Haniel dump

The mining material from the Prosper-Haniel colliery is 185 meters above sea level. Reason enough for a summit cross that is more than a landmark. It is part of the Way of the Cross, inaugurated in 1995, which the nun Tisa von Schulenburg created together with the Oberhausen artist Adolf Radecki and trainees from the mine. By no means the only surprise that the heap has in store for visitors - in addition to a fantastic view.

The Prosper-Haniel mine, which was closed at the end of 2018, was the last mine still in operation in the Ruhr Metropolis. It was created in 1974 through the merger of the Prosper and Franz Haniel mines. The latter - with its striking trestle structure from 1951 above shaft 2 - had been sunk from 1921 in the course of the mining activities of Gutehoffnungshütte, but severe water ingress prevented production from beginning until 1952. At the end of 2011, the mine produced 3,1 million tons of hard coal with an underground route network of 140 kilometers from a depth of up to 1.320 meters. The enormous heaps make the Halde Haniel the highest accessible heap in the Ruhr Metropolis. And Haniel is also a very special "Mountain of the Ruhr Area" in many other respects.

15 Stations of the Cross lead visitors to the summit - each marked by a copper plaque depicting the sufferings of Christ and a tool from the world of miners. The Haldenkreuz itself commemorates the Pope's visit to Prosper-Haniel on May 2, 1987. Apprentices and trainers from the mine had made it for the colliery site from track battens, i.e. the beams on which a conveyor cage is guided in the shaft. Five years later it found its place on the south-west tip of the heap. The most recent work of art at Haniel also relies on wood and history: in 2002, the Basque artist Augustin Ibarrola installed 100 painted railway sleepers, the "totems", on the heap in order to bring together the "apparent opposites of industrial space and nature".

Today, the Halde Haniel is a popular destination in the north of Bottrop and offers numerous leisure opportunities. The green heap is ideal for walking, jogging or kite flying, for example. The predominantly green heap also opens up a wonderful view of the Prosper-Haniel mine, which was closed in 2018, and over the northwestern Ruhr area.