heritage Route is back on tour: Discover the industrial heritage treasures in your neighborhood on exclusive bus tours

150 years of industrial culture on a 400-kilometer route

The Route of Industrial Culture connects the most important and most attractive industrial monuments in the Ruhr area as a tourist themed route. The network of the route includes 27 anchor points, locations with special historical significance and outstanding tourist attractiveness. In addition, 17 vantage points, 13 settlements and numerous themed routes belong to the Route of Industrial Heritage.

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Friedrich Heinrich colliery park in Kamp-Lintfort
Ziethenstraße housing estate, Lünen
Berger monument on the Hohenstein
Heap Pattberg Moers
Hohensyburg Dortmund
TV tower Florian Dortmund
Seam thick bench
Recklinghausen substation
Tippelsberg Bochum
Old settlement Friedrich Heinrich
Workers' settlement Altenhof II
Workers' settlement Lange Riege
The Hohenhof - The Museum of the Hagen Impulse
Heap Kissinger height
Garden City of Welheim
Zeche Ewald
Schwerin slag heap: sundial + wind turbines
Halde Haniel
Settlement Rheinprussia
Alsum mountain
Duisburg inner harbour
Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord
Tiger & Turtle—Magic Mountain
LVR Industrial Museum Peter-Behrens-Bau
Stockpile Rhine Prussia
Schüngelberg settlement in Gelsenkirchen
Teutoburgia colliery settlement
Workers' settlement Dahlhauser Heide
Old Colony Evening
Eisenheim settlement
Margarethenhöhe
LVR Industrial Museum St. Antony Hütte
Schurenbachhalde
Rungenberg dump
Rheinelbe dump
Heap of large wood
Halde Haniel
Tetraeder Bottrop
Hoheward dump
LWL Museum Zollern colliery
LWL Museum Nightingale colliery
Villa Hill
LWL-Museum ship lift Henrichenburg
Museum of German Inland Navigation
Maximilian Park Hamm
North Star Park Gelsenkirchen
Linden Brewery Unna
Hansa coking plant
Century Hall Bochum
LWL Museum Henrichshütte
Gasometer Oberhausen
LWL open-air museum in Hagen
Railway Museum Bochum
Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum
DASA world of work exhibition
Chemical Park Marl
UNESCO World Heritage Zollverein
Aquarius Water Tower