Route of Industrial Culture
The Route of Industrial Culture is a 400 km long car route along the industrial cultural highlights of the Ruhr area. The central visitor center is the Zollverein World Heritage Site in Essen. With its “Portal of Industrial Culture” it offers extensive information possibilities. The route connects important witnesses of the industrial history of the region at Escher and Lippe – former industrial plants, och furnaces, pithead towers, panoramas and settlements. Many of these places can now be “experienced” as museums, restaurants or event locations and are an absolute must when visiting the Ruhr metropolis! Coal and steel, coke and gas – the Ruhr area was shaped by its industry and still is today. Drinking hall cult, soccer love and beer culture have their roots in that very time. Even today, you can see the Ruhr area from a winding tower at many locations, marvel at formerly used machines and immerse yourself in the life of that time in numerous exhibitions. In the German Mining Museum in Bochum, you can even go on a simulated trip down a mine shaft or take a look behind the scenes on a backstage tour in the Duisburg North Landscape Park.
If you prefer a more active approach, you can of course also explore the Route of Industrial Culture by bike: An approximately 700 km long path network connects all places on the route with the bicycle for cyclists (mostly off the road).
The 56 main attractions include
26 anchor points, including several museums of technical and social history, such as the Duisburg Landscape Park, the Oberhausen Gasometer, Villa Hügel in Essen, the Unesco World Heritage Zollverein Mine and the Bochum Railway Museum
17 vantage points with panoramic views of the industrial landscape, often located on slagheaps or other elevated points such as Tiger & Turtle in Duisburg, Halde Haniel or the Tetraeder in Bottrop
13 important workers’ housing estates such as the beautiful Margarethenhöhe in Essen The 150-year-old industrial past of the Ruhr region is nowhere else as vivid and literally “tangible” as on the Route of Industrial Culture!
Villa Hügel is one of the highlights of this route and is only about 10 minutes away from the Hotel an der Gruga. This would be the perfect start for you.
