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Teaching aim: To show the value of industrial heritage for the regional identity, education of the
people and structural changes, presentation of the ‘Route of Industrial Heritage’
in the Ruhr region by using local examples as well as links to other regions in Germany and
Europe. Keywords: Industrial heritage, old industrialised areas, de-industrialisation, structural change, new use of industrial sites, tourism at industrial sites |
For a long time, the classic inventory of industrial landscapes, such as plants, equipment, and infrastructure for land and sea related heavy transports were an important economic factor. However, hardly anybody regarded these objects as being esthetically or culturally valuable. They were as casual as they were trite. As a result of de-industrialisation processes they became increasingly rare, however. Thus, the historical heritage of old industrialised areas is experiencing the same revaluation as other things that are becoming scarce: the value of the ‘cultural capital’ is increasing.
This circumstance is an almost dramatic innovation. In the past, only products of ‘high culture’ were part of ‘culture’, such as fine arts, music or literature. Expressions of the industrialised world and technology were not part of it, especially when they only dated back to the 19th and 20th centuries. A castle, a palace, a church or a town house were regarded as part of the culture of a country. A blast furnace or a rolling mill, however, could only be an achievement of civilisation but never represented ‘culture’.
Nowadays, in contrast, objects of everyday culture are also respected as worthy witnesses of the cultural development of a region - even though not by everybody. Therefore, also landscapes in which culture seemed to have been absent for a long time, suddenly provide outstanding elements of a special material ‘culture’, the so-called objects of industrial heritage. These are mainly material witnesses (usually buildings or facilities of any kind) that reflect specific stages or functions of industrialisation processes. Thus, old industrialised areas suddenly show elements of quality that are completely missing in other regions. In the context of increasing competition among cities and regions they are beginning to acknowledge this process and start to value them as witnesses of industrial development as well as worthy historic monuments. On the basis of such cultural heritage, offensive marketing strategies are being developed. In this way, old industrialised areas try to improve their image and attract tourists at the same time (see for example the city of Voelklingen [1], a city of a mining region that experienced strong processes of de-industrialisation. There, the old mine was designated a World Heritage Site. See also the old Iron Road [2] in Bavaria, Central Sweden with its Ecomuseum Bergslagen [3] or the Ironbridge Gorge Museum [4]). Visitors of former or even productive industrial plants are called ‘tourists at industrial sites’ (Industrietouristen). This is still a quite new expression, in scientific literature and also in everyday life , however, the definition is becoming more and more common.
The recognition of industrial culture follows four main endeavours:
These four themes are discussed briefly below:
To impart history is certainly much easier and more lively by showing the original objects instead of exhibiting them in traditional museums. The original object at its original location shows clearly the real dimension of former functions: size, materials, technical relations, working conditions, local involvement (or sometimes even going beyond local dimensions) and many more. However, former originals are also missing some of their main characteristics. The heat of a running furnace, the vibrations while forging huge machine tools, or the diverse smells of gas from a coking plant cannot be recalled any more.
A coal mine or a steel work used to be the centre for some thousand workers. They were the focal points of their lives and those of their families. This is especially true for the Emscher region where agglomerations had grown so rapidly that none of the diverse functions of historic city centres could emerge. For the people living there, the closure and demolition process of central plants meant much more than just a material loss or a wound into the urban context. However, for most of the people it seemed to be a ‘natural’ development that old plants had to be torn down when they were of no economic use any more.
Only within the last years did the idea gain increasing acceptance (though not with everybody) that these non-functional industrial plants reflect major elements of the own history. This holds true not only for the history of industry, economy or technology but also for social history as well as the general political development. At the same time, the central function and the symbolic value of such plants was rediscovered. It is no coincidence that ‘new centres’ (Neue Mitten) have been established in the ruins of former mines and steels works in the Ruhr region within the last years. In these complexes, new functions such as administration, retailing and service industries were grouped together in order to give cities that are struck by processes of de-industrialisation their lost ‘centres’ back or even to create new ones (e.g. the Gasometer of the former Gutehoffnungshütte [5] in Oberhausen, the Hammerkopfturm of the Minister Stein mine [6], and the administrative building of the former Mt. Cenis mine [7] in Herne-Sodingen).
Also, these measures can be used to improve the image of an old industrialised region. By creating a completely new market label people are hoping for positive demographic and economic effects (such as improving migration balances, strengthening investment activities).
For the protection and conservation of industrial heritage it is important that each object is used in some way. Only for a very few elements is a mere use in museums acceptable. Therefore, it is necessary to find new owners, representatives, and users of industrial heritage. They either contribute financially to the maintenance of the object or take responsibility for its conservation. Often, the outcome is very creative. A former gasometer is used as a spectacular exhibition place [8] (Gasometer Oberhausen [9]) or as historic site for university buildings (Zeche Zollverein Schacht XII/Essen [10]). The buildings of a mine are used for an open-air museum (Zollern II/IV/Dortmund [11]), as a commercial and service park (Zeche Waltrop), as a location for craftsmen (Zeche Zollverein 3/7/10/Essen [12]) or also as a sport and health complex (Zeche Helene/ Essen [13]). Thus, protection and conservation of industrial heritage is not only a way to use old buildings without wasting scarce resources but also a creative provision of room for such uses that are normally rather marginalised.
Nowadays, one can find in almost all old industrialised German regions and cities examples of industrial heritage. Nowhere, however, is this more striking than in the Ruhr region, especially in the context of the International Building Exhibition (IBA) Emscher Park [14] that has been running for ten years. Since the beginning of the century, International Building Exhibitions have been an important tool for the renewal of inner cities. The task never covered a whole region that was influenced not only by waves of industrialisation in the course of the century but also by large devastation processes. This is exactly what IBA aims for: an ecological, economic and social renewal of the Emscher region in the northern Ruhr area (named after the small Emscher river) that has been struck by large technological industrialisation and the related negative consequences.
IBA calls itself a ‘workshop for the future of industrial regions’. Numerous pilot projects in five different modules signify the main undertakings:
The idea of the so-called ‘Route of Industrial Heritage' [15], a theme route that was opened in May 1999 and covers 400 km, is to connect especially spectacular, representative and expressive objects of industrial heritage in the Ruhr region and present them as a unity. In this way, visitors can understand the industrialisation of this specific agglomeration area by visiting characteristic examples.
19 different ‘anchor-stops' [16] present typical objects of the industrial world in almost perfect condition. Important sites are examples of the Ruhr region, such as mines and steel works. Also, the energy sector, the chemical industry, water-supply and the transport system are present, even though not with their biggest plants. Some of the anchors also provide visitor centres with special facilities and functions, e.g. Zeche Zollverein Schacht XII [17] (Essen) or the Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord (with the former Meidericher Hütte blast furnace [18]).
The latter has drawn special attention even long before the official opening of the Route of Industrial Heritage thus disproving the cliché that only buildings but not individual objects or facilities (such as blast furnaces) can gain new functions. The former Meidericher Hütte is already a highly diversified ‘biotope’. It is essential, however, to understand the blast furnace as a notable stage and, at the same time, as an accessible sculpture of the industrial landscape. One of the blast furnaces is always accessible, even without an officially guided tour, and thus allows fascinating impressions of the surrounding landscape by night and by day. At the weekends, special light shows by the British artist Jonathan Park even increase the attraction at night. The huge, surrounding park area invites people to rest or walk around. Furthermore, large halls and the "furnace stage" provide plenty of room for big concerts and other performances. The main hall of the former power station has been converted into a discotheque, and the gasometer is used as a diving training pool. Activists of the Duisburger Alpenverein as well as spectators of any age group appreciate the vertical walls of the ore bunker for climbing.
Furthermore, one can find on route #9 special panoramas of the industrial landscape that give good insights into and overviews of characteristic parts of the Ruhr region. With a few exceptions, most of the sights can be reached from mountains and slagheaps that have to be climbed.
The Alsumer Berg [19], for example, located east of Duisburg by the Rhine, is a slagheap from the nearby iron and steel works that reaches 80 meter. From there, one can view a landscape that is completely dominated by the coal and steel industry - maybe the most impressive spot in the whole area. From there, the Ruhr region looks like it is anticipated: nothing but sheds, plants, pipes, storage, and chimneys, covered in smoke, smells, and the noise of diverse activities. More typical for the actual Ruhr region, however, is the view from the Beckstrasse slagheap in the town of Bottrop that is characterised by one of the most remarkable buildings: a tetrahedon [20] made out of 15 meter long and approximately 50 centimeter thick steel tubes. The highest platform is 60 m above ground - not an easy task for every visitor because the view to the ground is almost completely open. From there, one can see the Ruhr region in summer as it is mainly today: a strikingly green landscape with a thriving pattern of settlements and industrial plants.
Also, 12 typical settlements are part of the route, most of them examples of carefully renovated so-called colonies for workers (company housing). They emerged in close relation to mines and other industrial plants and reflect different approaches of entrepreneurial attempts to attract employers through attractive and affordable housing.
A good example for such a policy is the Teutoburgia settlement [21], close to the city of Herne that used to be part of an only temporarily used mine. The remarkable ensemble stands out through its homogeneous style, even though each of the 126 buildings is individually designed. New experiments of design, on the other hand, are documented in the completely new quarter of Kueppersbusch [22] in the city of Gelsenkirchen.
Finally, there are six museums of regional importance that exclusively or mainly focus on the industrialisation of the Ruhr region. One example is the Museum der Deutschen Binnenschiffahrt [23] in the old port of the city of Duisburg. It is still under construction, though it can be seen as a compromise between museum at an original site and external exhibition objects.
For further excursions or the interest of specialists, ‘thematic routes’ start at each anchor. They include secondary objects, sometimes hidden or in unexpected places and provide a profound understanding of further important aspects. One example is the function of the Krupp company for the urban development of Essen as well as the large villas of entrepreneurs in the Ruhr region (see Krupp in Essen [24]).
The objects themselves are shown in their context and as single locations in the Internet, complemented by further readings and graphs from different fields [25], such as geography, history, technology, and architecture. Children can get a first understanding of industrial landscapes and industrial processes by reading cartoons in the pages especially designed for children [26]. A map [27] provides a first geographical orientation already at the home computer. And, last but not least, one can plan a private, detailed route visiting the Ruhr region.
Questions that may be asked:
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[1]
http://server02.is.uni-sb.de/huette/de/voelkl/
[2]
http://www.sulzbach-rosenberg.de/eisenstrasse/eisenstr2.html
[3]
http://www.ekomuseum.se/engelska/english.html
[4]
http://www.ironbridge.org.uk/
[5] http://www.centro.de/
[6]
http://www.route-industriekultur.de/routen/06/06_07.htm
[7]
http://www.fh-bochum.de/fb1/af-iba/072-fortbild-akademie.htm
[8]
http://www.fh-bochum.de/fb1/af-iba/090.htm
[9] http://www.gasometer.de
[10]
http://www.fh-bochum.de/fb1/af-iba/032-zeche-zollverein.htm
[11]
http://www.industriedenkmal.de/zollerndort/doz_text.html
[12]
http://www.fh-bochum.de/fb1/af-iba/044-katernberg-beisen.htm
[13]
http://www.fh-bochum.de/fb1/af-iba/033-heche-helene.htm
[14]/[28] http://www.iba.nrw.de
[15]/[29] http://www.route-industriekultur.de/index_e.htm
[16]
http://www.route-industriekultur.de/primaer/karte_e.htm
[17]
http://www.route-industriekultur.de/infozen/beszente.htm
[18]
http://www.route-industriekultur.de/routen/03/03_e.htm
[19]
http://www.route-industriekultur.de/routen/03/03_16.htm
[20]
http://www.route-industriekultur.de/primaer/p12/p12.htm
[21]
http://www.route-industriekultur.de/routen/19/19_e.htm
[22]
http://www.fh-bochum.de/fb1/af-iba/066-kueppersbusch.htm
[23]
http://www.route-industriekultur.de/primaer/m06/start.htm
[24]
http://www.route-industriekultur.de/routen/19/19_e.htm
[25]
http://www.route-industriekultur.de/geschi/index_e.htm
[26]
http://www.route-industriekultur.de/steuer/kinder/kinder_e.htm
[27]
http://www.route-industriekultur.de/atlas/index.htm
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