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Zeche Zollverein I
The main winding tower of the pit.In mid-August, my dear friend Mizzi came to visit me in Dortmund. She lives in Melbourne, Australia, and the last time we had seen each other in person had been just before the Covid lockdowns, on our trip to Borneo in February 2020. Now, Mizzi came to see her family who lives in Germany, and she was able to spend a week in Dortmund with me. Since she had never been to the Ruhr District, I wanted to give her an impression of the many faces of the region as well as of my favourite places to eat. She is just as much a foodie as I am!
Mizzi arrived in Dortmund around noon on Saturday, 13th of August. There were tears of joy from both of us when we gave each other a huge big hug upon her arrival at the train station. It was a hot day. We had a light lunch at my place and then walked around the city for a bit. There is not much to see in the city centre of Dortmund because most of it was destroyed during the Second World War and then rebuilt very quickly. There are a few churches left
Zeche Zollverein II
Pipes, chimneys, band conveyors. The entire area is huge. (Petrikirche and Reinoldikirche in the city centre, for example) as well as a few houses from the late 19th and early 20th century. However, I would not say that the city centre is worth a visit. Unless there is something happening. On this very day, the Micro-Festival was happening, where different kinds of music, theatre, and artistry are performed on different stages throughout the city centre. We sat and listened to some exotic jazz music for a bit. Then we had dinner at Labsal. They cook Swabian fusion cuisine, so they mix traditional Swabian dishes with other cuisine. I am originally from Swabia, and I would consider myself a real snob when it comes to Swabian cuisine. But even I have to say that Labsal’s cooking is just delicious, and of course I wanted to give Mizzi a taste of it!
On Sunday, we had breakfast at Grüner Salon, a café located in a rather run down area of Dortmund, but with a great atmosphere, the most diverse breakfast menu in the city, and super friendly staff. Afterwards, we drove to Schiffshebewerk Henrichenburg, a ship canal lift about 30 minutes from Dortmund. The Ruhr District used to be heavily
Zeche Zollverein III
Coal wagons used to transport the coal from the winding tower. industrialised, and for transporting good efficiently, a lot of canals were built. These canals were not allowed to have a gradient, otherwise the water would have flown out. However, of course the land was not perfectly flat, so ship canal lifts were needed. The one in Henrichenburg is not in use anymore, it is a museum today. We could walk along the lower and upper parts of the canal and on top and below the trough that lifted the ships up and down. In the former powerhouse, there is a museum that gives background information. The entire construction is just an amazing piece of engineering. And there was even more to see that day: There was a Steampunk meeting on site and there were people in all kinds of creative costumes who had interesting, self-built items with them, such as a chair that looked like the time machine in the movie “The Time Machine”.
From Henrichenburg, we continued to Zeche Zollverein in Essen. It is a former pit that was huge and that is UNESCO World Heritage nowadays. It is so big that there are different car parks, and it is easy to get lost. I had been there
Zeche Zollverein III
The coal wagons were navigated on a complex system of rails. a few times before, but still we struggled to find the meeting point for our guided tour. However, we made it there in time. The guy leading the tour was a retired miner who could give us a great impression of what working there must have been like. Even getting to work was a big thing, with catching a lift down into the mine and then moving to the spot where the miners went to win the coal. This trip would sometimes take two hours and be very exhausting, and by then the work itself had not even begun yet! We were allowed to lift some of the equipment, which is extremely heavy. And it was used under less than favourable conditions, in low and narrow alleys with artificial light and often in great heat. All of the miners were heavily dependent on their colleagues, which meant that they needed to be able to trust and rely on each other. I think some of this spirit, being helpful and supportive, has been maintained in the region to date.
I have been to quite a few coal mines, refineries, or plants where people worked heavily and often damaged their health.
Zeche Zollverein IV
Band conveyors for the coal. It always makes me very humble because they were the people who made the “Wirtschaftswunder” (economic miracle) in Germany after the Second World War possible. Without them, we would not be as prosperous as we are today, and I am tremendously grateful for all the effort they put in.
We had dinner at Chuzo, a tapas restaurant just around the corner from where I live. They have a great selection of vegetarian and even vegan tapas and nice wine and cocktails.
On Monday, we went for a walk around Hengsteysee. The river Ruhr is dammed up in many spots, resulting in lakes that can be used as recreational areas. The walk around Hengsteysee takes about 75 minutes and is one of my favourite short walks for, e.g., a Sunday afternoon. There are different routes one can take, one is right around the lake (which is the one Mizzi and I took), but there are also several trails running along the hill on the north side of the lake. After our walk, we went up to Hohensyburg, a castle ruin above the lake. The walls we can see nowadays date from the 12th century, and there is a church,
Schiffshebewerk Henrichenburg I
The ship canal lift. In the picture is the lift in which the ships were lifted up or down. St. Peter, dating from the same century. In addition, there is a tower and a monument for Emperor William II. From the monument, one has a beautiful view of Hengsteysee and of the dam above the lake that was built to generate power from water.
In the afternoon, Mizzi joined me for a class at my Crossfit Box and did an amazing job. So, our dinner was well-deserved. We went to have truffle pasta at Ciccio’s, an Italian restaurant.
On Tuesday, we had breakfast at my favourite café in Dortmund, Froilein Meier. They have a super nice breakfast, but also some of the best cakes I have ever eaten. We enjoyed really good food and coffee.
Then we went into the region of Sauerland. This is a hilly, rural region east of Dortmund. We went for a little walk on the shores of Möhnesee, another artificial lake. Afterwards, we climbed Möhneseeturm, a lookout tower that is 42 metres tall and offers a wonderful view of the lake and its surroundings. Mizzi did an amazing job. She is afraid of heights, but she made it all the way up although the staircase is a metal grid through which
Schiffshebewerk Henrichenburg II
View of the lift from above, with the lower part of the canal in the background. one can see the ground, and there are no walls, just a railing and some wooden beams around the tower. We rewarded ourselves with some nice ice-cream in the village of Delecke. Afterwards, we went to the dam wall. It is over 100 years old and has a very sad history. During the Second World War, it was bombed, broke, and in the flood that followed the bombing about 1,600 people were killed. The dam was re-built and looks like it did before the bombing, with information boards describing what happened then.
When we got back to Dortmund, we had dinner at Westwind, a café where one can have a vegan version of Currywurst, a kind of sausage that is very popular in the region and that is usually served with hot chips.
On Wednesday, we went to Gasometer in Oberhausen. Gasometer used to be a gas holder and was turned into an exhibition space in 1994. Currently, there was an exhibition called “The Fragile Paradise”, showcasing amazing photos of nature and its forces, along with plants and animals, how mankind has been destroying nature, and what is being done to save the planet. The photos were huge,
Schiffshebewerk Henrichenburg III
Little house on top of the lift with wonderful engineering work in it. and very often rare moments had been captured. Just below the ceiling, there was a projection of the earth with simulations of weather phenomena, city lights, or ship and flight movements. It was all very impressive, and the atmosphere inside the building added to the amazement. We had a very good, awe-inspiring time. We had a mediocre lunch in the nearby huge shopping centre called Centro that was one of the first of its kind in Germany.
From there, it was not too far to the town of Hattingen. Hattingen is a real contrast to the industrial culture dominating much of the Ruhr District. It is a very old town, first mentioned in the 10th century. It has a lot of beautiful old semi-timbered houses and overall a very charming atmosphere, with lovely restaurants, cafés, and shops. Just above the town there is a small village with a castle, Blankenstein. We went up there and enjoyed the view into the valley before making our way back to Dortmund.
We had dinner at Doppelt so lecker, a Russian-vegan restaurant not far from where I live.
On Thursday morning, we had breakfast at Oma Rosa, another really nice breakfast
Hengsteysee
The lake south of Dortmund. place. Our plan for the day was steel. Dortmund used to be famous for three things: coal, beer, and steel. So, we went to Hoeschmuseum, a museum located on the premises of the steel-manufacturer Hoesch. We learned a lot about steel, and once more I was impressed by the engineering skills that made all this possible.
We followed the traces of steel manufacturing when we went to Phönixsee. The area used to be a steelwork. Nowadays, this is a lake and one of the prime housing locations in Dortmund. There are all kinds of boats one can ride on the lake, and on weekends the path running around the lake is packed with cyclists, runners, inline skaters and pedestrians. On one end of the lake, there is a hill that offers a nice view of the surroundings.
It was our last evening, so I wanted to take Mizzi to a special place. We went to Rohrmeisterei in Schwerte, a restaurant located in a building that used to be a pumping station for drinking water. The atmosphere there is very special because the original architecture was left unchanged, and the food is really good. Often, there are different kinds
Hohensyburg I
St. Peter's Church, just behind the castle ruins. of tastings (chocolate, gin, whisky) or various cultural events like poetry slams or readings.
All too soon it was Friday morning and I had to take Mizzi to the train station again. There were hugs and tears, but I was grateful for a full week with my dear friend. And I hope I was able to give her an impression of the many faces of Ruhr district, and area that I have really come to like so much that I decided to stay.
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alex waring
Alexander Waring
Industrial Regeneration
So nice to read about the pride in local industries in the Ruhr region, Katha, and how the old buildings have been converted and are used as attractive spaces today. I come from an industrial region in England, and also enjoy places of industrial rejuvenation like this. Nice that you were able to spend good time with your friend again.