World Cultural Heritage Site at the Völkingen Ironworks

World Cultural Heritage Site at the Völkingen Ironworks European Centre for Art and Industry Culture

General director Prof. Dr. Meinrad Maria Grewenig

The Völklinger Hütte World Cultural Heritage Site – one of the most exciting places in the world

The Völklinger Hütte World Cultural Heritage Site is the only fully preserved ironworks of industrial culture. After the closure of the pig iron production in 1986, the Völklinger Hütte was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1994. The beginnings of the Völklinger Hütte date back to 1873. In 1883 the first blast furnace goes into operation. The industrial monument is constantly under restauration and will be preserved for future generations. The World Cultural Heritage Site shows outstanding exhibitions on an international level.

The sloping elevator for ore and the sintering plant are counting as pioneering achievements of the Völklinger Hütte. The raw materials were transported in a suspension track wagon by the elevator to the charging platform at 32 meters. The charging platform links the six blast furnaces of the Völklinger Hütte. This transport system is one of the characteristics of the ironworks in Völklingen. Sintering technology offers the opportunity to recycle waste products from the smelting processes – i.e. ore dust and blast furnace flue dust. One of the most modern sintering plants in Europe is built in Völklingen – and one of the biggest at the time.

A visit at the Völklinger Hütte World Cultural Heritage Site begins with a multi-media introduction that shows the former day-to-day work. The greatest adventure is to go up to the viewing-platform at the blast furnace in 45 meters. From here you have a fascinating view out over the industrial landscape of the World Cultural Heritage Site.

Where once there were chimneys smoking and a deafening noise was part of everyday work, is now a place of concerts and large-scale exhibitions. Industry and culture are combining on an area of more than 600.000 m2 to a must-see attraction for anyone seeking the exceptional.

Apart from the changing exhibitions, the ScienceCenter Ferrodrom® and the Paradise can also be visited. The ScienceCenter Ferrodrom® is a world of experiences on the issue of iron and steel that links in a spectacular way the history of iron with the history of the Völklinger Hütte. The process of extracting the iron can be simply understood by kids and adults at over 100 experimental and experience stations.

World Cultural Heritage Site at the Völklingen Ironworks European Centre for Art and Industry Culture 66302 Völklingen / Saarbrücken Contact person : Karl-Heinrich Veith M.A., Jocelyne Pallu, Dr. Armin Leidinger Tel. 06898/9100-100, Fax 06898/9100-111 [email protected] World Cultural Heritage Site at the Völkingen Ironworks European Centre for Art and Industry Culture

General director Prof. Dr. Meinrad Maria Grewenig

“The Paradise” is the ,wild' landscape garden in the Völklinger Hütte World Cultural Heritage Site. The area between the coking plant and the Saar has remained untrod behind an impregnable wall for almost 25 years. Just as in paradise, animals and plants could thrive undisturbed in the shadow of the blast furnace group. With the help of landscape architect Catherine Gräfin von Bernadotte a landscape garden of 33.000 m2 has been created which stages the dialogue between industrial culture and nature in twelve garden areas.

At one time, vast quantities of ore were stored in the ore shed. Nowadays the ore shed offers a place for exhibitions and cultural events. The Völklinger Hütte World Cultural Heritage Site is applying a special emphasis at pop culture and Pop Art. They brought the value of everyday culture to the attention of the general public. The Völklinger Hütte wouldn`t have been perceived as a World Cultural Heritage Site from UNESCO without the basic change of our culture through Pop Art. Because of that the Völklinger Hütte World Cultural Heritage Site shows important positions of Pop Art in major exhibitions of artists like Duane Hanson, Mel Ramos or Allen Jones. Place of the Pop Art exhibitions is the ore shed.

The rusty brown walls full of dust and the passable Silotaschen give the burden shed a rough charm. This makes it a place for extraordinary exhibitions that consciously use industrial culture for its presentation.

The blower hall is the place for the largest exhibitions in the Völklinger Hütte World Cultural Heritage Site. These exhibitions often become a strong public attraction. The blower hall presents in a spectacular way the culture of the Incas, the French cult comic “Asterix” or “Generation Pop! … hear me, feel me, love me!”. With its exhibition area of more than 6.000 m2, the blower hall was also the place for the most successful exhibition in the history of Saarland: “The Celts – Druids. Princes. Warriors.” with almost 200.000 visitors.