Haus Ripshorst im Emscher Landschaftsparkt, © RVR Stefan Schejok Presse

Haus Rip­shorst in Ober­hausen

The wood­land garden leads “from the primev­al forest to the cul­tur­al forest”

Dis­cov­er the nature of the Ruhr Area! Leav­ing the his­tor­ic man­or house of Haus Rip­shorst you will enter the Em­scher Land­scape Park and tread the “From the primev­al forest to the cul­tur­al forest” path.

The historic Haus Ripshorst estate in Oberhausen was built at the beginning of the 14th century and was used as a knight’s manor for many years. Today, Haus Ripshorst is the only such manor remaining in Essen. Haus Ripshorst now serves as an information centre for places like the Emscher Landscape Park and is located directly within the northern Ruhr Area’s regional park.

The Ruhr Area in green: the Emscher Landscape Park

The Emscher Landscape Park unites 20 towns and 2 districts in the northern Ruhr Area spanning 450 km2 and has nearly 180 completed and 250 ongoing projects. The focus of the Emscher Landscape Park was initially the conversion of the Emscher system, which created a new green centre in the northern Ruhr Area. Pre-industrial landscapes and regional green corridors are just as much a part of the new Emscher Park landscape as the industrial and post-industrial ones. Parks and recreational facilities located in former industrial areas, heaps and landmarks are of course included in the landscapes of today’s Ruhr Area. Outstanding individual projects include Landscape Park Duisburg Nord, the Oberhausen Gasometer, the Hansa Coking Plant in Dortmund and the Schiffshebewerk Henrichenburg, a boat lift.

Anyone hoping to learn more about the Emscher Landscape Park has come to the right place in visiting Haus Ripshorst in Oberhausen. The information centre for visitors interested in information about the region between Duisburg and Hamm is located here. Interested visitors can get extensive maps and information and can rent bicycles (“Revier Räder”) from the Emscher Landscape Park. Visitors to Haus Ripshorst find themselves directly in part of the Emscher Landscape Park as soon as they step out of its doors. The area surrounding the building forms the 45-hectare residual agricultural area that was originally intended to serve as a staging area for the industrial expansion of the Oberhausen steel mills, and now serves as a park that plays a very specific role in the Emscher Landscape Park.

"From the primeval forest to the cultural forest” in the woodland garden

In the immediate vicinity of Neue Mitte, the new centre of Oberhausen, south of the Rhine-Herne Canal, a woodland garden designed by landscape architects Irene Lohaus and Martin Diekmann has been erected. It is intended to be anything but a landscaped park; instead it serves to preserve the character of the pre-industrial landscape. In doing so, arable land with barley, oats or rye has been transformed into a huge pasture, perfect for relaxing, for kids to play on, for leisurely strolls or for sport. A 60-metre wide and around two-kilometre long belt of woodland also runs gently alongside the urban ribbon of land down Ripshorster Straße and Sühlstraße. This stretch communicates the theme to visitors and gives them an opportunity to consider the trees, their shapes, colours and fruits, their origins and their relevance to humankind. Along the woodland garden’s main path, walkers can embark upon a botanical journey through the ages of the earth’s history along the theme of “From the primeval forest to the cultural forest”: from the prehistoric Tertiary period, to reforestation after the last ice age, to tree culture and cultivation by humans. Haus Ripshorst also offers regular tours and events on nature and environmental issues.

Things to do in and around Haus Ripshorst: Ripshorst Bridge and gourmet market

Haus Ripshorst with its shrub and tree garden is linked with the Emscherpark cycle path by an impressive bridge over the Rhine-Herne Canal. From here, cyclists and walkers can enjoy views over the woodland garden and canal landscape. Today the Ripshorstbrücke (Ripshorst Bridge) is a well-known landmark in the Emscher Landscape Park.

Since being named Ruhr Capital of Culture in 2010, Haus Ripshorst regularly holds the “Unter freiem Himmel” open-air adventure programme, generally from May to October. This programme boasts a colourful range of events at different locations around the Emscher Landscape Park. Since 2014, this has included the gourmet market at Haus Ripshorst, where visitors can shop and savour new tastes in a casual picnic atmosphere that entices with the best culinary delights the Ruhr metropolis has to offer.

www.emscherlandschaftspark.de

Opening hours:
Daily except Mondays
Tuesday - Friday: 10 am - 4 pm
Weekends: 10 am - 1 pm 1.30 pm - 4 pm

Date & further information:
- Various exploration adventures at Emscher Landscape Park as part of the “Unter freiem Himmel” open-air programme from May to October
- Gourmet market every autumn

 

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