A black past and a green future - North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is a German region in the west of the country, bordering Belgium and the Netherlands. In terms of tourist numbers it regularly comes second, just behind Bavaria. Thanks to its excellent transport infrastructure (6 airports), the journey to this federal state from any European metropolis takes no more than three hours. It is currently one of the leaders in putting the principles of sustainable tourism into practice.
North Rhine-Westphalia is an astonishing blend of culture, monuments, nature and landscapes that are, on the one hand, wild and natural and, on the other, heavily shaped by human hands. The state has 5 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, among them Aachen Cathedral, palaces and an abbey. The region, often simply called NRW, has around 900 museums and almost 150 theatres and classical music venues, which stage more than 200 festivals a year. Such a concentration of attractions is partly down to the large number of cities that form conurbations and compete with one another in offering residents different ways of spending their free time. The local authorities are responding to the expectations of their citizens - almost 18 million people - who want their surroundings adapted in line with sustainable development.
Zollverein in Essen and Landschaftspark in Duisburg
Out of town you will find palaces and castles, many of them standing 'on the water' and surrounded by impressive parks and gardens. Particularly noteworthy is the region's industrial heritage, an outstanding example of which is the 'Zollverein' industrial complex in Essen, which has also been inscribed on the UNESCO list and is today an exhibition centre and a venue for open-air events.
Once the largest mine in the world, it lies half an hour's drive from the 'Landschaftspark' in Duisburg. The Landschaftspark was once a huge ironworks; today it is a venue for meetings, a summer cinema and a stage for renowned music festivals. It is worth stressing that this transformation followed a carefully thought-out strategy of reusing resources, one example being the decision to keep the huge tanks that once stored industrial gas. Removing and disposing of them would have placed a heavy burden on the environment. Instead it was decided to reuse them, fill them with water and open them as... a diving centre. Dives of up to 13 metres allow not only amateur diving but also specialist training for the emergency services. The whole complex is soon to be powered by photovoltaics - a complicated process, because out of respect for the historic character of the site, the panels must not be visible to visitors.
One consequence of the closure of the big industrial plants was that the railway lines that had brought materials and raw materials to heavy industry fell out of use. Today many of these rail routes have been converted into cycle paths, which offer panoramic views, often running across viaducts. The network of cycle routes now totals 29,000 kilometres.
Sustainable shopping in Aachen
North Rhine-Westphalia has long been known as a place for good-value shopping. To serve its millions of residents, large retail complexes have been built, and CentrO in Oberhausen is the largest shopping centre in Europe. It is worth looking at what small shops have to offer, though, as more and more of them operate sustainably. Around the old town in Aachen there are several shops whose range is built on products from known sources, often from local producers, as a way of promoting fair trade. Some of them have set themselves the goal of reducing plastic packaging. At 'Aachen Unverpackt' (www.unverpacktes-glück.de), food is sold by measuring out the right portions into glass containers or cloth bags.
The shop's owners make no secret of the fact that it is best if customers bring their own container, which is used again and again. Another shop (https://www.vomfass.de/aachen), part of the 'Vom Fass' chain, specialises in liquid foods. Here you can buy olive oil, balsamic vinegar and spirits - all dispensed from bulk containers straight into the vessel the customer brings along. Clothing from the 'Hubert & Therese' shop can make an exceptional souvenir of a trip to North Rhine-Westphalia (https://hubertundtherese.de/ueber-uns). Every garment is certified as having been produced without toxins or harmful pesticides, with fair pay and working conditions applied throughout the process.
Tiger & Turtle Magic Mountain in Duisburg
One of Duisburg's attractions goes by the name 'Tiger & Turtle Magic Mountain'. Taken literally, the name makes the place even more intriguing. So what is this 'magic mountain of the tiger and the turtle'? Let's go back to 2005, when a large zinc works closed down here. It left behind large quantities of hazardous waste. Everything that could still pose a threat to people and nature was meticulously collected, sealed in a huge plastic covering and buried under soil. The result was a hill, which has become a place for walks thanks to 2.7 km of paths. In 2011 artists set to work, creating a piece that has become a symbol of this part of the Ruhr. From a distance the tangle of tubes and stairs, resting on 17 columns, looks like a giant rollercoaster, and to some it may recall twisted conveyor belts suspended in mid-air. The work - 20 metres high - is now part of a larger leisure park, and visitors can climb its stairs to the highest levels. It is also - literally and figuratively - the crowning glory of the whole project of giving post-industrial land back to nature and to local people.
Nature in NRW: bison, wild horses and flamingos
North Rhine-Westphalia is a fascinating region of Germany. In a relatively small area you will find many natural attractions which show that some places have been 'managed' by nature alone for centuries. Elsewhere you can see flora and fauna returning to revitalised land. As a result, the region boasts no fewer than 13 nature conservation areas, one of which has national park status. Together they cover more than 40% of the state, while forests and water make up 25% of its surface. A curious fact is that NRW is home to free-living herds of European bison and wild horses, as well as a breeding colony of flamingos. The heavy industry sites that were once ubiquitous here are being given new purposes, creating unique opportunities for reuse as part of sustainable resource management. The people of North Rhine-Westphalia are increasingly conscious consumers and are taking advantage of the growing opportunities for environmentally friendly behaviour. Tourists appreciate this approach and are adopting it too.
