The highlight of the sculpture forest is, in the truest sense of the word, the ascent to the 85-meter-high spiral mountain in the south, the so-called "stairway to heaven". Here, the concrete relics of a Dortmund mine rise into the sky in Aztec style. As part of the IBA Emscherpark, the Rheinelbe slag heap was developed as a local recreation area and is now one of the landmarks of the Ruhr area. It is also part of the Industrial Heritage Route and represents a table mountain with an additional raised, unplanted pointed cone.
gelsenkirchen.de/de/freizeit/ausfluege_und_sehenswuerdigkeiten/parks_und_halden/Skulpturenwald_Rheinelbe.aspx

Translated by

•

JakobusPilger

February 27, 2025

Running

Given the number of steps that have to be climbed here, I am immediately reminded of the – admittedly somewhat absurd-sounding – poem “Antigonish” by Hughes MEARNS (1875 to 1965). If you want to keep the meter, the translation of the first verse is:
“Yesterday on the stairs
I saw a man who wasn’t there.
He wasn’t there today either.
I wish, I wish he would go away.”

Translated by

•

Routes here

Best routes to Himmelstreppe and View Over the Ruhr Area

4.5

(8)

147

runners

1. Fitness Parkour – Rheinelbe Forest Station loop from Ückendorf

12.0km

01:15

60m

Moderate run. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

Navigate

Send to Phone

Save

Moderate

4.8

(6)

150

runners

2. Rheinelbe Sculpture Forest – Rheinelbe Forest Station loop from Essen-Kray Nord

12.5km

01:18

90m

Moderate run. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

Navigate

Send to Phone

Save

Moderate

5.0

(2)

115

runners

3. Erzbahn Bridge – Graf Bismarck Harbour Bridge loop from Herne-Wanne-Eickel Hbf

33.3km

03:30

110m

Hard run. Very good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

Navigate

Send to Phone

Save

Hard

Details

Informations

Elevation 50 m

Weather

Wednesday 4 March

19°C

6°C

0 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 12.0 km/h

Most visited during

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

See routes here

Take Me There

Location: Ruhr Region, Münster District, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Other Popular Places to Check Out

Himmelstreppe on Halde Rheinelbe

Bismarck Tower Essen on Mechtenberg

Kray-Wanner Bahntrasse

Mechtenbergbrücke

Mining Monuments on the Halde in the Ruhr Region

Mechtenberg Monument

Zeche Holland Shaft I/II

Halde Rheinelbe

Memorials to the Closure of Rheinelbe Colliery

Bahntrassenradweg im Ruhrgebiet

Erzbahntrasse

Wissenschaftspark Gelsenkirchen

Himmelstreppe and View Over the Ruhr Area

1. Fitness Parkour – Rheinelbe Forest Station loop from Ückendorf

2. Rheinelbe Sculpture Forest – Rheinelbe Forest Station loop from Essen-Kray Nord

3. Erzbahn Bridge – Graf Bismarck Harbour Bridge loop from Herne-Wanne-Eickel Hbf

Other Popular Places to Check Out

Sign up or log in to keep exploring this route

We value your privacy ⛰️

We value your privacy ⛰️