Categories
Public Art

U-Turm Bilderuhr in Dortmund

U-Turm Bilderuhr in Dortmund, Germany

The landmark of Dortmund is the big U on top of a former brewery building. Today the building houses besides others the Museum Ostwall and some exhibition rooms. The elements looking like mosaics are actually movies shown high over the city.

Categories
Industrial Heritage

Pithead bath in Dortmund

Waschkaue at Kokerei Hansa, Germany

A detail I was especially impressed in. At the coking plant Hansa I saw a pithead bath. In this hall the workers put their clothes in special frameworks. Each framework is movable up and down by a chain.

Categories
Industrial Heritage

Kokerei Hansa in Dortmund

Cooling tower of cokery Hansa in Dortmund, Germany

Kokerei Hansa is a former coking plant in Dortmund. Today the plant houses a huge climbing gym named Kletterhalle Bergwerk and the remaining installations can be visited by guided tours.

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Animals Industrial Heritage

Sundheimer Huhn at Zeche Zollern

Sundheimer Hühner at Zeche Zollern, Germany

In earlier times German miners used to have a small garden for vegetable and animals behind their homes. While strolling around a mining settlement next to the colliery Zeche Zollern I came across this special breed of chickens. In German they are called Sundheimer.

Categories
Industrial Heritage

Lohnhalle at Zeche Zollern

Lohnhalle at Zeche Zollern, Germany

An interesting detail seen at the colliery Zeche Zollern: The Lohnhalle. This is a building shaped like a station hall with some cashier’s desks inside. Here the miners were paid their wages.

Categories
Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau door at Zeche Zollern

Door at the machine hall of Zeche Zollern

A fascinating detail of the Zeche Zollern, a colliery in Dortmund: The door at the machine hall is built in the style of Jugendstil (Art Nouveau).

Categories
Industrial Heritage

Administration building of Zeche Zollern

Administration building of Zeche Zollern, Germany

The ‘Alte Verwaltung’ served as administration building and office of the director. It was designed by the architect Paul Knobbe. It looks a bit like a manor house or a chapel, doesn’t it?

Categories
Museums

Deutsches Bergbau-Museum in Bochum

Deutsches Bergbaumuseum in Bochum, Germany

The Deutsche Bergbau-Museum (German Mining Museum) consists of a show mine and a big collection of exhibits regarding mining. The photo above was taken at the elevator bringing visitors down to the show mine.

Categories
Festivals

Ruhrtriennale in Bochum

Stage at Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum, Germany

The Ruhrtriennale is an annual music and arts festival in the Ruhr area of Germany. The locations of the Ruhrtriennale are generally industrial heritage sites like the Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum, the Zeche Zollverein or the Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord.

Categories
Industrial Heritage

Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum

Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum, Germany

The Jahrhunderthalle is a venue for such famous events like the Ruhrtriennale. Interesting detail: The hall was constructed on top of an existing plant. After that, the soil was risen up to the level of the hall. So the first plant became part of the basement.

Categories
Museums

Ruhr Museum in Essen

Inside the Ruhr Museum in Essen, Germany

The Ruhr Museum is placed in the former coal preparation plant at the Zeche Zollverein. On several floors, it tells not only the story of the Zeche (coal mine) but also shows the history of the Ruhr area (Ruhrgebiet).

Categories
Industrial Heritage

Zeche Zollverein in Essen

Winding tower at Zeche Zollverein, Germany

The Zeche Zollverein (Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex) is a larger former industrial site and is inscribed into the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. I was especially impressed by the use of Bauhaus style for some buildings.