Visiting Völklingen Ironworks: Off the Beaten Path Germany

Völklingen Ironworks is the only complete ironworks complex from the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries in the world.

It is the one of the first modern industrial sites in the world to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of 51 UNESCO sites in Germany in total.

Anyone with even a passing interest in industrial heritage should try to visit Volklingen Ironworks – it’s an incredible monument to heavy industry, now a vast, spectacular Cathedral of Rust which you can explore extensively.

The first Völklingen steel mill was opened by Julius Buch in 1873, but this was closed by 1879 as cheap pig iron imports made his business unprofitable.

Saarbrucken businessman Carl Röchling bought the site in 1881, and within ten years he had built up the business, adding five blast furnaces and, later, smelter and coking plant.

By the early 20^th century, the Röchlings also added gas blowing engines to power the blast furnaces, the first ironworks in the world to do so.  All the necessary processes for producing pig iron, which in turn is used to make steel.

The Ironworks operated during both World Wars, manufacturing items from armaments to steel helmets for soldiers. Forced labour was used during both Wars, a mixture of prisoners of war and deportees from the former USSR.

Owner Hermann Röchling was close to Hitler and the Nazis, and was imprisoned after the war for his crimes. The Ironworks remained in French administration until 1956, when the Röchling family regained control.

Volklingen Ironworks reached its peak in 1965 when it employed over 17,000 workers.

However, within a decade, Völklingen Ironworks was facing more difficult times due to the worldwide steel crisis, and by the early 1980s a new steelworks was built very close to the Ironworks. The Ironworks were finally closed in 1986.

Völklingen Ironworks then became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.

You enter the Ironworks through the ticket area and shop, before ascending to the Blower Hall. These enormous gas blowers powered the blast furnaces, and the vast Hall in which they stand also plays host to temporary exhibitions. When I visited in August 2022 an exhibition on the history of pop music videos was ongoing.  

The Sintering Hall was a major innovation at the Völklinger Hütte. Small pieces – even particles – of metal waste are brought together in a single solid mass, which is then broken into usable larger pieces.

The Blast Furnaces are visually the most impressive part of the Ironworks.  You can walk below them or don a plastic safety helmet and climb up among them.

This was one of the highlights of my visit, ascending a warren of steel staircases before reaching some amazing vantage points, looking over the site, the town and the nearby steelworks.

The Paradise area of Volklingen Ironworks has been left to nature since the closure of the site in 1986. Parts of it are heavily overgrown with bramble bushes and buddleia sprouting from brick walls.

This is nature’s ongoing work of art, something you rarely get to see. The nearest parallel I can think of is the deserted town of Pripyat near the Chernobyl site in northern Ukraine which, coincidentally, was also abandoned in 1986.

The Ironworks are closed to the centre of the Saarland town of Völklingen, which is 11 km (7 miles) west of the city of Saarbrucken. 

The site is also around 5 km (3 miles) north of the border with the Lorraine region of France, and 10 km (6 miles) from the French border town of Forbach.

Völklingen is on the Trier to Saarbrucken train line, and the Ironworks are less than five minutes’ walk away from the station. The journey takes just 11 minutes, and the Ironworks are under the bridge to the left as you leave the station.

Trains leave from Saarbrucken main station (Saarbrucken Hbf on timetables).

If you’re driving, the most direct route from Saarbrucken is the B51 (also known as the E29).  You can also travel via A620, leaving at exit 8 for Völklingen. Follow the signs for ‘Weltkulturerbe’ from there.

Völklingen is very close to Saarbrucken, the regional capital, which is well off the tourist trail but a good base if you’re planning to explore the surrounding area and across the French border.

There are enough things to do in Saarbrücken to take up a day, from the lovely Baroque Altsaarbrucken area around the Castle to the many restaurants around St Johanner Markt. 

Völklingen is also within reach of Trier, the ancient Roman capital of the Empire north of the Alps. The city has several fine Roman monuments, including the splendid Porta Nigra gateway.

The city’s prosperity continued after the demise of the Roman Empire, and Trier Cathedral is one of the outstanding churches in Germany. Also check out our article on things to do in Trier for much more information on the city’s many attractions.

If you’re staying in the Saarland region, it’s also worth spending a few hours at the Freilichtmuseum Roscheider Hof, one of the best open-air skansen-style museums we’ve visited in Europe.

The Saar river, which flows into the more widely known Moselle, is one of the most underrated rivers in Germany. We travelled along the Saar valley several times and there’s plenty to see along the way, from the vast Saarschleife bend in the river to the gorgeous little town of Saarburg, best known for its waterfall and Castle.

The French border is also close to Völklingen, and the nearest major city is Metz, with Nancy an hour further away.

I’ve always been fascinated by places like steelworks. One of the first places I taught myself photography was the hillside overlooking Port Talbot steelworks on the South Wales coast.

Smoke would billow from the chimneys and furnaces, seeming almost serene against the backdrop of a spectacular sunset over the sea. From my vantage point I couldn’t hear the deafening din within, nor feel the Dantesque inferno of heat near the blast furnaces.

Years later I would meet my father-in-law, who spent his whole working life in the Tubemakers Steelworks in Newcastle, Australia. He looked at the pictures of Völklingen Ironworks, and immediately remarked how similar the place looked to his old workplace, and was amazed that a place like Völklingen had survived.

The Völklinger Hütte is the most complete ironworks from the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries anywhere in the world.  I’m delighted that fate sent me close to this astonishing place, and to anyone with any interest in industrial history, it’s worth travelling a long way to see. It’s almost certainly the best UNESCO World Heritage Site you’ve never heard of.