Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex, Essen, Germany

The Zollverein industrial complex, an UNESCO World Heritage Site, consists of the complete infrastructure of a historical coal-mining site, with some 20th-century buildings of outstanding architectural merit. It constitutes remarkable material evidence of the evolution and decline of an essential industry over the past 150 years.

The Zollverein is an important example of a European primary industry of great economic significance in the 19th and 20th centuries. It consists of the complete installations of a historical coal-mining site: the pits, coking plants, railway lines, pit heaps, miner’s housing and consumer and welfare facilities. The mine is especially noteworthy of the high architectural quality of its buildings of the Modern Movement.

Zollverein XII was created at the end of a phase of political and economic upheaval and change in Germany, which was represented aesthetically in the transition from Expressionism to Cubism and Functionalism. At the same time, Zollverein XII embodies this short economic boom between the two World Wars, which has gone down in history as the 'Roaring Twenties'. Zollverein is also, and by no means least, a monument of industrial history reflecting an era, in which, for the first time, globalisation and the worldwide interdependence of economic factors played a vital part.

The architects Fritz Schupp and Martin Kemmer developed Zollverein XII in the graphic language of the Bauhaus as a group of buildings which combined form and function in a masterly way.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

SALMAN DELIWALA (8 months ago)
A very Iconic place in Essen one should not miss this place if visiting Essen. The place is very vast lots of things to see around and there is no entry fee. There are few museums located within the premises which are accessible after buying the ticket though the place itself gives some idea about the history. There is a very huge escalator leading to Ruhr museum which again is unique within itself. The nearest public transportation is via Tram station zollverein which is close to the entrance to this building.

Tim Ole (10 months ago)
Very fun experience- part UNESCO world heritage, (small) part lost place. If you’re there please book a tour including a trip to the terrace offering a panoramic view and think about renting a bike at “Revierrad” on the premises to see all the cool places. You can learn lots about the coal industry, the Ruhr-area and much more or visit the Red Dot Design museum to catch an exhibition. There are lots of dining and snacking options as well. One caveat concerns smaller children: only one tiny playground is to be found - so look beforehand if you want to make a stop at the beautiful Kinderburg playground close-by.

Christopher Hoffee (10 months ago)
I can be there for days taking photos...

Dr. Melody Ann Ross (11 months ago)
A great place to visit during COVID. Lots of things to do outdoors, and all the indoor spaces are thoughtfully controlled to prevent over-crowding. The sculpture forest has an unfinished feel to it- I look forward to future visits over the years to see how it will mature. There are several different cafes and Biergartens, where you can enjoy a good NRW Pilsener and Currywurst. The signage is all in German but there are tourist maps in English available from any of the several information booths. My recommendation is to do the circle walk around the whole site, and then to go back and spend more time at the features that most interested you. It is easy to get here via public transit, but I also saw lots of people driving through the grounds- the carparks are quite large. Parents be aware! You cannot take a stroller/pram/Kinderwagen to the Ruhr Museum. But most of the rest of the grounds (not the sculpture forest so much) are very friendly to wheel users of all varieties. The baby changing table is located in the accessible toilet.

Vasilija Đorđević (12 months ago)
Beautiful, amazing place. Good for resting, exploring, just chilling, everything. It has some special vibe. Worth visiting. Definitely.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Varvara_R

Historic Site of the week

Trinity Sergius Lavra

The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius is a world famous spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church and a popular site of pilgrimage and tourism. It is the most important working Russian monastery and a residence of the Patriarch. This religious and military complex represents an epitome of the growth of Russian architecture and contains some of that architecture’s finest expressions. It exerted a profound influence on architecture in Russia and other parts of Eastern Europe.

The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, was founded in 1337 by the monk Sergius of Radonezh. Sergius achieved great prestige as the spiritual adviser of Dmitri Donskoi, Great Prince of Moscow, who received his blessing to the battle of Kulikov of 1380. The monastery started as a little wooden church on Makovets Hill, and then developed and grew stronger through the ages.

Over the centuries a unique ensemble of more than 50 buildings and constructions of different dates were established. The whole complex was erected according to the architectural concept of the main church, the Trinity Cathedral (1422), where the relics of St. Sergius may be seen.

In 1476 Pskovian masters built a brick belfry east of the cathedral dedicated to the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. The church combines unique features of early Muscovite and Pskovian architecture. A remarkable feature of this church is a bell tower under its dome without internal interconnection between the belfry and the cathedral itself.

The Cathedral of the Assumption, echoing the Cathedral of the Assumption in the Moscow Kremlin, was erected between 1559 and 1585. The frescoes of the Assumption Cathedral were painted in 1684. At the north-western corner of the Cathedral, on the site of the western porch, in 1780 a vault containing burials of Tsar Boris Godunov and his family was built.

In the 16th century the monastery was surrounded by 6 meters high and 3,5 meters thick defensive walls, which proved their worth during the 16-month siege by Polish-Lithuanian invaders during the Time of Trouble. They were later strengthened and expanded.

After the Upheaval of the 17th century a large-scale building programme was launched. At this time new buildings were erected in the north-western part of the monastery, including infirmaries topped with a tented church dedicated to Saints Zosima and Sawatiy of Solovki (1635-1637). Few such churches are still preserved, so this tented church with a unique tiled roof is an important contribution to the Lavra.

In the late 17th century a number of new buildings in Naryshkin (Moscow) Baroque style were added to the monastery.

Following a devastating fire in 1746, when most of the wooden buildings and structures were destroyed, a major reconstruction campaign was launched, during which the appearance of many of the buildings was changed to a more monumental style. At this time one of the tallest Russian belfries (88 meters high) was built.

In the late 18th century, when many church lands were secularized, the chaotic planning of the settlements and suburbs around the monastery was replaced by a regular layout of the streets and quarters. The town of Sergiev Posad was surrounded by traditional ramparts and walls. In the vicinity of the monastery a number of buildings belonging to it were erected: a stable yard, hotels, a hospice, a poorhouse, as well as guest and merchant houses. Major highways leading to the monastery were straightened and marked by establishing entry squares, the overall urban development being oriented towards the centrepiece - the Ensemble of the Trinity Sergius Lavra.

In 1993, the Trinity Lavra was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

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