About Us

The industrial-cultural heritage of the Ruhr area is unique and has long been a pioneer internationally when it comes to structural change. The Regional Association Ruhr (RVR) as the initiator and project sponsor of the Industrial Heritage Route and now represents the Industrial Heritage Route worldwide. Through targeted cooperation and networking, but also through independently recognized projects. The well-being of the Ruhr Metropolis is at the center of the legal mandate of the RVR at all times – as a networker, coordinator, source of inspiration, service provider or project sponsor.

The Ruhr Regional Association developed the “Industrial Culture” project together with the International Building Exhibition (IBA) Emscher Park and designed and implemented the initial installation of the route infrastructure. In 2004, the RVR was given responsibility for the route by the North Rhine-Westphalia state parliament. This involves - in collaboration with those responsible on site - the maintenance and development of the network, in particular the so-called five major locations: Duisburg-Nord Landscape Park, Oberhausen Gasometer, Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bochum Jahrhunderthalle and Hansa Coking Plant. Through regional and international collaborations, the Industrial Culture Department also specifically seeks exchange with experts from the fields of industrial culture and industrial history, also in order to initiate joint projects.

Ruhr Tourismus GmbH (RTG), as a subsidiary of the RVR, is responsible for cultural marketing for the industrial heritage route. The RTG made it its task to attract people from all over the world to the region and to show them what the Ruhr area has to offer. The website of the Route of Industrial Culture therefore presents the industrial heritage of the Ruhr area as a tourist information portal. In 1998, the predecessor organization of Ruhr Tourismus started to boost tourism in the Ruhr area. The fact that tourists would actually come here one day was more of a wish than reality at the time. Today, the Ruhr area is becoming more and more popular as a travel destination.

Comprehensive information about the Ruhr Regional Association and the tasks and activities of the association can be found on its website at:

https://www.rvr.ruhr/