If the plans from the 1960s, when the Zollern colliery had just been shut down, were to be followed, a highway would run along its site today and this extraordinary industrial monument would no longer exist. Fortunately, a number of citizens were committed to preserving the aesthetic steel and glass building and thus marked the beginning of the preservation of industrial monuments in the Ruhr region.
The Zollern colliery was definitely worth preserving: behind the magnificent brick facades and the Art Nouveau portal, the colliery can only be guessed at first. And this was precisely part of the building idea for the colliery in the west of Dortmund, which was to become a showpiece. However, the so-called "Castle of Labor" only resembles an aristocratic residence on the outside. Coal has been mined behind the impressive walls since 1898.
Lamp room and washing hut
The exhibitions in today's LWL Museum at the former colliery are not only dedicated to the splendor and representational culture of the coal mines, but also tell visitors about the work processes that took place behind the beautiful façade.
In the various exhibition rooms, such as the lamp room or the washing room, visitors learn a lot of interesting facts about the working conditions of the time, which the museum tells vividly using various biographies of men and women. The museum does not romanticize industrial culture, but realistically explains how hard life could be for mine workers and their families back then and also the dangers of the work.
Industrial culture for children
The museum in the Zollern Colliery sees itself as a museum of the social and cultural history of the Ruhr mining industry and also regularly shows special exhibitions. It is part of the European Route of Industrial Heritage and is therefore one of the most important industrial heritage sites that anyone interested in history should visit.
The Zollern Colliery also has lots on offer for children: Mining apprentice Franz takes young visitors on a child-friendly tour of the museum. In the underground adventure room, children can experience the underground world with all their senses, and in the outdoor area, a playground invites the little ones to climb and slide on the play conveyor tower.
