Industrial heritage: The unusual kind of tourist attraction around the world

Nevermore

Well-known member
Citizen
I started a thread on this topic many years ago on the old Allspark forums. For obvious reasons, that thread is long gone, so I'd like to start a new one.

My personal backstory: I was born, grew up and still live in Duisburg, Germany. My city is part of the Ruhr region, one of the largest agglomerations of heavy industry (traditionally, that meant mostly coal and steel) in Germany. With the transition away from those fields that started decades ago, a lot of companies have either closed down or shifted away to new branches. But even then, not all industrial sites that ceased operations have been demolished, and not all structures left standing have been left to rot. Think of it as "lost places" that aren't truly "lost" - in fact, some of them are legally open for visitors! So essentially, I grew up in an area where the concept I want to focus on in this thread is extremely commonplace, and every city in the area has at least one, usually multiple destinations that are not your typical tourist trap.

And from the research I've done over the past two decades, I know this isn't limited to Germany either. Industrial heritage sites exist in pretty much every European country, and there are even some in the United States and Mexico!

With this thread, I want to discuss not only the places I've seen first hand, but also raise awareness for what might be just in front of your very own doorstep! Things you never paid much attention to, but which might actually make for an interesting day trip.

I especially would like to invite anyone who has actually been to such a place to share their experience! What's the place like? How can any interested visitor gain legal (!) access? What activities are officially possible? Can you recommend the trip?

Generally, I can think of six categories:
1) Currently active sites that offer guided tours to the public
2) Currently active sites that have dedicated areas allowing a good view that are open to the public, free of restrictions (provided you stay in the public area)
3) Abandoned sites that have been converted into public parks with dedicated areas that are open to the public, free of restrictions (provided you stay in the public area)
4) Abandoned sites that have been converted into museums that can be accessed for a reasonable (?) fee
5) Abandoned sites that can be accessed as part of guided tours
6) Abandoned sites that have at least some of the existing structures partially converted and repurposed for a different use (e.g. as office buildings for new businesses)

Combinations of several of the above are also possible.
 
Last edited:

Nevermore

Well-known member
Citizen
I'd like to kick this off with one type of site that I'm very familar with, and which started my whole interest in this topic: Ironworks. No, not the G1 Micromaster. Actual ironworks. The ones with blast furnaces.

Blast furnaces are large, industrial furnaces fueled with coke (that's coked coal, not cocain or Coca-Cola) and supplied with pre-heated hot wind that are used to melt down iron ore into pig iron, which can be subsequently refined into steel in a nearby steel mill. Other byproducts are molten slag, which can be used in road construction, and flue gas, which is colorless and odorless, but also highly toxic. Since it's also combustible, though, it can be used to generate electricity in a gas power plant.

There are currently still between six and eight active blast furnaces between four sites remaining in my city (the largest number of remaining blast furnaces for any German city), and in fact, I can see two of them from my balcony:

The one on the right is one of the most modern blast furnaces in Europe, and was constructed as recently as 2008.

However, the site I'm mostly familar with is this:
(That's supposed to be the English version of the website, but apparently not everything is translated)

That's Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord, a former ironworks site that ceased operations in 1985 and was later converted into a public park that was opened in 1995. It's about half an hour's walk from my current home.

The park is open to the public, free of charge, on most days of the year, typically around the clock. Exceptions might be dangerous weather conditions, special events taking place in the park, or movie shoots. Internationally renowned German hit TV show Babylon Berlin filmed some scenes from its second season there, and just a few months ago, some parts of the park were closed because the Hunger Games prequel was being filmed there. So in case you happen to watch that movie one day and see an old industrial site being used as a location, believe me when I tell you that I know every corner of that place.

Listing all the attractions there would fill an entire page, so I'm only going to name some of the highlights:
- One of the three remaining blast furnaces is open to the public on most days of the year. No special access restrictions, but wheelchair users are SOL, and you shouldn't be afraid of heights.
- An old gas holder has been filled with water and converted into a diving basin for a diving club.
- The casthouse of one of the other two blast furnaces has been equipped with audience stands, and is used as an open air movie theater during the summer months.
- Parts of the former ore storage yards are now used as a training area by an alpine climbing club.
- The former power plant has been converted into a multi-purpose event hall.
- The former power distribution station is now a restaurant.

And much more.

Guided tours are available.

There's also an impressive colorful light installation during nighttime... That is, unless there's an energy crisis because a certain someone decided to start a pointless war.

I've been there too many times to count.

Since large parts of the park are open to the public free of charge, I can absolutely recommend the place. If it's your first visit, definitely plan your trip to last several hours.

English language video by someone who's been there, although the focus is on all the plants reclaiming the area:

20 minute video without dialogue:
 
Last edited:

Nevermore

Well-known member
Citizen
The Henrichshütte in Hattingen, located about an hour's drive from my home, is another abandoned ironworks site that has been converted into a museum.

Only one blast furnace remains (the other one was disassembled, sold off to China and reassembled there). Compared to Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord, there's a bigger focus on preserving the remaining structures as part of the museum rather than repurposing them.

There's also a colorful light installation during nighttime.

Recommend, though if I recall correctly, all the displays are in German only. Admittance fee is 5 Euros for an adult according to the website.



Also about an hour's drive from my home is Phoenix-West in Dortmund.

Large parts of the area have been repurposed, with brand new buildings for new businesses. Some of the old structures have been left standing. One blast furnace remains, plus the outer steel frame of a second one. A third blast furnace was also sold off to China.

The remaining blast furnace is only accessible as part of a guided tour across the so-called "Skywalk". Tickets are 30 Euros per person, and need to be reserved in advance.

There's also a colorful light installation during nighttime, but I think this one might be reserved for special occasions.

I've been there once, in 2014, before the the upper levels of the blast furnace became accessible as part of the tour. Still, if you've seen the other sites, I don't see why you should spend 30 Euros in Dortmund when you can visit the Henrichshütte in Hattingen for a mere 5 Euros, or visit Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord for free. Mildly recommend, but the other ones are better options.
 

Nevermore

Well-known member
Citizen
Two other sites in Germany which I've visited back in 2014:

Altes Hüttenareal Neunkirchen is an assembly of several industrial relics located in Neunkirchen in the Saarland region in the South of Germany.
(Sorry, website in German only)

Two blast furnaces remain. A public road has since been built that is passing by underneath the outer steel frame of one of the blast furnaces. Parts of the area are open to the public as a park. The other blast furnace that's not directly next to the road is open to visitors as part of guided tours. Also, a water tower has been converted into a movie theater. Once again, there's a colorful light installation during nighttime. Another unique feature is that this site is literally located in the middle of the city's downtown area. There's a shopping mall, the Saarpark Center, right across the aforementioned road, and apparently a Globus retail store has been built on the other side just this year as well. Sadly, they've had to demolish the ironworks' old gas holder two years ago to make room for said retail store.

Mildly recommended if you're in the area, but there's a better option...


Völklingen Ironworks is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it shows. This is an assembly of six old (and relatively small, compared to the other ones I've listed thus far) blast furnaces and other industrial relics located in Völklingen, also in the Saarland region.

The Tim Traveller also made a video about his trip there two years ago:

One of the many interesting things about this particular site is that the blast furnaces have a unique layout insofar as they're all connected by a walkway that was used to deliver the fuel and raw materials to all of them via a hanging monorail. Unfortunately, that also restricted all of them to remain the same size which meant they couldn't be rebuilt taller as technology progressed, as was the standard method for other sites. This eventually led to the inevitable shutdown of Völklingen Ironworks.

Also part of the site is a coking plant which severely reduced the transport route for the fuel to the blast furnaces.

Once again, there's a colorful light installation during nighttime. Surely this is a trend for this type of location.

Since it's a UNESCO World Heritage site, they're charging a standard admission fee of 17 Euros for an adult, though there are various types of discount available. Still cheaper than Dortmund, and a lot more to explore on top of that. Highly recommended. Definitely plan to stay there for the better part of a day.

Guided tours are also available.
 
Last edited:

Nevermore

Well-known member
Citizen
And now the sites I haven't visited yet:

U4 Blast Furnace Park in Uckange in the Lorraine region of France. Located about an hour's drive from the Saarland.

One blast furnace remains, parts of the area are a park that's open to the public between the months of April and November, colorful light installation during nighttime, the usual stuff.

As far as I can make out, the highest admittance fee (possibly for guided tours?) is 6 Euros, so probably worth a visit if you're in the region. Just make sure you're not trying right now and can't get in because it's closed for the winter.


Esch-Belval in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg, has been reimagined as a modern quarter with new buildings housing apartments and businesses... and in between, there are two old blast furnaces that remain as landmarks. So basically the Dortmund approach, but with a better overall concept.

The blast furnaces can be visited as part of guided tours between the months of April and October. Standard admission fee is 5 Euros for an adult.


In the Southwestern part of Europe, there's Blast Furnace No. 2 of Altos Hornos del Mediterráneo in Sagunto in the Valencia region of Spain.

Sadly, a lot of the surrounding structures have been demolished, with only the blast furnace itself remaining, so this is a rather incomplete offering.

The blast furnace is open to visitors all year long as part of guided tours. Standard admission fee is 4 Euros for an adult.


Meanwhile, in the Northern portion of Spain, there's Blast Furnace No. 1 of Altos Hornos de Vizcaya in Sestao, located in Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country.

It seems that the site is not directly open to visitors, but there is an elevated public road right next to the blast furnace that allows for a very good look at the site. (I've checked it out via Google Street View.)


Meanwhile, in the Eastern part of Europe, there's Hradčany, located in the Lower Area of Vítkovice in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

Apparently, one of the blast furnaces has been converted, with a new structure dubbed the "Bolt Tower" (named after Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt) built on top that contains a café, among other things.


The Museum of Nature and Technology is located in Starachowice, Poland.

Open to the public all year long, with ticket prices varying between 12 Złoty in the summer season (April till October) and 8 Złoty in the Winter season (November till March).
 

Nevermore

Well-known member
Citizen
Wrapping up the chapter on preserved historic blast furnaces, we're leaving Europe.

Our first stop is Japan, which has the Higashida Daiichi Blast Furnace, which is part of the Higashida Area Museum Park in Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka Prefecture on Kyūshū Island.

The Blast Furnace is now a museum and open to visitors on most days of the year, free of charge. It's illuminated at night, but unlike most of the sites on my list, Japan has decided against fancy colors and just uses plain white light.


Finally reaching North America, there's Fundidora Park in Monterrey, Mexico.

One complete blast furnace remains, plus one very incomplete second one. The complete blast furnace now serves as a museum. There's also the obligatory colorful light installation during nighttime again. Admittance fee is 100 Pesos for an adult, which only sounds a lot until you convert it into Dollars or Euros (about $5 USD or 5 Euros).


And finally, in the United States, we have no fewer than three sites!


First up, there's the Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, Alabama.

Two blast furnaces remain and are open to visitors during opening hours on most days of the year, free of charge. Guided tours are also available for $10 USD per person.

Here's a video by someone who's been there:

The Carrie Blast Furnaces National Historic Landmark is located in Swissvale and Rankin in the Monongahela River Valley in Pennsylvania.

The furnaces are open to the public as part of guided tours between the months of May and November. Tickets cost $21 USD for an adult if you order in advance, or $25 USD at the door. There's also a colorful light installation during nighttime, though that might be reserved for special events held at the site.


And lastly, there's the big one, the one that has actually appeared in a Transformers movie: The National Museum of Industrial History, formerly the location of Bethlehem Steel, located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, which was used as a shooting location for the opening scene of the 2009 Michael Bay film Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, where it doubled as the industrial district of Shanghai, China.

Five blast furnaces remain and are open to visitors. The website is not quite clear which admission fee covers which attractions - apparently access to the museum is $15 USD for an adult, and a self-guided tour of the plant itself is another $5 USD? And then there are also guided tours available which cost even more. I'd really like for someone who has actually visited the site to clear this up for me.

EDIT: Apparently the Hoover-Mason Trestle, part of the walkway across the ore yards, has been opened as a public bridge that allows visitors to explore parts of the site.

Also located on the premises of Bethlehem Steel is the SteelStacks campus, which holds various festivals on the site.

There's also a colorful light installation during nighttime, which might or might not be reserved for special events.

Either way, I'd say this one looks to be absolutely worth a visit.



At this point I'm seriously curious who started this whole trend of colorful light installations for decommissioned blast furnaces. Surely one of them had to be the first, but which one was it?



Now I would really like to hear from someone wo has actually visited one of these sites. What was the experience like? Would you recommend it? If you had to pay an admission fee, was the experience worth the price?


Now keep in mind that this is only the first of many, many types of historic industrial sites that remain as landmarks and/or tourist attractions. There are still a lot more of these - coking plants, coal mines, gas holders, gasworks, canal locks, boat lifts and a lot more which I intend to cover in the future. Do you know of a location near where you live, or which you've visited in the past? Let us know!
 
Last edited:

MEDdMI

Nonstop Baaka
Citizen
I would love to visit an unusual attraction like one of these. Never been, though. Don't know of anything like that near me.
 

MEDdMI

Nonstop Baaka
Citizen
Rhode Island. The tiny northeast US state that you can drive across in about 30mins.
 

Nevermore

Well-known member
Citizen
Rhode Island. The tiny northeast US state that you can drive across in about 30mins.
Using my Google-fu, I can offer this to you after a quick search:


Also, in Massachussets:

And maybe the Charles River Dam and Gridley Locks Footpath in Boston.
 

MEDdMI

Nonstop Baaka
Citizen
Oooh, Steel Yard sounds cool. Basic blacksmithing courses! Too bad they're all booked, though. XD
 

CoffeeHorse

Exhausted, but still standing.
Staff member
Council of Elders
Citizen
I love this stuff. I wish we had things like that here, but Florida just never had much.
 

Nevermore

Well-known member
Citizen
The Zollverein Coal Mining Complex in Essen, Germany is also a UNESCO World heritage site. It contains both a former coal mine that is now a museum, and a coking plant that has an unrestricted walking area for visitors. There's even an open-air swimming pool at the coking plant! Guided tours are also available.

The Zollern coal mine in Dortmund, Germany is another former coal mine that is now the site of a museum. It's operated by the same owner as the Henrichshütte in Hattingen.

The Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum is another coal mining museum located in Bochum, Germany.

The Hansa coking plant is a former coking plant in Dortmund, Germany that's now a museum.


The Gasometer Oberhausen in Oberhausen, Germany is a giant disused gas holder located at the shore of the Rhine-Herne-Canal that's now a multi-purpose event hall which his mostly used as an exhibition hall. Buyning a ticket also allows visitors to climb the outer frame up to the roof, which offers a spectacular view of the area. Alternatively, there's also an elevator inside the exhibition hall that also takes you to the roof.

And if you feel like shopping, there's a shopping mall (currently called the "Westfield Centro") right next to it, built on the premises of the former Gutehoffnungshütte ironworks site that was demolished in the 1990s, and which the Gasometer once belonged to.

The Gasometer Hibernia in Herne, Germany usually isn't open to visitors, but it's located inside the Business Park Hibernia, so at least you can get to see it up close.


In the United States, there's the Gas Works Park in Seattle, Washington, which features the remnants of a disused gasification plant right within a public park.
 

Nevermore

Well-known member
Citizen
Small update regarding Bethlehem Steel: It appears I have completely missed the Hoover-Mason Trestle that was opened to the public in 2015.
 


Top Bottom