Henrichshütte

Henrichshütte, founded 150 years ago, embodies the beginning, heyday and fall of what one was heavy industry in the Ruhr area. Up to 10,000 people worked in the works’ various sheds, in coke, iron and steel production, in milling, forging and casting. Against huge resistance by an entire region, 1987 saw the closing-down of blast furnace 3, the oldest in the Ruhr. Today, the former works is one of a total of eight sites of the LWL-Industriemuseum. The 50,000 sq m museum site can be criss-crossed by adults and kiddies alike. They will encounter people reporting about their work in the works on photos, in films and interviews. An exhibition foundry, guided tours at night including a cultural programme, speeches and temporary exhibitions round off the huge range of events. Since 2004, the museum has had another attractive venue, the blower shed – formerly the works’ power house.
Henrichshütte has always been a mixed works. In the beginning, coal and ore mining were part of its operations, too. It continued iron ore and steel production, featured a coke oven plant and forgeries, mills and other processing plants. It was “all out of one hand” here at Henrichshütte.
Beginning in 1963, the first plants were closed down; the last blast furnace, as mentioned above, was shut down in 1987 against huge resistance among the population.
In 1988/1989, blast furnace II was dismantled by Chinese workers and re-erected in China to be re-commissioned there. The central area around blast furnace II, however, was not demolished and made part of the Westfälische Industriemuseum in 1989.
Blast furnace 3 is the largest exhibit of this in terms of industrial history so very important site. The blast furnace with its machine shed and hot blast stoves includes ore and coke bins and conveyor belts to supply it. Today, visitors can “go the way of all iron” and actually climb it.

Author: Route Industriekultur/Editorial baukunst-nrw
Last changed on 06.05.2024

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