Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord is the Ruhr's greatest act of industrial imagination. The former Thyssen ironworks — five blast furnaces, ore bunkers, coking plant, and associated infrastructure covering 180 hectares — was shut down in 1985 and rather than demolished, converted into a public park that leaves the industrial structures essentially intact. The result is extraordinary: vast concrete and steel forms rising out of lawns and wildflower meadows, accessible by footpaths and stairs that take you up into the superstructure.
During the day you can climb the ore bunkers (the highest point is about 70 metres), walk through the enormous blast furnace walls, peer into the casting hall, and admire the engineering from every angle. The old gasometer has been transformed into a certified diving centre — the sealed vessel is filled with water and offers one of the strangest dive environments in the world. After dark, lighting designer Jonathan Park's scheme transforms the whole site into a colour-shifting landscape, making it well worth visiting twice. The park is free to enter and open year-round.