LWL Museum Henrichshütte

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. The history of the Henrichshütte is a history of iron and steel. Also a history of resistance. And that from the beginning. The first to protest were the farmers of the region, who rebelled against the incursion of industry into the Ruhr area. The last were the men and women who fought against the closure of the site and the loss of their jobs, even more: the center of their lives. As the LWL-Industriemuseum Henrichshütte Hattingen, the factory today tells all these stories, at original locations and via a museum concept that also allows the former staff to have their say.

Hattingen, mid-19th century: Meadows, pastures and fields dominated the hilly Ruhr valley. An idyll that experienced enormous cuts when the Henrichshütte was founded in 1854. Coal and ore deposits as well as the navigable Ruhr had caused Count Henrich zu Stolberg-Wernigerode to build an iron-producing plant right here; just one year later the first coke-fired blast furnace was started. The technology, which was revolutionary at the time, produced around 25 tons of pig iron a day. But it was precisely the alleged advantages of the location that caused a severe setback: the Ruhr was not very suitable for shipping due to frequent flooding; when it was connected to the Ruhr Valley Railway in 1869, it lost all of its importance. The environmental pollution increased, the dissatisfaction of the population grew and as early as 1870 the iron ore deposits were no longer sufficient to cover the needs of the smelter; Deliveries from Siegerland and later from Sweden became necessary. This was followed by changing owners, modernization, even the relocation of the Ruhr in 1959 to gain space. In 1940 the daily output was around 800 tons of pig iron; In 1959 - after a standstill due to the war - two furnaces each produced 2.400 tons a day. About 10.000 people were at the Henrichshütte in bread and work at that time. But from 1963 the first shutdowns began; In 1987 the last blast furnace was blown out against the bitter resistance of the population. In addition to the steel crisis and competition from Japan and the USA, the location proved to be the main reason for the end: without a port of its own, it always required several transshipments to transport raw materials and products.

As the anchor point of the route, the LWL Industrial Museum Henrichshütte today deals with all aspects of heavy industry in the Ruhr area. Since 2000, visitors have been able to follow the "path of iron" in the LWL Industrial Museum and get to know the once tough working world of Henrichshütte. At the same time, the topic of industrial nature is firmly anchored in the museum concept with the “Green Path” and a “Hut Safari”.

The museum mascot "rat" translates the technical connections for children. A special experience are the evening guided tours by torchlight.