The Hansa coking plant in Dortmund is a large walk-in sculpture that offers fascinating insights into the history of heavy industry in the past century.
Dortmund-Huckarde is home to a relic from the past that offers fascinating insights into the history of heavy industry in the last century: The Hansa coking plant is one of the anchor points of the Route of Industrial Heritage, which connects the most important industrial monuments in the Ruhr region. The coking plant is now a listed building and invites visitors on an exciting excursion into the history of that time.
The Hansa coking plant was put into operation in 1928 as a large coking plant in the Dortmund area. Until 1992, coke and coke oven gas were produced here from the hard coal of neighboring mines and important raw materials for the chemical industry were extracted.
Insights into the past
Today, the old industrial plant can be visited on a walk along the "Nature and Technology Adventure Trail": The trail first leads up to the coal tower with the best view of the surrounding area, then back down to the oven batteries, where hard coal was once "baked" into coke at over 1000 degrees Celsius.
Finally, visitors enter the machine hall, which, with its unique ensemble of five gas compressors, is considered the jewel of the plant.
Wild nature and climbing hall
Nature has reclaimed its place on the outside grounds of the Hansa coking plant in the years since it was shut down: wild plants and vegetation, including exotic flora and fauna, have settled here. Visitors can not only admire the special architecture of the coking plant and enjoy an educational museum visit, but also relax in nature afterwards. The coking plant site is also ideal for sporting activities: The coking plant's old turbo-compressor building has been converted into a large climbing hall.
The Monument Preservation Foundation regularly offers open guided tours at weekends and on public holidays. There is also an extra voyage of discovery for children: Karlchen the coke crumb takes young visitors on a child-friendly tour of the coking plant.
