Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex

Zollverein was one of the main anthracite coal mines in Germany, running from the mid 1850's until 1986 or so when the steel mills were closing in Germany and so the need for coking coal also disappeared.

For all you amateur chemists out there, the earliest steel was made using charcoal as its heat source. This was fine until the forests began to disappear. Coal was available but its use in steel making was found to be limited as the steel that formed was soft and weak; not exactly the requirement for good steel! Some genius thought ‘why not bake the coal like we used to bake the timber when making charcoal?’ They did and it worked. The chemistry follows the practicality if the solution but by cooking the coal, the result was to drive off many impurities that were then contaminating the steel; Sulphur was the main contaminant. Imagine the 'rotten egg gas' smell that must have come out of the coking plant!!

So any self respecting coking coal source has a mine and coking coal plant in close proximity; on that basis, welcome to Zollverein!

Zollverein's Shaft 12 Winding Tower - once just a symbol of the coal mine but now a symbol of Essen itself

Like Landschaftspark (see the blog from a couple of weeks ago), this is a huge industrial site that has now been converted to a park and other uses, not least being the new Ruhr Museum.

But back at the height of its production, miners were hauling 24,000 tonnes of material per day to the surface. This was cleaned of unwanted rocks and minerals and then hauled across the road to the coking plant. Given these huge sums of material it is not hard to imagine the huge scope and scale of the sites. Topping it all is the mine head for Schaft 12; retained in its original majesty, the mining head is a massive thing of beauty, soaring above the country side. The materials were then sent to the coking coal bunkers; a massive building that looms 40+ metres in the air (providing this sort of view of the surrounding country side).

These bunkers have now been converted to the Ruhr Museum; an amazing museum that runs over three levels winding its way between the original machinery still left in the bunkers. The effect is stunning! A combination of the old and industrial with the new and interactive displays of the museum.

The theme of the museum is a nod to the coal industry, the people from all over Europe who came to work the mines and  the cultures those people brought. There are hints of the natural history of the landscape as well as acknowledgements of the benefits and pitfalls that befall a region like the Ruhr valley that has endured such heavy industry for so very long.

On this day, there was a temporary exhibition celebrating the Krupp family and their legacy. Steel is their legacy and, for a while, that steel saw a lot of action as canons and armaments for Germany in two world wars.

The first Krupp to kick things of in steel bought the patent for crucible steel and gambled his family fortune of the process; sadly he failed to understand just how much capital he would need and died with a loss making business. His wife got things back on track and then her sons and subsequent progeny drove the business to make the Krupp's the wealthiest family in Germany ... eventually.

The road was never easy and their production of armaments made them a special target for reparations after WW1. Mind you, they made good money from the sales of arms. They also tried to argue that they were unfairly targeted by the British in WW2 for bombing as they had diversified their portfolio by then and would argue produced hardly enough to warrant being targeted. Nice try, I think. However, a documentary I watched earlier in the week suggested that once the British developed their strategic bomber command under 'Bomber' Harris, their very first German city targeted was Essen and specifically, the steel works of Krupp.

Apart from armaments, the Krupp clan seem rightly pleased with their work in railways. Tracks obviously but also springs for rolling stock. But their big achievement was the seamless steel wheel for trains. In fact, so proud of this ingenious invention, that Mr. Krupp decided to take three circles (signifying the three seamless wheels) and applied for a trademark in the 1870's for a 3 ring interlocking device to be the Krupp logo.

So an interesting place to visit. You ride the six storey escalator to the mid point of the museum (in the old days, workers simply walked up the conveyors alongside the coal itself). Feel free to poke around there but make the effort and pay the entry price to the museum. If you don't speak German, pay the 4 Euro and make sure you get the audio guide. As ever, there is way more info in the audio guides beyond even the written information in the museum. It makes the museum more clear and the information helps appreciate the history and creates a feeling of place.

A ticket to the museum also gets you access to the roof and that amazing panorama around the factory and Essen's surrounds.

Looking back to the Coking Plant from the roof of the Ruhr Museum at Zollverein

I caught the train to Essen Hbf (central station) and walked the 5k to the site. Easy navigation as well as you simply follow the bike track that's marked with directions to Zollverein. The day was delightful too; mid 20's Celsius and clear blue skies. The walk is pleasant too as it follows the bike path rather than the roads, so it takes you through some nice village settings as well as through some allotments As well. The allotments were filled with noise and laughter today as Esseners were escaping their apartments and enjoying some sun in their garden allotments.

Check out www.zollverein.de. The website is in German but there is an English translation coming soon. The Germans do this industrial transformation so well. Who would have thought of a museum weaving through the heavy conveyors and chutes of coking coal plant? And delivered with such skill and so seamlessly as well. Go along and enjoy the day!

London's Science Museum

I love the Science Museum in London; it's a curious and eclectic mix of old and new all overlaid with a wonderful geeky vibe. Since our meetings finished early on Friday and I had a few hours to kill, the prospect of spending some at the Science Museum and then walking across Hyde Park to Paddington station to catch the Heathrow Express was just too good to pass up. As luck would have it, I have been re-reading John Gribbin's 'Science - A History'. This is a great read for those who enjoy science as Gribbin brings the scientists to life, painting little vignettes on their lives as he walks us through science from the Renaissance into the 21st Century. How timely then, to have been reading of Newcomen and Watt when to be confronted with their actual machinery sitting in the first hall of the museum. They have even re-created Watt's workshop, right down to the trunk where he kept his son's effects after the little boy died of TB. One thing that really stood out was how long these machines remained in operation. Some of these machines were still running in the 1920's, eighty and hundred years after they were originally manufactured. It's only when you get up close that you realize why this is possible; the strength of construction and the size of the components really defy believe in this modern age of planned obsolescence. They built them to last back in the 1800's, that's for sure! As well, Watt's machines were all low pressure steam as well, so I guess there may well have been less potential for damage. He was quite dismissive of the high pressure boilers as well; I'm sure Watt would have understood the thermodynamics behind the night pressure boilers but he saw them as dangerous and life threatening. Indeed, the museum reports that he felt so strongly that he is quoted as saying Mr. Trevithick 'should be hung' for his designs! Moving into hall two, we makes it space travel. I remember being at school in Melbourne watching the first moon landing. The school was small and had only one television but, since I was one of the prep kids, we were the shortest so we had front row seats. Most of my primary school was spent wishing to be an astronaut and reading everything I could get my hands on about space flight. So this hall is like heaven! Amazing footage of Robert Goddard's early flights with full scale models of his earliest rockets. There is a full scale V2 standing here; Hitler's vengeance weapon would never win him the war but did go on to be the model for the US space program. The exhibit includes actual rockets suspended from the ceiling, satellites (models and real ones), a full scale replica of the lunar module and even a piece of moon rock. Given that there were only 400kg of rock brought back to earth, how neat that the museum has this 51g sample sitting in its glass case. But the piece de resistance has to be the Apollo 10 Command Module sitting slightly on its side with a glass window where the hatch would be. There is something wonderful and terrifying about this machine. How did 3 men live in the cramped spaces for the six days of the journey? The burnt and corroded base and edges of the vehicle remind us how intense the heat of re-entry really is. Does that piece of wiring look a little frayed? Is that because this is now more than40 years old or were they closer to disaster than anyone imagined? With the passing of Neil Armstrong only a week earlier, there is a whole poignancy that I wasn't expecting. I'm standing a metre from a craft that circled the moon in 1969 and it brings a shiver to the spine. Sensational! There was also an Alan Turing exhibition happening at the same time. Google him if you have to, because here is an interesting man and story. A mathematical genius, he came to the fore as a code breaker at Bletchley Park during WW2. He and his team were able to develop the means of breaking the German ENIGMA codes but also developing machines (called 'bombes') that could replicate this process in short order. So you can begin to understand Turing's amazing skills in artificial intelligence and computer design. His life was tragically cut short by his suicide at the age of 41. There are those who believe this was driven by his homosexuality but his mother never believed he was responsible for his own death. The tragedy is that he lived 50 years too soon; his work was years ahead of its time. Almost unbelievably, there are still papers written by Turing that are classified by the British Government. Imagine the progress that has been made in pure mathematics and computer science in the last fifty years and then imagine how far ahead Turing's work must be to have some of his work still classified. Imagine what he could have achieved today with the technology at his disposal and an environment where being gay is no longer illegal. Timing is everything and, in site of his wonderful work in code breaking during the war and the first computers that he built, it feels like we only got a hint of Turing's genius.

Mainz

When catching the train from Frankfurt Airport to Bonn, it's always interesting to see the Roman Theatre that seems to be embedded in the Mainz South railway station. As the train moves through the station, I always wanted to come and look at the theatre and also whatever else there is to see in Mainz. It's around 80 minutes on the train to Mainz so a relatively early start sees me on the train at 8:30 this Sunday morning.

Into Mainz and the first stop is here at Schillerplatz. It's just time for a morning coffee and the day couldn't be better; bright, sunny and the hint of warmth that the breeze will stop from being too hot. Perfect weather and the perfect setting to have a coffee and prepare for the rest of the day.

Schillerplatz is the setting for the annual Fools Day. At 11:11 on November 11 each year the fools will gather in this square and listen to the proclamation announcing the beginning of the fifth season; Carnevale! These are a few days of crazy revelry here in the Rheinland area mainly. The fountain is the Fools' Tower and has a variety of images from history and fantasy. All of this in keeping with the spirit of Fools Day.

The next stop on the tour is the Kupferberg Terrace. The guide claims this is a nice place to sit and admire the view but although we are quite high, the view is dominated by ordinary roof tops and a cityscape reminiscent of downtown anywhere. BUT the aural view is spectacular! From my seat I can spy the tops of at least eight churches and, being Sunday, when midday rolls around the outpouring of pealing bells is an absolute knockout. It was worth the walk here just to listen to the bells.

Climbing a little higher we find one of the original Roman gates to the city.

As you can see, it now seems quite unprepossessing but the part I like is the stone lintel in the main doorway. This would have sealed the gates closed but note how there are two grooves near each end of the lintel; the constant movement of carts over the stones have worn these two grooves. Rome would seem to have been in Mainz for a long time!

Next stop - St. Stephens. A medieval wonder that has been restored since virtual destruction during the Second World War. I am keen to see the Chagall windows but am thwarted by Sunday services. I'll grab a quick lunch and wait for the service to end and head inside.

Now that we're inside - wow! Apparently Chagall completed this work when he was 98 and it was his final piece. But what a final piece! It's amazing how he has been able to bring his own personality (the blue colours are especially striking) yet keep the whole relevant and in keeping with a church originally built in the 13th Century. Such is his achievement. I'm assuming that the windows were destroyed when the church was almost levelled in the Second World War. Such destruction is always a tragedy but at the same time, without that damage we would not have these contemporary yet marvellously beautiful and appropriate windows today. Hats off to those who reached out to Chagall and to the work Chagall has produced.

And hats back on to whoever designed the Internet guide I downloaded! The reading is great but the directions are hopeless. Read the guide but bring your own map is my advice for future Mainz explorers.

Next stop is the Citadel. Again, this was the original Roman camp and has grown until completion in the 17th Century, as part of the fortifications built around the 30 Years’ War. As you can imagine, 1700 years of continuous building means that the walls even today are massive in height and send a message of impenetrability. The gate house is now quite decorous but still feels imposing.

 The original twist in the gate remains so that a battering ram might take out portcullis number one but would never be able to turn and hit the second. Actually, looking at the original space allocated for the outlying portcullis, I'm not sure a battering ram is going to make a lot of impact in the first place.

The other neat thing here is the Drusus Stone.

More an imposing tower at the rear of the site, this monument was erected to one General Drusus, apparently a great tactician but also Emperor Augustus' brother. Killed in benign circumstances (he fell from his horse and died of his injuries) his men were so saddened by his departure that they erected this cairn as a memorial. When I first stumbled on it, I thought this to be a tower from the original part of the citadel. Massive and solid, no wonder it remains impervious to man and the elements after all this time.

Now to my favourite part and the reason for coming to Mainz in the first place.

The Roman Theatre in Mainz with the train line and railway station in the background

The Roman Theatre was discovered in the late 19th Century when Deutsche Bahn (or whatever it was called back then) were carving out a new railway station. On finding this massive theatre, they promptly did nothing but continue to dig and build their station. In fact, apart from naming the station 'Romische Theater' nothing changed. Any damage to the ruins was apparently ok. So little value did the Mainzers place on the location that it was even used as dump to load rubble from the city during the clean up after World War 2. It was only in 1999 that they began to dig seriously - well as seriously as you can with a railway line running through the centre of your dig site! Exposure of the site now reveals a theatre more like a Colosseum than a playhouse. Seating 10,000 spectators, this was the largest Roman theatre north of the Alps. Apparently, the productions were as large in scope as the theatre itself.

The sheer scale of Roman occupation in Mainz is a little mind boggling.

From here I moved to the Museum of Ancient Sea Travel. Within are five Roman ships from the 1-3^rd Centuries found when a site was being opened for the second Hilton hotel in Mainz. Being wooden ships, what timbers remain are in surprisingly good condition. Workmen have then created a series of life size replicas of the ships on the basis of the remains. Most of the museum is in German but there is some English translation around but the ships themselves are the story and there is enough to simply absorb and observe here. Given the museum is free to enter the experience is well worth it! What is amazing and surprising is how extensive the Roman fleet’s occupation of the Rhine with its fleet headquartered in Cologne; so far from the sea yet in the midst of the action.

The tour then wends its way back in to the Aldstadt and this is lovely.

Many of the original buildings remain and the winding streets provide more of a labyrinth than sensible navigation. In fact, the street signs are designed to help out a little; the red signs denote streets that point to the river while streets with blue signs run parallel to the river. The rumour is that this was instigated to help soldiers find their way back to their barracks and has remained the format ever since. When this began, no one seems really sure but there have been a few occupying armies through Mainz over the years and not all of them spoke German so maybe there is truth to the rumour.

In the middle of the Altstadt is the Church of Augustin.

Unfortunately we could only look through the glass front doors today so the photos taken didn’t really work but trust me; the paintings that adorn the ceilings are amazing. Even more so when you consider that the church survived the war intact so these ceiling paintings are the originals.

Mainz is a bit of a trip from Bonn but the trip has that magic section of railway where you hug the Rhine from Koblenz to Mainz, passing the Loreley and countless villages and castles nestled into and on top of the cliffs and hills along the river. I'd argue the train ride is worth the effort especially as I'm writing this in the train and we are literally passing the Loreley as I type.

But the city of Mainz is well worth a visit with its Roman heritage bursting out all over the place, those amazing churches pealing their bells on this wonderful Sunday and an Aldstadt that meanders and maintains its old feeling with style and aplomb.

Check out http://www.mainz.de and download the tour guide that suits you best; but be sure to take a map as well.