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The Großes Holz mining tip

Until the start of the 1970s the Ruhrgebiet was principally dotted with grey and mountainous mining tips from the local coal mines, very few of which had been redesigned and greened over. But as people’s attitudes began to change they realised that the tips offered new opportunities for redevelopment as recreational areas and new habitats for animals, flora and fauna. At the same time they could be used for large-scale artistic installations. Today many of the mining tips in the Ruhrgebiet are now attractive landmarks. The Ruhrkohle AG has introduced a policy of taking account of environmental needs and landscape planning when it is piling up mining tips. The "Großes Holz"(lit: Big Wood) mining tip is a good example.

From 1962 onwards the tip was used to take waste mining materials from the "Monopol" and "Haus Aden" collieries. It got its name from a wood of beech trees which existed here until the mid-1970s – the "big wood". At first only the southern section of the tip, the "Aden Heights" was re-cultivated for recreational purposes. It is 90 metres above the surrounding countryside and 150 metres above sea level, and therefore offers an ideal point from which to view the eastern part of the Ruhrgebiet, including Dortmund, the low-lying areas of ground around the River Lippe and the Sauerland region. The "Big Wood" mining tip has an area of 140 hectares, which makes it one of the largest tips in the Ruhrgebiet.

Because both the collieries were closed down earlier than originally planned, they were never piled up to their predicted height. As a result the Drecker planning office was commissioned by the Ruhr Regional Association to draw up new plans to redesign the central and northern sections. The first phase of redevelopment, the so-called "corridor park" was completed in 2008, providing an east-west axis through the central area of the mining tip. Nine steel towers topped with blue glass make an impressive design element. At night they are illuminated in such a way as to give them the outlines of the neighbouring pithead tower at the Monopol colliery. Other features include blue shrubs and lines of trees and bushes, as well as a viewing point. The many trees and grass plateaus on the newly designed mining tip give visitors the impression of being on a steppe landscape. It will soon be possible to view an excerpt of the park via a webcam on the Internet.

The next phase of redevelopment – till 2012 – is to redesign the large mining tip area along the canal, the so-called "canal strip". It will link the area in a landscaped manner and also offer sporting facilities.