7 of the most unusual World Heritage sites in Germany
21.07.2023 - 07:56
/ roughguides.com
Some of the many World Heritage sites in Germany are distinct and unusual. What to think of a Modernist coal mine, a medieval water system or the remains of a Viking town? These spots nevertheless offer up some surprising lessons about society in times gone by, or the Baroque approach to sustainable living. Here are 7 of the most unusual World Heritage sites in Germany.
With the dinosaurs safely out of the way after their unfortunate extinction, it was the mammals' turn. During the Eocene, around 48 million years ago, mammals evolved rapidly and became established in all principal land ecosystems. The Messel Pit (Grube Messel), a former quarry, is the best fossil site in the world. It contributes invaluable knowledge about the evolution and environment of primates, birds and insects.
Over one thousand species of animals and plants have been found sandwiched between layers of oil shale so far. Many of them are exceptionally well preserved fossils, with full skeletons, feathers, skin, hair and even stomach contents. The visitor centre has views over the pit and offers tours to active fossil excavation sites, where you can try your luck finding a fossil yourself. The most spectacular fossil finds can be viewed at museums in Messel town, Darmstadt and Frankfurt (Senckenberg Museum).
Messel Pit is 9km east of Darmstadt; bus F/U passes Messel before dropping you near the visitor centre.
Primeval horse from the Messel Pit Fossil Site © GNTB
Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but not many people expect to see a rusty industrial complex like the Völklingen Ironworks listed on the German World Heritage List. However, this particular factory is the only intact example of an integrated pig-iron blast-furnace complex in the world, which employed 17,000 workers in the 1960s.
Built in stages between 1881 and 1935, andin use until 1986, the ironworks preserves installations covering every stage in the pig-iron production process, from raw materials handling to blast-furnaces. Technological innovations developed or first applied here are now in use worldwide, making the ironworks a symbol of human achievement during the Industrial Revolution. The factory has been made accessible via a walkway that curves around and through the main parts of the factory, and the large halls are now used for exhibitions, theatre productions and concerts. The visitor centre can arrange special tours.
The ironworks is directly beside the station of Völklingen, 13km west of Saarbrücken.
Völklingen Ironworks © GNTB/Francois Thierens
The remarkable Zollverein industrial complex, employing up to 6900 workers before it closed in 1986, is a monument to the evolution of coal mining. It retains all installations of a historical mining site,