Zollverein – Essen, Germany - Atlas Obscura
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Zollverein

Essen, Germany

The Bauhaus-style former industrial complex is considered the world's most beautiful coal mine. 

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Jamie Koroluk (Creative Commons)
Jamie Koroluk (Creative Commons)
Andrew Sweeney (Creative Commons)
Michele Gualco (Creative Commons)
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Nietnagel/Flickr user (Creative Commons)
Guy Gorek (Creative Commons)
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Opened in 1932, the Zollverein coal mine and coking plant merged modernism with machines in Bauhaus style.

It’s considered to be the world’s most beautiful coal mine, and certainly lives up to the reputation with red accents and striking lines throughout the towering machines. 

After it closed in 1986, it reopened as an industrial museum and guided tours are now offered, while its most iconic building — Shaft 12 — holds a design museum. Now an UNESCO World Heritage site, Zollverein serves as a reminder of the Ruhr region’s industrial heritage, and a time when modern aesthetics of architecture met mining.  

Know Before You Go

 English Language tours are offered on Saturdays and Sundays at 12:30pm

bauhaus unesco mines industrial ruins
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