Völklingen Ironworks World Heritage Site
Steel industrial monument
The Saarland's past as an industrial location can be better understood nowhere than in the Völklingen Ironworks World Heritage Site: The former ironworks was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994 as the very first industrial monument in the world and is definitely worth a visit.
The Völklinger Hütte is located directly at the train station in the town of Völklingen. The former ironworks was founded in 1873 and closed in 1986. Steel was produced in the factory using iron ore from neighboring Lorraine and coal from Saarland. In the meantime, the smelter was one of the largest employers in the region with 17,000 workers. Today the Völklinger Hütte is an industrial monument.
You only need around 20 minutes to drive from the Hotel Mühlenthal to the world cultural heritage site. Pure adventure awaits you there: you can visit the industrial monument in dark corridors, large halls and lofty heights. A multimedia show explains how steel was made in the past and shows the varied history of the steelworks. Throughout the world heritage site, around 7,000 meters of signposted paths are waiting for you to explore. There are also several viewing points that take you to a height of almost 30 meters and offer you a great panoramic view of Völklingen.
