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Road Trip SW Germany Day 6: Völklingen Iron Works

Having had a good night’s rest after our journey to Saarbrucken from Trier, we were raring to go visit the final UNESCO world heritage site of our trip. The Völklingen Ironworks is situated nearly 14km east of Saarbrucken. Inscribed in 1994 as a world heritage, this well-preserved pig-iron production facility is a testament to the industrial revolution. The entire plant is indeed a sight to behold. The sheer size of the complex made me realize the amount of energy, materials and man-power which go into maintaining our global economy.

At first we were treated to a multi-media introduction to the plant and it’s history. What we didn’t know is that there is an audio guide available online, which is free to download. However, even without the audio guide, the tour through the facility is very informative. After the introduction, we walked through the blower hall with the blast furnaces and then made our way towards the sintering plant.

Clockwise from bottom left: blower in the blower hall which provided compressed air for the blast furnaces, view of the sintering plant, monorail cars that transported raw materials and view of the plant again.

Like most industry in Germany, the Ironworks has a dark past as well. During the second world war, over 12,000 people were forced to work at the factory. At the time we visited, this topic was mentioned just in passing, but presently there is an exhibition that delves deeper into it. A memorial to the forced labourers has been created by Christian Boltanski and will be on display until 2028. For further information, I would recommend visiting the Völklingen Hütte website.

Apart from being an albeit impressive relic to the industrial revolution, the Völklingen Iron Works is also home to different art exhibitions. At the time we were there, there was the Urban Art Biennial which showcased some very beautiful art works.

Take me out of the bush (Left) and I am on a diet (Right), both by the Brazilian artist Cranio as exhibited at the Urban Art Biennial in 2017

We spent about four hours touring the plant. After that we decided to walk into the inner city of Völklingen for some lunch. After coffee, we drove back home having seen a part of Germany, the landscape of which has been changing since the pre-historic times.

Road Trip SW Germany Days 4 and 5: Trier

We set off quiet early from Koblenz the next day, continuing our journey towards Trier, the oldest city in Germany. On the banks of the river Mosell, Trier is not only the birthplace of Karl Marx, but has been an important trade hub since the time of the Romans. The monuments that are part of the UNESCO world heritage site include the Roman monuments, the cathedral of St. Peter and the church of our Lady.

Upon arrival, we decided it was a good idea to do an English walking tour through the city. We started the tour at the Porta Nigra, which has been standing there since the Romans conquered the city. Situated at the northern entry to Trier, the gate has seen many uses. The obvious one being as a gate, it was also used as a church at one point, which led it to almost being destroyed by Napolean. Our guide also emphasized that the gate is not dirty. Apparently, during his time as a guide, several tourists asked him why the city didn’t make an effort to clean it. It is because of the chemical composition of the sandstone.

Clockwise from top: Model of the city, Saint Peter in the Market Square and the Electoral Palace.

During the Walking tour, not only were we treated to some funny anecdotes, but were also made privy to the veiled strife between the church and the merchants through the various statues erected around Trier. The 75 minute tour took us through the market place, the cathedral of St. Peter, the church of our Lady, ending at the Electoral Palace. The palace, which is adjacent to the Aula Palatina, is not completely symmetrical when viewed from the front. The reason for this, as told by our guide, is that the walls of the Aula Palatina were too strong for the 16th century builders to demolish!

Clockwise from top: Ruins of the Barbara baths, view beneath the amphitheater, fighting pit of the amphitheater and inside the Porta Nigra.

After the tour, we decided to continue walking around Trier, looking for the other Roman ruins. We made our way towards the Amphitheater which was a part of the city wall. Below the Amphitheater are cellars which were used for exotic animals, as well as, prisoners. We ended the day with a visit to the Barbara baths.

Clockwise from top: Archivolt and tympanum of the Cathedral of St. Peter, the inner garden of the church of our Lady, window to the side chapel of the relic, ceiling of the side chapel and the organ of the cathedral.

The next day, we decided to revisit some of the monuments we learned about on the tour. We went inside the cathedral of St. Peter as well as the church of our Lady. The organ inside the cathedral has been by far one of the most unique ones I have seen. It is also home to several relics, the most important of which is the Seamless Robe of Jesus. At the time we visited, it was not on display, but can be viewed on certain special occasions.

Stop by for a glass (or a bottle ;)) of the regional wine.

Before leaving Trier, we decided to buy some wine from the region. We stopped at the winery, Weingut Gehlen, and bought a couple of bottles of white and rosé.