The picture on the front cover, title and the first paragraph clearly define what this book is about: the history of the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen.
The Zollverein colliery and coking plant in Essen is a unique architectural monument and a testimony to mining history in the 19th and 20th century. At the same time it is now a new venue for art, culture, design, education, research and tourism. The Zollverein mining complex (comprising shaft site 12, shaft site 1/2/8 and the coking plant) was inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2001. Is is one of three industrial World Heritage sites in Germany and one of only 41 technical and industrial history World Heritage sites throughout the world.
This article is not about the Zollverein World Heritage Site. It is about a book with this title which gives a tour through the history of this historical industrial site which is part of the regional Route of Industrial Heritage (Route der Industriekultur) and the European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH). The special thing about this book is, that it is bilingual. On the left of each page you’ll find German language and the other half shows the English translation. Maybe it is a gift for people who are learning German?
I cannot recommend this book for people who just look for a short summary about what Zollverein actually is. It shows the history of coal mining, especially of coal mining in Ruhr and at Zollverein with its connected coking plant. It doesn’t deal with the industrial heritage of Ruhr in general but it focusses one of its most important relicts. I recommend this book if you want to compare living in Ruhr yesterday and nowadays.
The development of Zollverein since the pit was closed down in 1986 and the coking plant in 1993 is a prime example of the structural transformation of the Ruhrgebiet. Just as the pit and coking plant reflect the development phases of the golden age of industrialisation, the transforamation of the industrial complex to a venue of arts, culture, the creative economy and research is a model for the radical economic and commercial upturn in the region.
The book is published by Klartext Verlag, Essen for the price of € 17.90.
Welterbe Zollverein World Heritage Site, published by the Zollverein Foundation in cooperation with the Foundation for the Preservation of Industrial Monuments and Historical Culture, bilingual: German & English language, Klartext Verlag. Essen 2008, ISBN 978-3-89861-8441
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