This article first appeared on My Travelogue by Bhushavali
WHAT TO DO IN ESSEN, GERMANY IN 24 HOURS?
FREE THINGS TO DO IN ESSEN ON A BUDGET TRIP TO GERMANY
ZOLLEVEREIN COAL MINE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
The main reason I went to Essen was to visit the Zolleverein Coal Mine
Industrial Complex, one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Germany. After
visiting the Major Mining Sites of Wallonia (Bois du Luc, Bois du Cazier,
Grand Hornu, and Blegny Mine) in Belgium, and Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin
in France, it was time for me to visit Germany to visit Zollerverein Coal
Mine Industrial Complex.
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Largest piece of Coal excavated at Zollverein
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How to head to Zolleverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex from Essen city
center?
It is super easy to go from Essen HBF or Essen city center to Zolleverein
Coal Mine Industrial Complex by the Kulturlinie 107. As I was almost
reaching the Zolleverein tram stop, the signs on the road (painted on the
floor) were of the headframe of the coal mine! As soon as I got off the
tram, I could see the majestic headframe (Shaft XII) of the coal mine in
front of my eyes!
Walking in, I joined the guided tour I was in for. There are special guided
tours meant for kids too! The first thing that you will spot as soon as you
enter is the monumental orange elevator and once you're in, the monumental
piece of coal, the largest mined from this mine.
History: Zolleverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex was in use from
1851 to 1986. The complex was owned by Franz Haniel who needed coal for
his steel factory. Miners all over Europe immigrated here to work in
this mine including Italy, Turkey, Prussia, Russia, Austria, Greece, and the
UK (after Margaret Thatcher's move to close the mines in the UK)!
Mining Hats & their colors: We began the tour quite amusingly at
the restaurant attached to the museum. The wall of the restaurant showcases
a variety of things associated with the coal mine and the first thing that
attracted me was the colors of the hard hats. There were several colors and
I asked if that signified something and yes indeed, it did - green for
apprentices, red for security workers, blue for mechanics, white for master
workers, stripes belonging to the other companies that were doing other
works in the coal mine!
Kids Tour at Zollerverein Coal Mine: Our first stop at the beginning
of the Circular/Monument Walk of Zolleverein Coal Mine was inside one of the
buildings and this spot was special because it had an activity for the kids
as soon as we entered. Kids could make their own miners' number badge, by
hammering their favorite number onto a steel plate! The next spot was for
the kids to touch & feel a miner's belongings incl. a shovel, hard hat,
and pant protector. The pant protector was an amusing thing - it was a piece
of leather that would go on the b#tt and has straps to tie around the hip
& things; this would protect the pants from being torn when a miner
slides up or down in the galleries!
The route goes underground....... or does it? Then the route passes through
the changing room of the miners and some tracks where coal-loaded wagons
once ran. In this space, at the end of the room is a Chain reaction
contraption display which would give kids a very clear idea of the
step-by-step process of what happens in a coal mine from mining to lifting
the coal up to the various belts & gears it passes through for cleaning
& sorting. Last but not least, there is a cute little miniature display
of underground coal galleries, that could get lit up by kids! At the end of
this underground (?) tunnel you get out and that is when we realize, the
whole thing has been above ground but was an underground simulated
environment. This spot has a group activity where (older) kids & adults
could use wood to create a passage tunnel as it is underground. This spot is
under the other Head Frame of the tunnel (Shaft 1/2/8).
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Circular Walk or Monument Walk of Zolleverein Coal Mine: After this
point, the route continues at a higher ground, where you're literally
walking on a passage above ground where you go back to the main building or
on the ground where you go across the road to the Coking plant. I took the
1st route and walked over the passage with fantastic views of the whole Coal
Mine Industrial Complex from above.
Again, back inside the plant, the route went through even more tracks of the
wagons leading to the Coal Washery. Then there was the coal segregated by
size in display, mostly women worked in this area to segregate coal &
the powdery coal was given to these women as a part of their wages, so they
could use it at home for cooking & heating purposes. There were also the
Mining tools especially the heavy drilling tools in display which you could
try lifting! The last spot here is the viewpoint from where you could see
the top of the first Head Frame.
Getting married in Zollerverein Mine Industrial Complex: Here's where
things get a little weird. Here, in this area, surrounded by the coal mines,
wagons, and tracks, it is possible to get married here on the first Friday
of every month! Guess which is one of the most favored spots to get married?
At the Coal Washery, in front of the largest coal-waste bin with huge chains
around them!
Ruhr Museum: Apart from the Heritage Coal Mining part of it, this
premises is also the home of Ruhr Museum and Red Dot Design Museum. I
visited the Ruhr Museum. This is like an exhibition area that talks both
about the region as a coal mining area and also as it is from its
prehistoric era to its botanical and zoological aspects of the region etc.
The museum also has a 360° movie display! One of the displays here is of a
preserved lung of a coal mine worker. There's another fun play area for
kids, with sensors and sounds - as you move, you create natural music! A
part of the museum also serves as a natural history museum.
P.S: I'm still confused about how UNESCO combines certain
sites and keeps certain sites separate. I mean, the Great Spa Towns of
Europe including Bath in the UK, Spa in Belgium, and Karlovy Vary have been listed
together while the Major Mining Sites of Wallonia in Belgium, Nord-Pas de
Calais Mining Basin in France, Zollerverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in
Germany are all in the same geographical region (south Belgium, west Germany, and north France area) and these sites all have been listed separately under
UNESCO. So, I'm confused and I haven't had an answer on why is it so,
yet!
Where is the Essen Zollverein Coal Mine Complex (on Google Maps)? UNESCO-Welterbe Zollverein
How to reach Essen Alte Synagogue (Old Synagogue)? 20 minutes on the Kulturlinie 107 tram from Essen HBF
Essen Zollverein Coal Mine Complex Entry Tickets: Free! (the actual mining site, everything explained above, except the
Ruhr Museum is free to visit)!
Essen Zollverein Coal Mine Complex Guided Tour Tickets: €11
Essen Ruhr Museum Tickets: €15
Essen Zollverein Coal Mine Complex timings: Tue-Sun 10:00AM to 06:00PM
Essen Zollverein Coal Mine Complex English Guided Tour timings: Weekends & holidays only at 12:30PM
Essen Zollverein Coal Mine Complex walking map: Zolleverein UNESCO World Heritage Site map
(opens/downloads as PDF)
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Essen Alte Synagogue and Old Catholic Church
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Jewish Gregorian Calendar in Essen Alte Synagogue
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Museum of the "Sources of Jewish Tradition" inside the Essen Alte
Synagogue
ESSEN OLD SYNAGOGUE (ALTE SYNAGOGE)
One of the stunning landmarks of Essen is its Old Synagogue. Hardly a short
walk from the railway station you land at this majestic-looking building,
which is, one of the monuments that stands still as an example of the
pre-war Jewish heritage of Germany!
First, why is it called the Old Synagogue and where is the New Synagogue?
Well, in 1913, when this Synagogue was built, it was called the New
Synagogue, because the original 'Old Synagogue' existed in Gerswidastraße
then. I walked up and down Gerswidastraße today however I couldn't find
any traces of its existence except the historic-looking building
of Kinder- und Familienzentrum Blauer Elefant Stadtmitte. It might be
it, but I don't know.
Anyways, this Synagogue at Gerswidastraße became too small for the growing
Jewish population of Essen, so the New Synagogue was built here in the heart
of the city. Over time, in 1959, an even newer synagogue was built in Essen
which is now being called the New Synagogue. Now, the older New Synagogue
became 'Old Synagogue' or as it is called in German, 'Alte Synagoge'.
The architect of this building was Edmund Körner. He designed a large
Byzantine-style stone building topped by a copper dome. Influenced by
Jugendstil (an art movement of the times in Germany), the synagogue's
interior was tiled deep blue with gold highlights, along with mosaic and
stained glass. It is 230ft long, 98ft wide and 112ft tall making it one of
the largest surviving Synagogue since pre-WWII.
Alte Synagoge (Old Synagogue)'s interiors were severely damaged before WWII
in 1938 in an arson. However, the building itself was not too damaged, but
it was in disuse and almost fell into ruins. Much later in 1960-61, it was
renovated and today it has a section that serves as a Centre for Jewish
Culture.
Where is Essen Alte Synagogue (Old Synagogue) (on Google Maps)? Alte Synagogue
How to reach Essen Alte Synagogue (Old Synagogue)? 200m (3 mins walk) from Rathaus Essen tram stop.
Essen Alte Synagogue (Old Synagogue) tickets: Free
Essen Alte Synagogue (Old Synagogue) timings: Tue-Sun 10:00AM to 06:00PM
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ESSEN CATHEDRAL / ESSENER DOM / ESSEN MUNSTER
Apart from the Essen Synagogue, the other most important religious monument
of Essen is the Essen Cathedral. I visited Essen on a weekend and after
visiting Zolleverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex on Saturday, it was
perfect for me to visit Essen Cathedral on Sunday morning, right on time to
attend the Sunday mass. Going there, early in the morning on Sunday meant,
walking around the city when it's just waking up when there are no tourists
in the most touristy places! It was there even before the mass and I got to
listen to the choir doing its practice!
Essen Abbey was first built in the 9th C CE, but that succumbed to fire a few times before 1275 CE. The current structure primarily belongs to the Gothic period (1400s) with some parts of the earlier Ottonian (11th C CE) structures that survived. Some frescoes from the 11th C CE still survive, in the upper levels. These cannot be seen up close and their visibility from the ground wasn't great. The octagonal plan of belfry is a typical Ottonian style too.
Essen Abbey was built as a home for the secular canonesses (not nuns, but noble women who chose a monastic way of life) who chose to be independent from the Archbishops of Cologne & Trier and their orders. There are the cloisters and a garden inside where they lived and these can be accessed today to walk around. Much later, in the 20th C, it was, ofcourse, damaged severely in WWII and was rebuilt.
GOLDEN MADONNA - ESSEN CATHEDRAL TREASURY
The most important feature of the Essen Cathedral is the shrine and
sculpture of the Golden Madonna. It's a sculpture of the Virgin Mary holding
infant Jesus. It is considered to be the oldest free-standing sculpture of
Madonna in the north of the Alps. It is made of wood and is covered with
golden leaves. It is suspected to be of 10th C CE. It is a 74cm tall
sculpture. The eyes are made of enamel-painted metal craft.
By early 20th C CE, this was almost destroyed by wood-worms. Then, it
suffered further when it was transported hastily for safekeeping during the
World Wars. Later on, it was restored by gassing the wood worms out, filling
the spaces with a type of plastic material, and re-pasting the gold leaves.
Today it looks beautiful and is housed in a shrine with beautiful blue tile
work all around since it was restored in 2008.
There is also a dedicated treasury located in beside the Cathedral but unfortunately, I had no time to visit here!
Where is Essen Cathedral (on Google Maps)? Essen Cathedral
How to reach Essen Cathedral? 900m (12 mins walk) from Essen
HBF; 350m (5 mins walk) from Rathaus Essen tram stop
Essen Cathedral Tickets: Free
Essen Cathedral timings: Mon-Fri 06:30 AM to 06:30 PM; Sat-Sun 09:00 AM to 07:30 PM
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OLD CATHOLIC CHURCH / PEACE CHURCH (DIE FRIEDENSKIRCHE)
Just beside the Old Synagogue is the Old Catholic Church in Essen called the
Peace Church (Die Friedenkirche). This church was built in 1914-16. It is
one of the finest examples of Art Nouveau in Germany.
Here's the unusual thing about the Peace Church. It was built during WWI,
which is why the name. Quite interestingly, it was spared during WWI.
However, it was damaged severely during WWII after which it was
renovated.
The original building was decorated by the Dutch artist Jan Thorn Prikker
who painted the walls & ceiling with very colorful, art nouveau patterns
as well as the golden mosaic in the chancel. After being damaged in WWII,
the church was reconstructed in 2003-06 including painting the frescoes with
the guidance of old photos and remnants of the plasters.
The church is on the 1st floor of the building (which is now being called
the 'Upper Church') and the crypt is technically on the ground floor (and is
being called the 'Lower Church'). Since there is no heating or PMR access to
the upper floor, the religious mass happens on the ground floor. The upper
floor is open only on the days when the mass happens (and on Open Church
days). I was lucky I visited on a Sunday when the mass was about to begin
and they graciously offered to open the upper floor for me to visit.
Otherwise, normally, it is locked.
Where is Die Friedenkirche (Peace Church) in Essen (on Google Maps)? Altkatholische Friedenskirche
How to reach Die Friedenkirche (Peace Church) in Essen? 200m (3 mins walk) from Rathaus Essen tram stop. Just beside Essen
Synagogue.
Die Friedenkirche (Peace Church) in Essen tickets: Free
Die Friedenkirche (Peace Church) in Essen timings: Sunday mornings, Religious days and Open Church days (can be found on
their
monthly newsletter)
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FOLKWANG MUSEUM
Folkwang Museum is the biggest, most important museum in Essen. As soon as
you entered, there was this fantastic, huge screen with a camera atop it.
So, your live video gets telecasted on the big screen, but that's not all,
it is in incredibly slow motion, so you move slowly and in parts! It was
cool, even more, when you're with kids.
Folkwang Museum is in 2 sections - a permanent collection and temporary
exhibitions. The permanent collection is free to visit and the temporary
exhibitions have a ticket. I chose to visit only the permanent collection.
There are 2 large rooms for permanent collection and 2 for temporary
exhibitions.
The permanent collection has sculptures, paintings, photographs, and
archaeological things on display. Some of the prized possessions here are,
of course, the works of Pablo Picasso - 'The Woman in Blue Blouse' and
'Bottle, Guitar, and Pipe'. Visiting from Belgium, I was happy to see the
work of Rene Magritte, 'The Night Owl'. There are some artworks of Vincent
van Gogh here as well including 'The Wheatfield behind Saint Paul's Hospital
with a Reaper'.
One of the impressive things about Folkwang Museums is realizing the
colonial past of Germany, like the Africa Museum in Brussels. Here too there
is a piece that was 'looted' from Africa and there's a special note on this
display mentioning the gory history of
Digital Benin. The piece of artifact in this museum is called Uhumnw-elao, which is a
ceremonial sculpture depicting the face of the leader of the Edo
faith.
During Colonization, in 1897, British troops attacked Benin. Several people
were killed (called the 'Benin Massacre') and several objects were looted.
These looted things were sent to London where they were auctioned which were
purchased by many people/museums around Europe including Germany. Many of
these looted things hold a sacred/ceremonial value. Some of these are here
in Falkwang Museum (some of these are in the Musical Instruments Museum and
Africa Museum in Brussels as well as MAS in Antwerp and, of course, in the
British Museum of London).
Some of the stunning modern art in the museum is of Josef Albers with solid
blocks of shapes with solid bright colors. In contemporary words, I'd say
the artworks of Josef Albers in the Folkwong Museum are some of the most
Instagrammable places in Essen.
The way the smaller objects have been arranged in this museum is fascinating
with a honeycomb structure display installation.
Where is Folkwang Museum (on Google Maps)? Museum Folkwang
How to reach Folkwang Museum? 600m (9
mins walk) from Essen Philharmonie U-Bahn station
Folkwang Museum tickets: Free to visit
the Permanent Collection; €8 for Temporary Exhibitions
Folkwang Museum timings: Tue-Sun 10:00AM
to 6:00PM
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ESSEN 24 HOURS ITINERARY
Day 1 afternoon: Visit Zolleverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex
Day 2 morning: Visit Essen Cathedral, Essen Synagogue and Folkwang Museum
ESSEN PUBLIC TRANSPORT & CULTURE LINE 107 (KULTURLINIE 107)
Reaching Essen is super easy thanks to trains. Essen can also be reached by
Flixbus. The Essen Flixbus stop is located just in front of the Essen HBF
Railway Station. Essen is well connected by its public transport system,
esp. trams.
Tramline 107 is a line dedicated to the places to visit in Essen and is
called the Culture Line (Kulturlinie 107). Technically there are 57 cultural
sites that can be accessed by this tram line. All the sites I visited in
this trip, all the ones mentioned above, are walkable from various stops of
this tram line. It is a regular tram line meaning, a regular public
transport ticket is enough to ride this!
I wonder what's the highest record of marriage they conducted in that first Friday! Things like this is interested me when visiting a local or specialty museum like Zollverein Coal Mine Museum. I also like the special room for children where they can learn about coal mine and help them understand how hard was life for a lot of people.
ReplyDeleteThe Zolleverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex looks like an interesting spot to visit in Essen. The variety in the UNESCO sites is quite fascinating. A guided tour is always a great way to learn so much. How fun that they have guided tours designed just for kids! And I love that the hands on activity started with them creating their own badges. But I am not sure I would consider getting married at this site! Great that you planned enough time to see some other sights when you were in Essen. Looks like it was a full day!
ReplyDeleteDear Bushavali, you had a great trip to Essen and saw a lot. As for the UNESCO sites, I think it depends on the application context. Sometimes countries collaborate on similar sites in the hope of increasing the chances for a successful nomination. The UNESCO committee does not determine which sites are grouped together.
ReplyDeleteZolleverein Coal Mine looks like a great place to visit. I can imagine that it can be a bit boring for children, so good for them for creating an interactive visit where children can get their hands on tools, to understand more about mining and the activities that used to take place here. How odd that some people come here to get married. I wonder what the fascination is with getting married in such a place, surrounded by industrial equipment and chains.
ReplyDeleteI found the coal mine to be a very educative experience. The idea of a marriage there was unique though. I liked the Old Synagogue too. The history of the Golden Madonna, puping out wood worms, and renewing it to the current status, sounds interesting. It's quite a study, preserving the ancient artefacts.
ReplyDelete