This blog post is brought to you by a rainy day in which I went out, got off the train, and started biking towards the place I wanted to go until I realized it was raining MUCH harder than I thought it would be. Then all of a sudden the chain of the bicycle I was using fell off the grindy wheel thingy and I couldnt figure out how to fix it myself so I decided maybe I should go back and put some pictures together. The bicycle has since been fixed.
Halde RheinPreussen in Moers
Mining waste heap with a red gas lantern at the top, adjacent to a Chemie factory with views of yellow fields and a coking plant. The lantern is a Davy’s Lantern type, the small lights they provided were vital to the survival of miners and missing lamps signified that a worker was in trouble. When I was there a large elderly hiking tour group was making their way up the forested slopes.
an image of the way to the Rheinpreussen
Moers is a lot more rural than Essen, and there are long stretches only of ag land and fields. The INEOS Solvents Chemie Factory lies on the way to Halde Rheinpreussen, an example of the dominant industry of the area changing from mining (Rheinpreussen was filled from the Rheinpreussen mine) to areas such as Chemical Industries. This INEOS Solvents plant was actually created by the Rheinpreussen mining company in 1936 to produce synthetic fuels. By 1939 its focus changed to producing oxygenated solvents and fine chemicals, which are used to make paints, inks, coatings, and vitamins. It has outlived the Rheinpreussen mining industry and is connected to the large Duisburg Industrial Harbor at the Rhine River via rail.
On the Way to Halde Norddeutschland in Neukirchen-Vluyn
While passing agricultural lands, wizzing cars are at a playful juxtaposition with seemingly peaceful fields. The cloudy sky characteristic of the region is photogenic as always.
Halde Norddeutschland
Reminds me a bit of a sand dune grassland with a wiped out house, from a hurricane, but the meadows and ‘hall house’ are meant to resemble a farmstead much like the ones surrounding the halde (product of the Niederberg mine) A metal structure of a farmhouse lies hollow adjacent to the ‘thingplatz’ which is represents a little doghouse. The skeletal frame of the Hall house and Thingplatz both symbolize the change-ability of the space. One of the largest haldes, the panoramic view showcases industrial factories in the distance and ag lands closer by, but completely disappears when you crawl into a basin at the top of the hill. Most of the reviews online are still in german, but there are actually a fair amount of english reviews for this spot as well too. The ‘stairway to heaven’ is a series of steps numbering a bit over 300 that cuts directly to the top and which joggers like to run up and down. A few wanderers and bicyclists ambled about in the fields as well as a man flying a drone. On wikipedia though it says that the Hallenhouse can actually be rented for for private and business events, as well a paragliding.
at the top of the Halde Norddeutschland by the Hallenhouse and Thingplatz
Inside the top a green basin (actually got some water) envelopes the view of the skyline
Dinslaken Emscher Mouth
The state North Rhine Westphalia derives its name from the river Rhine, while the Ruhr region derives its name from the River Ruhr (one of the tributaries which flows into the Rhine). The river Emscher, which was a former open sewage canal and now forms an integral component of the Route of Industrial Heritage, is another tributary that flows into the Rhine. Formerly entering at Duisburg, that portion of the river was cut off (now the Alt Emscher, the site of the Landschaftspark Duisburg Nord) when the river was moved northward twice: to Walsum and then to Dinslaken.
Industrialization had brought in a population explosion as well as land subsidence due to mining to the Emscher catchment area. The disastrous hygenic effects of being flooded with dirty water (underground sewers would burst as well from the subsidence), prompted the canalization of the river which occured between 1906 and 1920. However, as mining continued, the land around the river continued to sink and the Emscher had to be moved northward in order to keep it flowing into the Rhine. By the late 1970s, a large sewage treatment plant was opened up in Dinslaken to prevent contamination of the Rhine via the Emscher, and in 1989 the IBA Emscherpark project for structural reformation had begun.
Currently, the river flows into the Rhine at Dinslaken, but will be moved slightly northward (still in Dinslaken) because the current outlet impedes the movement of fish and other migrating water creatures. A turbine is hooked up to the tiny waterfall which is used to generate electricity.
approaching the Emschermundung along the Emscher Weg bike trail from the Dinslaken bf. The Emscher is shown (with clean waters) with a widened stream bed and widened floodplains.
the fishermen fishing with the factory in the distance is one of my favorite shots
Rheinevorland Orsoyer Preserve
Heading north along the Rhine, I encountered the Rheinevorland Orsoyer Preserve. But rather than a forested wetland which one might expect to see in many areas of the New Jersey, the preserve here is mainly grasslands & shrublands. There are also quite a few cows. Very strong farmy-heritage.
Halde Norddeutschland at Night
yup, this one lit up, iv since been to another thats lit up too. people also like to play night sports here in the forest.
When everything else it gone, and the only thing left is the hallenhouse. Going in the basin hole when its dark is pretty cool too, but nothing shows up on my phone camera; the LEDS on the ground are a nice touch but they only run towards the Hallenhouse. Probably one of my favorite places along the trail, just by virtue of the expansive feeling you get on the top.
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