Henrichshütte Hattingen is more than just a museum: iron is still being smelted in the show foundry and young visitors can climb around on a play blast furnace.
The LWL Museum in the Henrichshütte Hattingen keeps the centuries-old history of iron and steel, and therefore a large part of the Ruhr region's history, alive. For over 150 years, iron was smelted and steel produced in the blast furnaces and casting halls of the Henrichshütte. Until 1987, 10,000 people worked on the huge industrial site, rolling, casting and forging the metal.
On the "path of iron"
The blast furnace of the industrial plants in Hattingen is also the museum's largest and most important exhibit: it is one of the oldest of its kind still in existence in the Ruhr metropolis. In the permanent exhibition "The path of iron", visitors follow the material flow from ore, coke and lime to molten pig iron.
The path first leads up to the blast furnace in the elevator and from there down staircase by staircase into the casting hall, where the 1,400 degree hot iron was once tapped. Numerous photos, films and interviews vividly illustrate how people used to work at the Henrichshütte and how their everyday lives depended on and were influenced by the work at the ironworks.
Melting iron on site
A special feature of the industrial museum is the show foundry where iron is still smelted today. Visitors can experience first-hand what it was like to work with the hot metal back then.
And the outdoor area of the Henrichshütte is also worth a visit: after the Henrichshütte was shut down, nature was given its space again: today, numerous rare plants and animals that once came to Hattingen with the raw materials from all over the world can be observed again on the green path around the industrial plant - the eco-workshop also provides visitors with background information on this.
Excursion destination for families
For children, the LWL Museum at Henrichshütte Hattingen has the Rattenweg (Rat Trail): here, the blue rat, the museum's mascot, leads curious little steelworkers to many different stations where they can try things out and join in.
In the hut playground, the play blast furnace is waiting for the children to put their theoretical knowledge to the test. A giant slide provides additional fun. Every Sunday at 2.30 p.m., the open children's tour "Ratten-Tour" takes place.
The Henrichshütte in Hattingen is therefore not only a worthwhile excursion destination for history buffs and people with an interest in industrial culture, but also a great place for families with children. The museum also hosts changing special exhibitions, which visitors can find out more about on the Henrichshütte Hattingen website.
