ZOLLVEREIN - World Heritage Site and Future Workshop

ZOLLVEREIN – HERITAGE SITE AND FUTURE WORKSHOP

Edited by Hermann Marth for Zollverein Foundation

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GREETINGS – SHIFT IN THE SHAFT

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GREETINGS – GOOD LUCK!

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FOREWORD – ZOLLVEREIN EFFECT

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ZOLLVEREIN – HERITAGE SITE AND FUTURE WORKSHOP

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PROLOGUE – THE LARGEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL COAL MINE IN THE WORLD

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ENTREPRENEURIAL COURAGE – FROM MINING CLAIM TO MONUMENT: A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

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FROM IBA LIGHTHOUSE PROJECT TO WORLD HERITAGE

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THE MASTER PLAN

BY REM KOOLHAAS – THE DEVELOPMENT BASIS OF THE WORLD HERITAGE SITE

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ZOLLVEREIN PARK

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CONVERSION — THE COAL WASHING PLANT BECOMES THE RUHR MUSEUM

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STRATEGIC GUIDELINES FOR QUARTER DEVELOPMENT

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THE COKING PLANT – A QUARTER WITH AN URBAN CHARACTER

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A LOCATION FOR EDUCATION AND BUSINESS — NEW BUILDINGS AND CONVERSIONS AT SHAFT 1/2/8

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AN OUTLOOK FOR THE FUTURE THAT HAS ALREADY BEGUN

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TIMELINE

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AWARDS AND PRIZES (SELECTION)

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BIBLIOGRAPHY – CITED AND FURTHER LITERATURE

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PICTURE CREDITS

C [Coking Plant]

C83

C108

C89 C110 C90

[Spoil Tip]

A

[Castell]

A4

A [Shaft XII]

Shaft XII A2 Hall 2 [Transformer and Distribution Station] A4 Hall 4 [Winding-engine House South] A5 Hall 5 [Central Workshop] A6 Hall 6 [Electrical Workshop] A7 Boiler House A9 Hall 9 [Low-Pressure Compressor House] A10 Hall 10 [Materials Store] A12 Hall 12 [Picking Belt Hall] A14 Coal Washery A35 SANAA Building Shaft 1/2/8 B43 Engine House B45 Pit Head Bath B52 Building Materials Store B57 Main Administrative Building B60 Folkwang University of the Arts,

Department of Design

C78 B60

Coking Plant C70 Mixing Plant C78 Signal Box C83 Extraction and Compressor Hall C88 Salt Store C89 Salt Factory C90 Comb Building C108 RAG Montan Immobilien C110 RAG-Stiftung/RAG Aktiengesellschaft

B57

A10

B  [Shaft 1/2/8]

ZOLLVEREIN – HERITAGE SITE AND FUTURE WORKSHOP

The publication ZOLLVEREIN—Heritage Site and Future Workshop documents the transformation of the Zollverein Coal Mine and Coking Plant into a site for creative industries, culture, design, and education. Numerous plans and strategies, creative ideas, courage, and great successes paved the way, which began in 1986 with the closure of what was once the largest shaft site in the world.

Monument status, lighthouse project of the International Building Exhibition (IBA) Emscher Park, appointment as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, master plan, conversion of the Coal Washing Plant into the Ruhr Museum, Zollverein Park, and the new building for the Folkwang University of the Arts were the milestones, behind which stand smart, renowned minds such as Rem Koolhaas, Lord Norman Foster, and Karl Ganser; offices such as SANAA, Agence Ter, and Böll & Krabel; as well as progressive urban development and monument authorities of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the city of Essen, and Stiftung Zollverein (Zollverein Foundation).

Successes that wrote their own history, measures that are leading the Ruhr area’s industrial heritage into the future, and a process that has an exemplary character. In the style of the Bilbao effect, which describes the successful development of neighborhoods in the former industrial city in northern Spain, Stiftung Zollverein has

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coined the term “Zollverein Effect,” which aptly expresses the location’s potential. Thanks to the integrated site development, today the Zollverein World Heritage Site is an internationally recognized model example for the transformation of industrial sites and for the handling of outstanding evidence of industrial history in line with monument preservation guidelines.

The success is based on continuous urban development planning in the field of tension between existing protected structures and new ideas.

The specifically developed master plan by Rem Koolhaas (OMA) and the principle of “conservation through reuse” form the basis for all of the building activities on the site. The developments of the last thirty years at the Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site are an answer to the question of how monument protection can be reconciled with the diverging goals of urban development, creative industries, and architecture. The present volume presents the individual projects, which have largely been realized by 2018, and documents in words and pictures the successful metamorphosis of the former industrial complex into an international best-practice model for dealing with industrial heritage.

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ZOLLVEREIN – HERITAGE SITE AND FUTURE WORKSHOP

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ZOLLVEREIN – HERITAGE SITE AND FUTURE WORKSHOP

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PROLOGUE – THE LARGEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL COAL MINE IN THE WORLD

The Zollverein Coal Mine in Essen was once the largest and is still today one of the most beautiful, architecturally and functionally fascinating anthracite coal shaft sites in the world. Founded in 1847, the mine symbolizes the beginning and end of the industrial age like no other place, and it wrote German industrial and economic history for almost 140 years.

On February 1, 1932, when the wheels on the famous pit head frame turned over the central Shaft Site Zollverein XII for the first time, the coal mine became an industrial high-performance complex. Fritz Schupp and Martin Kremmer were commissioned to design Shaft XII. The two architects already had experience with industrial construction in the Ruhr area, but this job was a particular challenge: for the first time, a fully rationalized shaft site with largely automated workflows was meant to emerge, which followed the principles of Fordism and Taylorism.

The result, which engineers and architects realized in close collaboration, was regarded from the beginning as a technical and aesthetic masterpiece of modernity and attracted great attention internationally among experts. The already extremely successful Zollverein Coal Mine became a model mine through Shaft XII, which also had to represent its owner, Vereinigte Stahlwerke AG.

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The architects also addressed this requirement: “We must recognize that industry, with its huge structures, is no longer a disturbing link in our cityscape and in the landscape, but a symbol of work, a monument of the city that every citizen should show the stranger with at least the same great pride as his public buildings.”1 The mine was shut down on December 23, 1986, and the same year parts of the site were officially declared a monument. In 2001, Shaft XII, the Founding Shaft 1/2/8, and the Zollverein Coking Plant—also designed by Fritz Schupp—were included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site List as “Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex.” Among others, the reason for the decision was that, “The Zollverein XII Coal Mine Industrial Complex is an exceptional industrial monument by virtue of the fact that its buildings are outstanding examples of the application of the design concepts of the Modern Movement in architecture in a wholly industrial context.”

Still today, Shaft XII and the Coking Plant facilities show the technical workings and procedures for coal production and processing, and captivate visitors with the design composed following Bauhaus principles and the idea “form follows function.” Carefully considered down to the details of the lamps, stairs, and door handles, the completely preserved building complex is a total work of

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Along with his office ­partner Fritz Schupp, Martin Kremmer was one of Germany’s most important industrial architects.

Together with Martin Kremmer, the architect Fritz Schupp designed the central Zollverein Shaft XII. Moreover, in the nineteen-fifties Schupp designed the Zollverein Coking Plant.

thus the largest and most productive in the world. The

Shaft XII on December 23, 1986—as the last of a total

surface installations at Shaft XII—with an architectural

of about 290 coal mines in Essen, formerly the larg-

language based on the principles of symmetry and

est mining town in Europe. Thus, Zollverein marks the

functionality—were declared the most beautiful coal

beginning as well as the end of the epoch of heavy

mine in the Ruhr area shortly after commissioning and

industry in Germany.

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celebrated as a total art work of mining architecture.

The original function of the coal mine was inevitably

From then on, Zollverein was considered an icon of

lost with its decommissioning. After the closure was

German industrial architecture and an important monu­

certain, different positions on the future of the industrial

ment of modernity.2 From 1957 to 1961, the Zollverein

complex emerged. In the nineteen-eighties, demolition

Coking Plant was built to the west of Shaft XII in a spa-

plans were confronted with the growing awareness that

tially functional connection to the coal mine—again fol-

the Zollverein Coal Mine is simultaneously an outstand-

lowing plans by Fritz Schupp—and became the largest

ing testimony to almost 150 years of mining history, a

central coking plant in Europe after an expansion in the

monument to the industrial age, and an architectural

nineteen-seventies.

masterpiece. Several years of continuous negotiations preceded the decision to place Zollverein under monu-

Decline and Closure of the Coal Mine (1957–1986)

ment protection.

At the end of the nineteen-fifties and in the nine-

A Workplace as Monument?

teen-sixties, the coal market stalled in Germany, and the closure of mines in the Ruhr area began. From 1957,

In the nineteen-seventies and eighties, an awareness of

low-priced, imported coal competed with domestic

the structural preservation of decommissioned indus-

coal; moreover oil and, later, natural gas were increas-

trial facilities gradually developed in the Ruhr area. For

ingly used as fuel. As a result, the number of workers

many, however, the sometimes huge complexes were

in the mining sector drastically reduced. In 1983, Ruhr-

memorials to the heavy industry that had characterized

kohle AG (RAG) decided to decommission Zollverein

and formed—massively and without consideration—

ENTREPRENEURIAL COURAGE

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“Not pompous craving for status, not pleasant whitewashing of hard realities will determine the character of these representative structures, but the seriousness and importance of the work achieved in the facilities behind them.�3 Fritz Schupp and Martin Kremmer

Miners after the last shift at Zollverein on December 23, 1986

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“With the conversion of the former Boiler House to the Design Center North Rhine-Westphalia by Lord Norman Foster, an incunabulum was created, which stands not only for the architectural and monument preservation approach to Zollverein, but has also set standards worldwide for the repurposing of old industrial complexes.”7 Dr. Birgitta Ringbeck View into the Boiler House during the conversion

Red Dot Design Museum’s exhibition spaces in the converted Boiler House.

On five stories, the museum presents around 2,000 exhibits of contemporary ­product design, that have been awarded the Red Dot.

FROM IBA LIGHTHOUSE PROJECT TO WORLD HERITAGE

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“Two of Stiftung Zollverein’s main concerns are the mediation of the Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site on the one hand, and its revival through cultural offerings on the other. Guided tours of the Monument Path as well as events such as the ExtraSchicht and the Zechenfest (Coal Mine Festival) have been a tradition for many years and have always enjoyed great popularity. Zollverein has become the region’s main cultural attraction and we are very proud of that.”

Jolanta Nölle, Board Member Stiftung Zollverein

proposed rebuilding the chimney, but the installation

2001, the Rhineland Regional Council was added as a

of the elevator made the idea unrealizable for the time

donor. For financial reasons, Stiftung Zollverein initially

being.

focused on the task of further opening up the area and

Due to the extent of renovation in the mid nineteen-nine-

developing it culturally.

ties, the question arose for the first time of whether the Boiler House could still be classified as a monument.

“Sun, Moon, and Stars”: An Exhibit about Energy as

Although the cauldrons were mostly gutted, the basic

the IBA Finale

structure and interior design of the building were still clearly discernible, so the decision was favorable. Karl

In 1999, the ten-year term of the IBA Emscher Park

Ganser pointed out that the successful conversion of

ended. One year earlier, the in 1993 decommissioned

the Boiler House was a decisive factor for the later con-

“Black Side” of the Zollverein Coking Plant—where coal

version of the Coal Washing Plant as well as for placing

was processed into coke—had been transferred by the

Shaft 1/2/8 and the Coking Plant under protection.

RAG to the Stiftung Industriedenkmalpflege und Geschichtskultur. For the finale, the IBA team—in co-opera-

The Founding of Stiftung Zollverein

tion with Feuer und Flamme GmbH as well as Stiftung Industriedenkmalpflege und Geschichtskultur—devel-

Early consideration was given to what legal form

oped the idea of a large, temporary public exhibition on

should replace the temporary Bauhütte—this was stip-

the millennia-old history of energy. The Blending Plant

ulated in a statute of the building company. The options

of the Zollverein Coking Plant was envisaged as the

included founding a limited liability company or an

venue for the exhibition—a unique and due to its spatial

incorporated foundation. The decision ultimately fell in

structure, difficult building, which was renovated by the

favor of a nonprofit foundation under civil law, so that

Bauhütte for the new use as an exhibition hall and pre-

city and state policy could be involved as well as private

pared following a design by the architect Jürg Steiner

investors. In 1998, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia

and the Böll & Krabel office. Two-thirds of the volume

and the City of Essen founded Stiftung Zollverein. In

of the thirty-five-meter-high Blending Plant is filled with

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FROM IBA LIGHTHOUSE PROJECT TO WORLD HERITAGE

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The Ice Rink in the middle of the Coking Plant’s spectacular former production facilities enchants many thousands of visitors each year.

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THE MASTER PLAN

BY REM KOOLHAAS – THE DEVELOPMENT BASIS OF THE WORLD HERITAGE SITE

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“There were times when a coal mine site and its pit head towers were considered useless scrap iron, rubbish, and torn down. We must not become illiterates of memory.”1 Johannes Rau, former Federal President

EU Funding for the Ruhr Area’s Largest Structural

and a world exhibition on design under the working

Transformation

title “Interform.”

At this point in time, funding was expected from an

Parallel to the gradual opening of the site, the funda-

expiring EU funding period. The Ziel-2-Programm

mental task continued to be promoting the renovation

(Objective 2 Program), from the EU and the state of

of the protected halls and buildings. For this purpose,

North Rhine-Westphalia for the support of structurally

an EU major project proposal had been developed for

weak regions, was intended to promote structural trans-

Zollverein since the end of the nineteen-nineties. On

formation and strengthen regional competitiveness. In

the occasion of the IBA finale in 1999, the state of North

1999, the EU decided to remove the north of Essen from

Rhine-Westphalia, the City of Essen, the Bauhütte, and

the funding recipients in 2006, which is why funds were

the management of the IBA took stock of matters and

allocated for the last time. At the end of the year, the

came to the conclusion that, in addition to the still mis­

City of Essen requested that the projects developed in

sing overall strategy for Zollverein, above all the financ-

the memorandum “Zollverein 2010” be proposed for

ing for the planned refurbishment projects had to be

EU funding.

ensured. IBA Managing Director Karl Ganser then initi-

The expected investment volume was estimated to be

ated a memorandum in consultation with the state and

around 50 million euros, which is why Zollverein was

city.

one of the so-called EU major projects. The applica-

The results of the work were already available at the

tion procedure was correspondingly expensive. It took

end of 1999. In the “Memorandum Zollverein 2010,” the

more than a year to prepare the application form, which

working group demanded that in the future Zollverein

was entrusted to representatives of the state ministries

not only had to be a cultural, but also a business loca-

of economics, science, and urban planning, who also

tion with future-oriented new jobs in the service sector.

called on selected experts, including Prof. Dr. Ulrich

In addition, the authors proposed establishing three

Borsdorf for the Ruhr Museum component and Prof.

new institutions at Zollverein—the Ruhr Museum, the

Dr. med. Peter Zec for “Interform.” It was necessary to

research and training institution “Plattform Design,”

work out the individual project elements in detail and

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THE MASTER PLAN BY REM KOOLHAAS

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0

93

40m

80m

120m

The master plan by Rem Koolhaas (OMA) divides the one-hundred-hectare site into quarters with different functions. This master plan is still the basis for all building activities at the World Heritage Site.

LEGENDE:

Path Systems: Bridges Streets Ringpromenade Path at the dam Paths on the spoil tips Important links Parking lot Squares Buildings

Ladder Track: Ladder track with rail lines Platform Ladder track with garden platform Ladder track with platform / temporary pavilion Ladder track with gravel roads Ladder track with birch strips Track boulevard with concrete slabs as crossing Vegetation: Forest “Light Forest�

Clearing Open green areas Cleared grass areas

01

New gardens Successions gardens Gardens in basins Forest outside Zollverein

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Soil for meadows Forest floor Infertile land Gravel Broken stone

Open space master plan by Agence Ter

ZOLLVEREIN PARK

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View of Zollverein Park: the former crew bridge is now accessible to visitors.

characteristic existing elements were to be visibly

were asked to develop design solutions for the park’s

preserved. Thus, the landscape architects proposed

components, which were outlined in the open space

preserving the specific soils of the industrial monu-

master plan, including concrete concepts for the care

ment at selected locations and to prepare them accord-

of the Zollverein Park, lighting, a guidance and orien-

ingly. For example, on the spoil tip on which Rückriem

tation system, and the integration of artistic elements.

placed his Castell, the black untreated soil—which

An interdisciplinary team—which consisted of Planer­

consists of nonweathered rock and residues of coal

gruppe Oberhausen (landscape architecture), Licht

sludge—was preserved. With the help of substrates, a

Kunst Licht (lighting), Observatorium Rotterdam (art),

complete plant cover of the highly compacted surface

and F1rstdesign.com (orientation)—won the competi-

is prevented in the long term.

tion.

A central component of the open space master plan is

In its decision, the jury particularly emphasized the

also the outdoor tourism infrastructure. The so-called

approach of the winning design, which slowly devel-

Gleisboulevard (track boulevard)—the rail tracks lead-

ops the park with its diverse landscape images—from

ing from Shaft XII to the Coking Plant—became the

the well-kept lawns along the buildings to the industrial

“backbone” of the multifunctional park. The new path

forest—without introducing new plant populations.

system, with the main components Gleisboulevard

However, the visitors are the most important element

and the Ringpromenade, was connected to the existing

of the design, because only they turn the landscape

road network of the adjacent districts and linked to the

into a park. The team around Planergruppe Oberhausen

new parking spaces at the World Heritage Site.

proposed setting up information points at seven locations on the site, where guides can inform visitors and

Continuous Care: The Realization of Zollverein Park

react flexibly to their needs. In addition, 3D models and a guidance system on the Ringpromenade act as orien-

In February 2005, the EGZ held a realization compe-

tation aids.

tition for the design of the outer areas of the monu-

Still in 2005, the initial work began on the Zollverein

ment site—the so-called Zollverein Park. Competitors

Park, which is an important part of the regional Emscher

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ZOLLVEREIN PARK

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Zollverein Park is a beloved local recreation area. Continuous care of the park ensures that the industrial nature in selected areas leaves the view of the shaft site free.

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The history of the Ruhr area as an industrial region is told on the six-meter level. The dramaturgy of this exhibition area follows the development of a classic drama in five acts. The spatial impression is shaped by ninety-six powerful concrete pillars.

Present, Memory, and History

presentation modes of the topics. For example, they interpreted the windowless concrete bunkers of the

The Stuttgart office HG Merz was commissioned

twelve-meter level as cultural reservoirs and turned

with the design of the exhibition rooms for the Ruhr

them into small cabinets. Presented there are geologi­

Museum in the Coal Washing Plant. The permanent

cal, archaeological, and ethnological exhibits since

exhibition of the museum on the nature, culture, and

antiquity.

history of the Ruhr area was designed as a parkour on three levels, which leads the visitor from the top to

A New Visitor Center and the Extended Monument

deep in the belly of the Coal Washing Plant, following

Path

the “path of coal.”

On the twenty-four-meter level of the Coal Washing

In addition to the work on the exhibition rooms, the

Plant, the visitor proceeds to the glowing, orange

other levels of the Coal Washing Plant were prepared

museum staircase. On the seventeen-meter level, the

for visitor operations. A new visitor center was built on

exhibition is dedicated to the present of the Ruhr area—

the twenty-four-meter level, which is the central point of

with its myths, clichés, and structures. Descending to

contact for visitors to the World Heritage Site, with its

the twelve-meter level, the visitor delves deep into the

information center, restaurant, and bookshop.

past and learns details about the region’s preindustrial

On levels thirty, thirty-eight, and forty-two, an experi-

history. The lowest level, six meters, is dedicated to the

ence tour was set up, which leads visitors to the “Portal

development of the Ruhr area from a former agricul-

of Industrial Culture” with an exhibition on industrial

tural landscape to the largest mining region in Europe,

cultural sites in North Rhine-Westphalia and Europe,

which began with industrialization and continues in the

and a 360° film about the Ruhr area in a converted Dorr-

ongoing structural transformation.

type thickener and ends on an observation deck on the

HG Merz designed an exhibition dramaturgy in which

roof of the Coal Washing Plant.

the changing spatial impressions on the different

The Monument Path, which at this time ran through

levels of coal washing are taken up by the respective

parts of the facilities of Shaft XII and Shaft 1/2/8, was

CONVERSION

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View into the Coal Washing Plant’s bunker level before the conversion to the Ruhr Museum’s ­exhibition level (twelve-meter level)

First opened in 2010, the twelve-meter level of the Ruhr Museum presents the cultural memory of the region, which dates back far before the era of industrialization.

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CONVERSION

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The “Zollverein 2020!” plan provides an overview of the completed, current, and upcoming new construction and conversion projects.

ZOLLVEREIN COKING PLANT QUARTER RAG Montan Immobilien GmbH Coking Plant parking garage Administration headquarters of RAG-Stiftung and RAG Aktiengesellschaft Screening Plant Coke Oven Battery Distribution Station I Grand Hall Zollverein Fine Cleaning High-pressure Plant Salt Factory Salt Loading Area Comb Building Gas Flare Stack Fan Cooler Chimney Cooler Gasometer Humanitas Pflegedienste GmbH (Signal Box)

STRATEGIC GUIDELINES FOR QUARTER DEVELOPMENT

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Completed Construction and renovation projects since 2010 New buildings Planned Newly constructed buildings Market-ready Existing buildings Renovation and development of monuments

QUARTIER SCHACHT 1/2/8 Folkwang University of the Arts | Zollverein Campus | Design Department Creative industry Child and Family Support Center PLUS Hotel at Zollverein Wagon Circuit Winding Engine House

QUARTIER SCHACHT XII Hall 4 (Winding Engine House South) Hall 8 (High-pressure Compressor House) Ring Promenade

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The headquarters of RAG Montan Immobilien in the southwest of the Coking Plant

Back to the Roots

For the undeveloped areas of the 72,000-square-meter new building belt in the vicinity of the new com-

Commercial use in the southwest of the Coking Plant

pany headquarters, RAG Montan Immobilien initiated

was launched in the year of the European Capital of

a workshop procedure in 2012 during which different

Culture 2010. RAG Montan Immobilien was one of the

architecture firms developed designs for new office

first companies to settle in the Zollverein Coking Plant.

buildings.

On November 26, 2010, the foundation stone for the new corporate headquarters was laid on the undevel-

The Comb Building: Inspiring Location for Creative

oped, western edge of the site.

Companies

For the headquarters, the architects Bahl + Partner designed two buildings with a glazed crossbar. The mate-

The refurbishment and leasing of the Comb Building

riality and colorfulness of the clinker façade as well as

at the Coking Plant was also one of the symbolic key

the cubic form of the building refer to Zollverein’s archi-

projects that Stiftung Zollverein had defined in the real

tectural design language. The green building standard of

estate management guidelines.

the building—which was equipped with a green flat roof,

The former Comb Building offers around 1,900 square

among other things—is a contribution to the quarter’s

meters of area and a well-preserved, stock of historic

sustainable development, which is one of RAG Montan

machines. Like the teeth of a comb, the six cuboid build-

Immobilien’s main focuses. Symbolic power developed

ings and the two-story Electricity Distribution Station

from the first new building at the Zollverein Coking Plant:

are linked by a one-story connecting building about 200

as a subsidiary of the former Ruhrkohle AG, the former

meters long. The corridor consists of a steel framework

owner of the Zollverein Coal Mine and Coking Plant, RAG

structure, while the attached buildings were built in

Montan Immobilien returned to its roots—a change of

cement skeleton construction with solid exterior walls

mentality that the company intentionally acknowledges

of brickwork and an externally visible clinker shell.

and is also reflected in the new address: Im Welterbe 1–8

The architecture office planinghaus delivered the plans

(in the World Heritage Site 1–8).

for the roof renovation, specialist restorations, as well

THE COKING PLANT

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as the conversion. From 2011 to 2014, the building enve-

sche Höfe and Hamburg’s Speicherstadt—presents tra-

lope and the interior walls of the Comb Building were

ditionally made art nouveau and art deco wall and floor

first repaired in three construction stages. The con-

tiles. Next door, Sapor GmbH uses the generous space

version and expansion of the commercial space, with

to develop dry soap dispensers and environmentally

a ceiling height of eight meters, was carried out from

friendly soaps. In the in-house “Saponeria” visitors can

April 2015 to June 2016. The historic machines were

sniff and browse.

carefully cleaned and staged as eye-catching features in the loft-like rooms. In total, 570 square meters of office

Grand Hall Zollverein: Events in a New Dimension

space and up to 1,300 square meters of studio space with a unique flair were created.

After its decommissioning, the Zollverein Coking Plant

Already during the renovation phase, there was great

was considered by many to be the hidden jewel of the

demand from companies to set up offices, studios, or

World Heritage Site. Since 1993, many of the existing

workrooms in the architecturally exceptional property.

buildings had fallen into a veritable deep sleep, wait-

Companies from the design and creative sectors were

ing to be filled with new life like the Comb Building.

sought. In February 2016, the product development

It took time, financial resources, and courage. Claus

office MMID moved in as the first tenant. The com-

Dürscheidt, the operator of the Casino Zollverein

pany is dedicated to the development of viable and

restaurant at Shaft XII, once again became a pioneer-

successful products in which functionality and design

ing Zollverein designer. Together with Stiftung Zoll-

are integrally aligned. A showroom of the Essen design

verein, he developed the idea of converting the former

furniture manufacturer MÖBELLOFT moved in next

Extraction and Compressor Hall at the Coking Plant into

door. Atelier Frank Burkamp also found ideal condi-

an event location and concert hall. With the entrepre-

tions in the Comb Building and opened an art hall with

neur Tom Koperek and other collaborators, he founded

spacious, light-flooded studio and workshop spaces.

an investment community for this purpose in 2014, to

Also in the Comb Building, Golem—a tile manufacturer

which Stiftung Zollverein ceded the building in heredi-

already represented with branches in Berlin’s Hacke-

tary leasehold.

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THE COKING PLANT

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The dark tiles on the floor mark the location of the machines that were removed for the conversion.

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THE COKING PLANT

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The Zollverein Coking Plant’s facilities from the southwest. In the lower right of the photo the Comb Building, in the middle the former Salt Store with the extension for the Palace of Projects. To the left next to the Salt Store is the Salt Factory, which is being upgraded by 2020 to be used as the Ruhr Museum’s visible storage depot.

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The renovated administrative building is the headquarters for Stiftung Zollverein

Meeting room in the renovated administrative building

A LOCATION FOR EDUCATION AND BUSINESS

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“We deliberately decided against founding ‘Schacht One’ in a digital hotspot like Berlin, and decided on North Rhine-Westphalia and the Ruhr area— partly from an attachment to our home region, but not exclusively. The location advantages convinced us of the Zollverein World Heritage Site: the good infrastructure, the networking opportunities with other digital companies, and not least the inspiring atmosphere at the World Heritage Site.”1 Dirk Müller, Managing Director Schacht One GmbH

Stairwell in the renovated administrative building

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The stairwell foyer, which spans all stories, creates numerous spaces for encounters.

A LOCATION FOR EDUCATION AND BUSINESS

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“The new building of the Folkwang University of the Arts is characterized by the formal language of the Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site. The architects Schupp and Kremmer built a symbol of classic modernism here and set standards for outstanding design.

Similarly, in the new university, reduced vertical and horizontal design elements divide the staggered building structures, which is reminiscent of Zollverein’s history of shaft sites and their seams.”

Armin Günster, MGF Architekten

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AN OUTLOOK FOR THE FUTURE THAT HAS ALREADY BEGUN

AN OUTLOOK FOR THE FUTURE THAT HAS ALREADY BEGUN

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“Zollverein has become the center of the Ruhr area over the years. Zollverein is not Essen, not Duisburg, and not Dortmund. With the Zollverein World Heritage Site, the proclaimed Ruhr Metropolis has a common place for the region’s history and its new present.”1 Prof. Dr. Karl Ganser, Director of the IBA Emscher Park

The extraordinary dynamism that the structural devel-

During the election campaign in 1961, Willy Brandt

opment of the Zollverein World Heritage Site has expe-

(SPD)—who went on to become the Federal Chancel-

rienced since 2010 is reflected in the attractiveness of

lor—called for the sky over the Ruhr area to become

the location for visitors. Since the Capital of Culture

blue once more. Today, the air quality in the region is

RUHR.2010, around 1.5 million guests (2011–2017) have

significantly improved and Essen is one of the greenest

visited the decommissioned Zollverein Coal Mine and

cities in Germany, with a green and open space share

Coking Plant with its tourist attractions—including the

of 53 percent. Zollverein Park exemplifies this success-

Monument Path, the Ruhr Museum, the Red Dot Design

ful change. Where earlier waste rock was stored, people

Museum, PACT Zollverein—as well as its cultural

today spend their free time amidst greenery. Together

events. Thus, Zollverein is the most visited cultural des-

with Stiftung Zollverein, the minds behind Zollverein

tination of the Ruhr area, and in this regard is in second

Park have created a unique industrial landscape: on

place in the whole of North Rhine-Westphalia behind

the one hand, it pays tribute to the former production

the Cologne Cathedral.

axes; and on the other hand, a new park has emerged

As an important element of the World Heritage Site, Zoll-

between wilderness and garden art that offers space

verein Park became the focus of public interest in 2017.

for a special industrial nature. This is also part of the

After serving as a central venue of the Capital of Culture

successful and holistic transformation process at Zoll-

RUHR.2010, the Zollverein World Heritage Site became

verein, and this development of the site continues.

one of the three main venues of the “Green Capital of

In the coming years, the last components of the master

Europe – Essen 2017.” The title is awarded annually to

plan will be completed. In addition to the conversion

a European city that has demonstrably achieved high

of the Salt Factory into the Ruhr Museum’s visible stor-

environmental standards and is constantly working to

age depot, another important museum building block

further improve environmental protection and sustain-

is the refurbishment of the Coke Oven Battery, which is

able development. Essen is the first old industrial town

combined with the expansion of the “Black Side” of the

to win this title.

Coking Plant into the new Monument Path.

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APPENDIX

214

TIMELINE

1847

10.21.1986

1992

The entrepreneur and industrial ­pioneer Franz Haniel acquires the Zollverein mining claim and has the Shaft Zollverein 1 drilled. The Founding Shaft Site will later be supplemented with Shafts 2 and 8.

The City of Essen applies for ­acquisition of Shaft Site XII, with funds from the Grundstücksfond Ruhr (Ruhr Property Fund).

The Düsseldorf sculptor Ulrich ­Rückriem rents the renovated Hall 5 for five years as a studio. The same year, he declares Zollverein to be a branch of documenta IX.

1851

11.26.1986

The City of Essen places parts of Shaft XII under monument protection.

The first Zollverein coal is mined.

12.16.1986 1882

Commissioning of the Zollverein Shaft Site 3/7/10

By ministerial decree, Shaft XII is placed entirely under monument protection.

1890

12.23.1986

Zollverein mines more than one ­ illion tons of anthracite coal per m year, making it the anthracite coal mine with the highest production volume in Germany.

The Zollverein Coal Mine closes as the last of about 290 coal mines in Essen, which was once Europe’s largest mining town.

1987

1891–1897

The Shaft Sites 4/5/11 and 6/9 become operational.

Keramische Werkstatt Margaretenhöhe moves into Shaft 1/2/8 in the former construction warehouse.

1920

09.21.1989

Zollverein becomes a Phoenix AG Hüttenzeche (Phoenix AG Mine Smelting Works).

Founding of Bauhütte Zeche Zollverein Schacht XII GmbH

1926

Duration of the International Building Exhibition (IBA) Emscher Park

1992

Lord Norman Foster receives the commission for the conversion of the Boiler House into the Design Zentrum NRW / Red Dot Design Museum at Shaft XII. 1993

The Essen city council approves the “Development Concept Zollverein Coal Mine Shaft XII.” In the same year, the Zollverein Coking Plant is decommissioned.

1993

Other tenants move into renovated halls at Shaft XII. 1995

Establishment of Stiftung Industriedenkmalpflege und Geschichtskultur (The Foundation for the ­Preservation of Industrial Monuments and ­Historical Culture)

1989–1999

Phoenix AG merges into Vereinigte Stahlwerke AG (VESTAG, United Steelworks).

1932

The Central Shaft Site Zollverein XII, designed by Fritz Schupp (1896–1974) and Martin Kremmer (1894–1945), goes into operation as the largest and highest performance coal mine in the world; the output quadruples.

1961

The newly built Zollverein Coking Plant, based on plans by Fritz Schupp, goes into operation.

1990

Start of the renovation work at Shaft XII. The architects Heinrich Böll and Hans Krabel are commissioned with the renovation of Halls 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 21.

1990

Thomas Rother sets up Kunstschacht (Art Shaft) in the engine house at Shaft 1/2/8.

09.29.1990

Acquisition of the Zollverein Coal Mine and Coking Plant by the newly founded Ruhrkohle AG

The Bauhütte celebrates “Tag der offenen Tür” (Open House), which is at the same time the first Zechenfest (coal mine festival) at Zollverein. The site is officially open to visitors for the first time.

1983

08.16.1991

Against the background of the mine closures in the Ruhr area, Ruhrkohle AG decides to decommission Zollverein Shaft XII in December 1986.

Establishment of the Zollverein ­ roject Group, which works on a P development concept for Shaft XII.

1968

215

10.09.1996

Opening of Casino Zollverein, ­restaurant and event gastronomy, in the converted High Pressure ­Compressor House at Shaft XII 12.23.1996

Exactly ten years after the decommissioning of the Zollverein Coal Mine, Design Zentrum NRW receives the keys to the converted Boiler House.

1997

Start of the application process for the inclusion of Zollverein Coal Mine and Coking Plant in the UNESCO World Heritage Site List 1998

Founding of Stiftung Zollverein 1998

The “Black Side” of the Zollverein Coking Plant is transferred from Ruhrkohle AG to The Foundation for the Preservation of Industrial Monu­ments and Historical Culture; the “White Side” initially remains under mining law.

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