20 MAY 18
Today we traveled to Essen to
visit Zollverein mining and coking plant.
This was one of the biggest coal mines in the world used extensively
during world war two to power the German war machine. The plant specialized in excavating,
processing, refining coal which was largely used to produce high quality steel
on sight. The plant employed anywhere
from 5,000 to 10,000 people with most living in houses surrounding the plant,
as the city of Essen is located several miles away.
The plant has been shut down in recent years as the
rampant production has removed almost all the coal from the area in about 100
years. Today it has been converted into
a park and museum memorializing the industrial revolution which I thought was
fascinating to see the astonishing scope of the facility. In one area I counted 12 railways in parallel
and I don’t think I can imagine the amount of material that can be moved
through the facility utilizing this many rail lines.
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| Photo of the Mining Plant |
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| Photo of Essen from the top of the Plant |
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| Photo overlooking part of the refinery |
-Brian Olmstead
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