The Route of Industrial Heritage network links industrial monuments across the Ruhr region and includes 27 anchor points, 17 viewpoints and 13 settlements. So discovery does not end with individual collieries: viewpoints and settlements are also part of the network. Themed routes focus on other subjects, including nature, urban history, architecture, mining and transport. This lets you explore the region from different perspectives without reducing industrial heritage to machinery and factory buildings.
Cycling routes and urban trails at your own pace
The Route of Industrial Heritage by Bike is a 300-kilometre circular route linking the most important industrial monuments in the Ruhr region. It often runs away from road traffic, along well-maintained paths on former railway lines and beside riverbanks. A signposted junction system helps you find your way. The circular route thus combines cycling with a thematic look at industrial history.
The Urban.Trails offer a different format: these urban routes in the Ruhr region are 7 to 15 kilometres long and designed as half-day or full-day trips. The Essen Urban.Trail begins at the south exit of Essen Central Station and ends at Essen-HĂĽgel S-Bahn station. If you are planning to continue by train, check the current timetable. As a longer route option, the approximately 100-kilometre Emscher Trail runs through the Ruhr region, past industrial settings, art installations and nature.
The formats differ in length and the time they take: one is a 300-kilometre cycling loop, while the urban routes are suitable for a half-day or a full day. The Emscher Trail offers a different focus, with its approximate length and varied scenery. This lets you consider which kind of route suits your travel plans, without treating the routes as a single, interconnected trail network.
Industrial heritage in architecture and exhibitions
While the museum is open, a lift ride in the winding tower at the German Mining Museum Bochum takes you to the first of two viewing platforms. From there, you can enjoy panoramic views across the region shaped by mining. At the UNESCO World Heritage Site Zollverein, tours cover the preserved surface buildings of the colliery and coking plant, as well as the World Heritage site grounds. One visit focuses on a winding tower and the view; the other, on the buildings and grounds.
The architecture also tells the story of industrial history. The machine hall at the LWL Museum Zeche Zollern is an industrial heritage building made of steel and glass; its colourful stained-glass Art Nouveau portal adds a distinctive architectural accent. The LVR Industrial Museum St. Antony Ironworks houses a permanent exhibition in the former director’s residence. The former residence and the machine hall show different sides of industrial heritage: one is a building with a striking portal, the other a historic residence used as an exhibition venue.
Situation Kunst/Museum unter Tage offers another perspective: its permanent exhibition covers more than 1,000 square metres and presents landscape art from the 15th century to the present day. At the LWL Museum HenrichshĂĽtte, the Iron Trail leads to a viewpoint on blast furnace 3. From 55 metres up, you can look out over the Ruhr Valley. At the demonstration foundry, demonstrations and stories told by former employees as eyewitnesses illustrate historic working life.
Experience views, art and nature
At the Tetrahedron in Bottrop, the first platform is 18 metres high; another is 20 metres above it and offers panoramic views across the metropolitan region. The Oberhausen Gasometer offers a different perspective: the 117-metre-high gas holder is an industrial monument and now serves as an exhibition venue. You can reach its roof by outdoor lift or via 592 steps, where panoramic views await. Check the latest operating details before your visit.
Tiger & Turtle – Magic Mountain also combines art and views. This walkable roller-coaster sculpture brings together art, adventure and an immersive experience. From the loop, on a clear day you can see as far as Düsseldorf and the airport control tower. Visibility is part of the experience here: the two named landmarks are visible in clear weather.
At Duisburg-Nord Landscape Park, industrial heritage and experiences in nature come together in a park landscape. Between blast furnaces 1 and 2, a high-ropes course 55 metres above the ground offers a climbing challenge; booking is required. The site thus combines the park landscape with a specific climbing activity. Along with the viewpoints, exhibitions and routes, it lets you discover the Ruhr region from several perspectives.
Discover more destinations: Bielefeld, GĂĽtersloh, Krefeld, Wesel, Aachen, Euskirchen, Borken, Paderborn
Back to the overview of destinations: North Rhine-Westphalia.
