Silke and Hannah have big plans for this hiking day: The circular route is around 20 kilometres long and leads from Duisburg Central Station to extraordinary viewpoints and anchor points. But the good thing about urban hiking is that there are countless alternative routes, so the pair hop on a train twice on this tour - giving them all the more time for the individual stops between the harbour and the blast furnace.
Summit experience with panoramic views
The peace and quiet is soothing: just a moment ago we were sitting in a packed tram with excited children scurrying around, now we are strolling almost alone through the extensive Duisburg Nord Landscape Park. It's hard to believe that pig iron was once produced here on a continuous basis. On this morning, there is a relaxed silence in the former ironworks, with only a few other people around. We pass countless pipes, chimneys and halls, cross bunkers and head towards blast furnace 5, which is the undisputed highlight of the site with its viewing platform. On the way, we gather lots of impressions and information, such as the fact that the Duisburg section of the German Alpine Club runs a climbing garden here. Or that nature also feels at home here: dragonflies and butterflies bask in the sunshine on wild plants.
Iron steps lead up to Blast Furnace 5, which is open around the clock - except in snow, storms and icy conditions. A little ice and cooling would actually be just what we need on the climb - but okay, we don't want to complain about blue skies and sunshine. At the top, we have a great view of the city, the Ruhr region and the Lower Rhine. We could stand here and take photos forever. But there is so much more to experience here: Diving, skating, sliding, hiking, cycling - you could easily spend a whole day or two here. There are beds for the night just round the corner in the youth hostel, which is housed in a historic administration building on the edge of the park.
But we still have a lot to do on this tour, so we descend again, stop by the sinter gardens, where footbridges and paths lead past bushes, trees, lavender and silver sainfoin, take an iced coffee break at the little shop and say goodbye to the landscape park.
Banana art and maritime flair
We are drawn to the water. After a short walk to Meiderich station, a train takes us swiftly to Ruhrort. And that's where we eat chips first. The Mühlenweide beer garden is our first stop and offers both hot fries and cold drinks, as well as maritime flair with its large flagpole and beautiful views of lots of water: the Rhine flows on one side, the other is on a harbour basin, with a statue of St. Nicholas in between. We wonder for a moment and then read that he not only brings sweets to children, but is also the patron saint of boatmen. But where is the Ruhr that gave this neighbourhood its name? We go in search of it, always along the water. On the way, we discover ships at the jetty, the Ruhrort water gauge and harbour master's office and see a huge, bright orange Steele in the distance. As knowledgeable experts, we know that we have found the Ruhr. This sculpture is called Rheinorange and marks both the mouth of the river into the Rhine and the start and/or end point of the popular Ruhr Valley cycle path.
At the legendary harbour pub "Zum Hübi", in front of which a museum ship of the Inland Waterways Museum is moored, we turn off the harbour promenade into Horst-Schimanski-Gasse towards the centre of Ruhrort, of course not without a minute's silence for the legendary Tatort detective portrayed by Götz George.
In the streets of Ruhrort, other sailors' pubs, shipping supplies and even a bank for shipping are reminders of the times when the district was known as the "St Pauli of the West". Large churches and magnificent house facades also bear witness to the fact that a lot of money was once earned here, numerous companies used Ruhrort's location as a gateway to the Ruhr region and there is said to have been a higher density of millionaires than in Berlin. The Banana House in Karlstraße is an eye-catcher from today. A collector from Duisburg had the artist and banana sprayer Thomas Baumgärtel decorate the façade of a house all over with bananas. At the Tausendfensterhaus, which once housed the Rheinische Stahlwerke steelworks and is now home to various companies, we quickly decide against the walk and opt for a train ride across the Ruhr and harbour basin.
Middle Ages meets modernity
We get out at the NRW State Archives - and are amazed: the huge building has no windows. But it used to be different, we realise, and we look it up: The windows of the former granary were bricked up to protect the archive material from daylight. Behind the Schwanentorbrücke bridge, we turn left and stroll through the inner harbour past the Kultur- und Stadthistorisches Museum, discover the remains of the medieval city wall and take a short detour to the approximately 500-year-old Dreigiebelhaus, Duisburg's oldest residential building. At the end of the harbour basin, the Küppersmühle Museum is another highlight. The former warehouse building is a large and impressive synthesis of architecture and post-war art, which should take half a day to visit. An additional floating attraction is a walk-in submarine, which is anchored in the harbour basin as part of the permanent exhibition.
Bistros, cafés and restaurants on both sides of the harbour serve food and drinks. However, we are now slowly and comfortably approaching the start and end point of our tour. Another short stroll through pleasant little streets and the pedestrian zone, including a coffee stop at Simply Coffee - and we are back at the main railway station. With a view of a large anchor shining golden in the sun in front of the station building, we say: Ahoy, Duisburg, it was nice visiting you!
Hiking hacks for Duisburg
Our tips for your experience
Plan cultural time... If you want to visit one of the museums along the route, avoid Mondays and plan extra time.
Explore the harbours... Stroll along the harbour promenade in Ruhrort or experience art and culinary delights in the inner harbour: Duisburg's harbours are not to be missed.
Travelling by train... It's okay to get on the train from time to time and cover some distance - Duisburg is big and exciting places are not always close to each other.
