In Cologne (Köln), you can still find the remains of an ancient Roman fort. The name of the Köln-Deutz district originates from the name of the depicted fort called Divitia. During Roman times, these walls guarded an important Rhine bridge.
Tag: North Rhine-Westphalia
Deutsches Bergbau-Museum
The Deutsche Bergbau-Museum (German Mining Museum) consists of a show mine and a collection of exhibits regarding mining. The photo above was taken at the elevator, bringing visitors down to the show mine.
Nordkirchen Castle in Westphalia
Nordkirchen Castle (Schloss Nordkirchen) is the largest palace with a moat in the region of Westphalia. The present palace, also known as “Versailles of Westphalia”, dates back to the 18th century.
Gasometer in Oberhausen
The Gasometer in Oberhausen is the largest disc-type gasholder in Europe. Today, it serves as an exhibition hall. Visitors enjoy an excellent view after reaching the top by an elevator or a staircase outside the building.
U-Turm Bilderuhr in Dortmund
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.
Pithead bath in Dortmund
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.
Kokerei Hansa in Dortmund
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.
Sundheimer Huhn at Zeche Zollern
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.
Ruhrtriennale in Bochum
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.
Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum
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.
Big Air Package by Christo in Oberhausen
Every year another interesting art project takes place at the Gasometer (a former gas holder) in Oberhausen. In 2013 I visited the ‘Big Air Package’ created by Christo. This time the artist, who is generally known for wrapping huge things, produced a kind of balloon filling the inside of the gas holder.
Torpedo car in Duisburg
On my night stroll through the Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord, an industrial heritage park in Ruhr area, I came across this torpedo car. These cars are used for hauling molten pig iron from the blast furnace to the next processing unit.