Denkmalpfad Zollverein

Description

On a former spoil tip of Zeche Zollverein in the Stoppenberg district of Essen, the Skulpturenpark Zollverein presents works by the sculptor Ulrich Rückriem. The park was laid out in 1991 in the run-up to documenta IX, planned for 1992, and is situated on a spoil tip that has been disused since 1986 and rises only a few metres, between Schacht XII and the coking plant.

Rückriem created six sculptures composed of a total of 24 individual stone blocks. With the establishment of the sculpture park, part of documenta was for the first time relocated to an external site. In the following years the artist used a nearby hall of the Zentralwerkstatt as a studio for five years.

At the centre of the site stands the sculpture Castell: formed from man-high, ton-heavy granite blocks, it produces a self-contained, meditative interior space that is accessed only through narrow openings at the sides. Further granite works are distributed among the birch and black locust trees on the spoil tip; some stand openly, others lie hidden in the undergrowth. The edge of the spoil tip is accentuated by additional granite blocks.

The entire site is part of the industrial monument Zeche Zollverein in Essen, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001. In 2010 the colliery served as the cultural centre of RUHR.2010. The spoil tip with the sculpture park falls under the responsibility of the Stiftung Zollverein, which is responsible for its operation and upkeep.