Zollverein is the centrepiece of the Ruhr's post-industrial reinvention: a 100-hectare former coal mine in Bauhaus style that has been transformed into a cultural campus housing museums, design studios, restaurants, ice skating in winter, and regular art and architecture events. The industrial architecture is extraordinary — monumental but precise, with a clarity of form that makes most modern building look timid.
The Ruhr Museum inside the former coal washing plant is the main draw: a permanent exhibition on the history and present of the Ruhr region that is genuinely intelligent about the social, economic, and environmental complexity of the area. The Red Dot Design Museum occupies the boiler house. In summer, the Zollverein pool opens in a former industrial basin — one of the odder swimming experiences in Germany. Allow at least half a day.