Once vilified for pollution and noise, the mines and factories of the Ruhr district (Ruhrgebiet), Germany’s former coal and steel belt, have become proud symbols of the region’s industrial past. One inactive coal mine, the Zeche Zollverein in Essen, is now a UNESCO World Heritage site and houses a cultural center, following a master plan by Rem Koolhaas and his firm, OMA. With architects Heinrich Böll and Hans Krabel, Koolhaas also repurposed the coal mine’s Kohlenwäsche (coal-washing plant), transforming it into the Stiftung Ruhr Museum in 2006. Leaving the plant’s machinery intact, the architects’ bold interventions—including an escalator that transports visitors to the entrance, 80 feet above ground, where they then move downward through the plant, following the path coal once traveled—marked a new chapter in the building’s history.
You have 0 complimentary articles remaining.
Unlimited access + premium benefits for as low as $1.99/month.