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info@zollverein.de

Var_01_first — © Thomas Willemsen / Stiftung Zollverein

Things to do and see

100 hectares in the north of Essen, Shaft XII, Shaft 1/2/8 and coking plant Zollverein. The first shaft was sunk in 1847, the last coal mined in 1986 and the coking plant shut down in 1993. The buildings and facilities have been officially listed as historic monuments since 2000, which was followed in 2001 by their acceptance into the ranks of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The motto is preservation through alternative use.

There are various things to do and see at Zollverein. Here is an overview of a few of those attractions:

Var_03_each — © Thomas Willemsen / Stiftung Zollverein

History and guided tours

Denkmalpfad ZOLLVEREIN®
The Heart of the Zollverein Coal Mine
A guided tour of the Denkmalpfad ZOLLVEREIN®, in English “Monument Path”, gives visitors an insight into the history of Zollverein, its production facilities and the path the coal took, when it was brought up from 1,000 meters under ground. There is an open English guided tour at 3.00 p.m. on weekends. For further information and bookings please contact our visitor hotline: phone +49 201 2 4 6 8 10 or via email denkmalpfad@zollverein.de

Ruhr Museum
The Memory of a Region
More than 500,000 visitors already ascended the fiery-red stairs of the former coal washing plant at Shaft XII on opening day of the Ruhr Museum in 2010 to admire the exhibits. The permanent exhibition shows the entire natural and cultural history of the Ruhr region on three levels: from fossils to mining.
Dates and times: every day from 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m., closed on the 24th, 25th and 31st of December and the 1st of January.
Costs: 6 Euro [reduced 4 Euro] / Children and younsters 2 Euro / Families 12 or 6 Euro
Group tours of the permanent and temporary exhibitions: Reservation absolutely required / Duration: 90 minutes / Max. 20 participants / Foreign language tours on request
Dates and times: Daily, 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. / and by appointment
Costs: Ticket: 60 Euro plus 5 Euro admission per person
Further Info: phone +49 201 246 81-400, www.ruhrmuseum.de

Portal of Industrial Heritage
Dive into an eventful region
A 360° film and innovative media stations provide information about the Industrial Heritage Trail. Visitors learn about the panorama of industrial heritage that characterizes the Ruhr metropolis and North Rhine-Westphalia in the Portal of Industrial Heritage, located in the former coal washing plant. Multimedia productions and innovative information stations show the key sites of the Industrial Heritage Trail and their use in the past and today: they have been “growing” out of the seams of coal and provide a narrative through images, text and sound of the monuments of the industrial age throughout history, the present and the future.
Dates and times: every day from 10 am to 6 pm, closed on the 24th, 25th and 31st of December and the 1st of January.
Costs: 2 Euro [reduced 1 Euro]

ZOLLVEREIN® Mediaguide
Discover the World Heritage Site on your own
Take the ZOLLVEREIN® media guide along on a tour of discovery and get to know many interesting details about the history and present of the World Heritage Site.
World Heritage Site Zollverein grounds: 4 Euro [reduced fee 3 Euro]
Languages: German, English, Spanish, French, Dutch
Denkmalpfad ZOLLVEREIN®: 4 Euro [reduced fee 3 Euro]
Languages: English, Spanish, French, Dutch
Ruhr Museum, permanent exhibition: 4 Euro [reduced fee 3 Euro]
Languages: German, English, Spanish, French, Dutch
Ruhr Museum, temporary exhibition: 4 Euro [reduced fee 3 Euro]
Languages: German and English

Art, Culture & Design

From Mine to Culture

The World Heritage Site Zollverein as a Cultural Centre
During the 25 years since it was closed, the formerly largest and most productive coal mine in Europe has developed into a lively location with an international reputation for the arts, culture and creative enterprises.

ZOLLVEREIN® Concerts
From Classical to Jazz and Pop
The concert series of the Zollverein Foundation has taken place on a regular basis in various venues on the site of the Zollverein mine and coking plant since 1997.With more than 160 concerts to date and world-renowned musicians like pianist Alfred Brendel, saxophonist Jan Garbarek, violin virtuoso Frank Peter Zimmermann or opera singer Waltraud Meier, the Zollverein Foundation was able to enhance the reputation of the industrial heritage site as an unusual venue for top-quality chamber music throughout the nation.
Tickets: TicketCenter of the Essen Theatre and Philharmonic, Tel. +49 201 812 22 00, Fax +49 201 812 22 01, tickets@theater-essen.de, Ticket Hotline: +49 209 147 79 99, tickets@mbee.de, www.mbee.de

red dot design museum
Largest Exhibition of Contemporary Design
The red dot design museum is recognized as the world’s largest exhibition of contemporary design in the midst of the breathtaking architecture of the former Zollverein Coal Mine. In the mid 90s, the boiler house was masterfully converted into a museum for design according to plans by Lord Norman Foster. Today, visitors can walk on walkways and stairs in the former Stoker’s Hall and discover more than 2,000 red-dot award-winning products in the middle of the former brick-lined boilers.
Dates and times: every Tuesday to Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm (last entry at 5 pm), apart from the 24th, 25th and 31st of December and the 1st of January.
Costs: 6 Euros, reduced fee 4 Euros /
Further Info: phone +49 201 246 81-400, www.ruhrmuseum.de

Pact Zollverein
A Heart for Dance and Performance
Aside from many other forms of artistic expression, the World Heritage Site Zollverein has also had a heart for dance and performance arts since 2002. PACT Zollverein is providing a stage for pioneering developments in dance, performance arts, theatre, media and visual arts in the former pithead bath at Shaft 1/2/8. Artists and the public jointly come to terms with important social developments and the evolution of contemporary art.

The Works Swimming Pool
Seasonal fun in the water before a backdrop of industrial architecture
Within the scope of the art project “Contemporary Art and Criticism”, the “works pool” of Frankfurt artists Dirk Paschke and Daniel Milohnic opened its doors in the coking plant for the first swimming season in 2001. In the meantime, the fun in the water has become an integral part of the Zollverein summer programme and is seen as an excursion highlight in the Ruhr region.
Dates and times: during the summer school holidays in NRW
Costs: Free entry

The Palace of Projects
A palace of ideas and dreams
A walk-through house in a house, full of ideas, dreams and ideals – “The Palace of Projects” of artists Ilya and Emilia Kabakov is waiting for your visit.
Dates and times: The Palace of Projects is currently closed due to construction work.

Ceramic Workshop Margaretenhöhe
Bowls and vases of magical power
Minimal changes bring unlimited freedom: The internationally acclaimed and award-winning artist Young-Jae Lee shows her masterpieces in the ceramic workshop Margaretenhöhe .
Dates and times: Monday to Friday, 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., Saturday 11.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m.
Costs: Free. Prices of products are available on request.

LA PRIMAVERA
Light and space
Unimpressive from the outside, but an experience of intense self-awareness on the inside: LA PRIMAVERA, spring, that is the name of the artwork of German-American artist Maria Nordman that is permanently installed in the former boiler ash hopper at Shaft XII. You enter an empty, white room that can only be entered individually and is not visible from the outside, and where sunlight only penetrates through a small gap. Alone in space and time, only the self exists and peace and reflection settle in.
Dates and times: May 6 to September 30, 2012 / every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m.
Costs: Free

Kunstschacht Zollverein – Thomas Rother
Art derived from the legacy of mining
Thomas Rother has dedicated himself to the past of Zollverein. The painter, writer and collector works with the legacy of mining history.
Dates and times: Saturday and Sunday, 11.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. and 3.00 to 5.00 p.m. / and by phone appointment
Costs Admission: 2.50 Euro

Thomas Mack
Art as far as the eye can see
Thomas Mack has been working in his printing workshop at Zollverein since 2001 and gets his inspiration from the unique architecture.
Dates and times: Saturday and Sunday, 1.00 to 6.00 p.m. and any time by appointment
Costs: Free

SchmuckProdukt
Shiny one-off jewellery and pretty little treasures
“SchmuckProdukt” has been manufacturing unique items and small series of jewellery for more than twelve years now.
Dates and times: Wednesday to Saturday, 12.00 to 6.00 p.m. and by appointment
Costs: Free admission. Prices for products or customized items are available on request.

Monochromatic Red and Blue
The coking plant shines in red and blue
As darkness falls, the Zollverein coking plant turns into an artwork made of light. The lighting architects Jonathan Speirs and Mark Major use their impressive installation consisting of red and blue light to emphasize the separation between the so-called “black” and “white” side of the coking plant.
Dates and times: Daily at dusk
Costs: Free

ARKA Kulturwerkstatt
Discovering art, creating art
For 30 years ARKA Kulturwerkstatt has been inviting people not only to marvel at art, but to create it themselves. Those interested can learn various techniques in a wide range of courses and workshops and let their creativity run wild. The exhibitions of works by various artists are not only inspiring, but also show what can be achieved in the Kulturwerkstatt.
Dates and times: Friday, 11.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. / during exhibitions also Saturdays and Sundays, 2.00 to 4.00 p.m. and by appointment
Costs: “The current programme including prices can be found here”:

Phänomania Erfahrungsfeld
Activate your senses
Welcome to Phänomania Erfahrungsfeld: Experience weightlessness, gaze into infinity and have the rug pulled out from under you. Explore your senses at over 80 experimental stations spread over more than 1,500 m2 and discover your world anew.
Dates and times: Monday to Friday, 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m., Saturday, Sunday and holidays 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. / Closed: December 24 to 26, 2012, December 31, 2012 and January 1, 2013
Costs: Ticket: 7 Euro [reduced ticket 6 Euro and/or 5 Euro], children aged 3 to 5, 3 Euro

Eat and Go Out!

CASINO Zollverein
Unique Aesthetics and Exquisite Pleasures
A visit to the CASINO Zollverein is quite an experience. Anyone who has ever had a meal here will come back. Traces of 50 years of labour in the coal mining and steel industry have created emotional spaces that invite you to wonder and enjoy. The PRO7 science magazine ‘galileo’ chose the CASINO as one of the ‘10 most spectacular restaurants in the world’. The atmosphere of the mine is preserved while the kitchen is setting new trends.
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 11.30 a.m. to 12.00 a.m. / Hot meals are available from 12.00 p.m. to 2.30 p.m. and from 6.00 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. / closed from the 21st of December 2012 until the 7th of January 2013

café & restaurant – “die kokerei”
Enjoying culinary delights
Residing in one of the most unusual places in the Ruhr region, the Café & Restaurant – die kokerei offers fascinating views of the huge smokestacks, the “Blue Avenue”, but also a view into the hopper level of the mixing plant.
Dates and times: In January Monday to Friday, 12.00 to 5.00 p.m. / Saturdays, Sundays and holidays 11.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. / longer hours when the ice rink is open!
In February Monday to Thursday, closed / Friday, 11.00 to 5.00 p.m. / Saturdays, Sundays and holidays 11.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m.
March to December, Monday to Friday, 12.00 to 8.00 p.m. / Saturdays, Sundays and holidays 11.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m.

Butterzeit!
This is miner’s slang for today’s coffee break, when they would eat their buttered sandwiches.
In Studio 1 & 2 of Hall 12 on the grounds of the World Heritage Site Zollverein you can eat your “Bütterken” (buttered sandwich) and “Tante Mattas Schrebergartensalat” (mom-and-pop’s garden allotment salad) in peace while enjoying the atmosphere of industrial heritage – or celebrate your next event in the renovated rooms.
Dates and times: April 1 to September 30, daily, 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. / October 1 to March 31, daily, 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.
Further info:

Café Kohlenwäsche
Coffee and cake surrounded by restored original machines
In the old days, coal was unearthed here. Today, a giant escalator carries the guests of the coal washing plant aloft to level 24, where the international RUHR.VISITORCENTER Zollverein is located.
Dates and times: October 1 to March 31, daily from 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. / April 1 to September 30, daily from 10.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m.

Café Zollverein
Coffee in the ambience of the old hoisting engine house
The Café Zollverein is located in the reception area of the Erfahrungsfeld and is also a popular destination for cyclists and hikers. Here you can enjoy the cultural and historic atmosphere of the old hoisting engine house at Shaft 7/3/10 over a nice cup of coffee.
Dates and times: Monday to Friday, 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. / Saturdays, Sundays and holidays 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. / closed on the 24th, 25th, 26th, 31st of December and the 1st of January

Zollverein® Park & Recreation

ZOLLVEREIN® Ice Rink
Probably the most fascinating place for skating
In winter, the ZOLLVEREIN® ice rink,runs 150 metres along the coke ovens where coal was once baked at 1,000 degrees Celsius to become coke. Skating artists and all who want to be one can practice their pirouettes there, dart across the ice or take their first careful steps on the slippery ice.
But the impressive industrial architecture, the glassy 1,800 square metre surface along the imposing coke ovens, the rust-coloured pipes and tall chimneys are also a unique experience for spectators. In the evening, the light installation by Jonathan Speirs and Mark Major creates a special atmosphere.
Dates and times: December 8, 2012 to January 6, 2013
Costs: DAY TICKET – Adults: 6.50 Euro / Children 15 and older/students/trainees: 5.50 Euro / Children 14 and younger: 4.00 Euro / Family ticket [2 adults and up to 3 children]: 14.00 Euro / School classes [max. 25 persons] incl. guided tour of Denkmalpfad ZOLLVEREIN® / coking plant: 110.00 Euro / 10-ticket pass for adults: 55.00 Euro / 10-ticket pass for children 14 and younger: 35.00 Euro / Skate rental: 3.50 Euro [limited supply, ID card as security] / EVENING TICKET [starting 2 hours before closing] / Adults: 4.00 Euro / Children 14 and younger: 2.00 Euro / Family ticket [2 adults and up to 3 children]: 9.00 Euro /
ICE DISCO
December 21, 2012 and January 4, 2013
Adults: 5.00 Euro / Children 14 and younger: 3.00 Euro

ZOLLVEREIN® Park
Tamed wilderness to unwind
Where once the tailings were stored as a waste product of coal mining, you discover botanical rarities and animals today. Nature has reclaimed the former waste dump. The grounds of Zollverein® Park take this into account: the existing landscape was designed and completed with respect and care, resulting in a tamed wilderness. The park keeps changing naturally, and continuous care and gentle pruning help to shape it.
Dates and times: Open all year
Costs: Free

Ring Promenade
Attractive recreational opportunity in the north of Essen
A 3.5 km long path encircles the grounds of the Zollverein mine like a band: The Ring Promenade links the locations of the World Heritage Site and makes it an attractive recreational area for tourists and locals alike – right in the middle of Essen’s northern district.
Dates and times: Open all year
Costs: Free

RevierRad Station
Exploring the World Heritage Site by bike
Why not explore the World Heritage Site and its surroundings by bike: the bikes and information are waiting for you at the RevierRad Station.
Dates and times: daily, 10.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m.
Costs: A price list can be found under Downloads.

Sun Wheel
A somewhat different ride
The Sun Wheel is currently under construction
The sun wheel at the coking plant not only offers great views, but also unusual insights into the inner workings of the World Heritage Site. The sun wheel with its 14 gondolas has been turning on the “black” side of the coking plant since 1999 every Saturday and Sunday between May and October. Experience a ride of exciting contrasts: the wheel turns deep into the interior of the cut-open coke oven battery No. 9 through the former 1,000-degree-hot ovens and then rises high into the sky above Zollverein.