Maximilianpark occupies the grounds of the former Maximilian coal mine, converted into a garden for the 1984 Federal Horticultural Show and kept as a public park ever since. It is one of the better examples of Ruhr valley industrial landscape reclamation — the old mine headframes and pit buildings survive among flower beds and woodland walks, the industrial infrastructure half-swallowed by vegetation.
The park's main draws are the Glaselefant, a butterfly house in one of the converted mine buildings, and a tropical garden with exotic plant species. There is a café and the park is popular with families at weekends. Entry is charged for the enclosed sections; the outer park is free. The park is open April through October.