Zollverein Coking Plant

As almost everywhere in the area, you will find old colliery and factory premises that are now open to the general public. Zollverein is particularly interesting as it is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The extensive grounds invite you to extensive tours by bike or on foot.

The gigantic plant was built between 1957 and 1961 in connection with the Zollverein XII mine and was the most modern coking plant in Europe. The Ruhrpott industrial architect Fritz Schupp took on the design.
In 1973 the number of furnaces was increased and the capacity increased to 8000 tons of coke per day. Up to 1100 people were employed here. The main product, coke, was used for smelting in iron and steel production. Tar, ammonia, hydrogen sulphide and crude benzene were removed from up to 4 million cubic meters of coke oven gas every day.
With the steel crisis in the 1990s, the coking plant was shut down in 1993, in 1999 it was listed as a historical monument and since 2002 it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Interesting and beautiful facility.
Well preserved and easy to explore.
More information: de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokerei_Zollverein