What is the Industrial Heritage Trail?

Even today blastfurnaces, gasometers and pithead towers continue to give the Ruhrgebiet its own unique features. They are important witnesses to 750 years of industrial history in the region, and also to the process of structural transformation which has been taking place here for several decades. The disused factory sites - many of which are under a preservation order- are not sites of nostalgia and regret. They have long been transformed into lively industrial venues and attractive centres for cultural and tourist events.

The regional tourist project entitled "The Industrial Heritage Trail", a ca. 400 km circular route around the Ruhrgebiet, opens up the region's industrial heritage to visitors. 25 so-called anchor points make up the core network of the Trail, including six important museums of technical and social history, many panorama points and a series of significant workers'settlements. Outside all the anchor points there are large conical yellow identification posts. Around 1,500 signs on motorways and local roads point the way to these industrial and cultural highlights. The "Discovery Pass"introduces all the attractions in words and pictures.

This project is the responsibility of the Regional Association of the Ruhr (RVR). The "Ruhr visitor centre" is the main visitor centre for the Trail and can be found at the Zollverein World Heritage Site in Essen.