Here, lush green parks meet unique industrial culture and lovingly tended allotments meet impressive heap art. The name comes from the UNESCO world heritage site Zollverein, the only world heritage site in the Ruhr area.
The route takes you from the impressive 100-hectare colliery area through the north of Essen and past the Rhine-Herne Canal.
Nowhere else in the city can you discover the successful structural change of the once industrial region up close and, above all, so close to nature. The highlights, in the truest sense of the word, are the heaps that can be walked on. Let your gaze wander and see how nature has increasingly reclaimed the landscape in recent decades. If you lack time, desire or fitness - no problem: The ZollvereinSteig can be easily hiked in one or more stages. And for the refreshment break in between you don't need to pack your rucksack so full, there are numerous good restaurants and cafés along the way.
Sights on the climb
Zollverein colliery and coking plant, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Park, Stauder brewery, Carl colliery, Altenessen North Cemetery, Schurenbachhalde, Rhein-Herne Canal, Eickwinkel tailings dump, Zollverein tailings dump, Revierpark Nienhausen, Rotthauser Friedhof and Friedhof Am Hallo.