Duisburg Homberg. A kind of deserted village with a Rhine promenade, beautiful trees, a cycling and walking path and benches to relax. Behind the housing you see industry, aside the bridge of the A40 across the Rhine, where
Duisburg Ruhrort, on the edge of the Rhine. Beautiful bike paths, green floodplains with sheep, rustling poplars. But also; highways, ships, cooling towers and chimneys. Across the river lies the brutalist Hotel Rheingarten, right from the 60s, on
Today's first landing point is Halde Rheinpreussen in Moers, where a bright red miner's lamp, visible from the A42, forms a landmark for the western Ruhr region at an altitude of 100 meters. The design comes from the
Visible from all sides, the shaft towers of the Friedrich Heinrich mine. Many buildings have disappeared, what remains is being restored. It looks like the remains will be surrounded by a new park. I discover that a part
On the way to Kamp Lintfort I cross the Rhine at Wesel. Dark clouds above the water, roar of traffic over the bridge. The light is wrong, I have to be on the other side of the bridge.
On the road to Zollverein: the Ruhr – landscape at our feet. We climb the Schurenbach coal tip / slagheap. A huge black and grey plain with in the middle the art piece ‘Bramme’ by Richard Serra. The
The blue-yellow IKEA container architecture blends seamlessly into the envelope of what once was a hall of Thyssen Krupp; The parking garage hangs in this sleeve formed by steel ribbons. Here becomes visible what I am concerned about;
Hörde: on the premises of the former steel mill Phoenix, at the ‘Phoenix see – the Phoenix-lake’ a new housing estate is built. Around the lake are walkways and cycle roads. Youngsters are hanging around.
Then in the direction Recklinghausen. I pass the remains of former pit 'Schlägel und Eisen', I take pictures of the shafts, the buildings and especially the surrounding park with again ... tubes! They sway through the park.
Direction Bottrop-Kirchhellen. An appointment at the last German coalmine: Prosper Haniel. My guide to go underground is Detlev. I am authorised to take pictures at the changing of the shifts. The atmosphere is relaxed. Outside the mine everybody
