Kokerei Hansa

A highly interesting place to learn about industry development in the rhine ruhr area since ca. 150 years ago.

Very interesting site of an old factory. Great for photography and a bit of urban exploring. Tours are only in German, i just walked around the site by myself which is completely free of charge. The were only a couple of people when I was there.

Smaller than Zeche Zollverein, but still interesting. Closed around Christmas (yes, also the 24th of December already).

When my girlfriend put together our itinerary for a weekend trip to Dortmund, I was skeptical at the prospect of a visit to an old industrial coke plant. Hell, I didn't even know what (this kind of) coke was! Needless to say, my expectations were exceeded. We had a fascinating tour of the place led by a man who used to work the plant and had an intimate knowledge of its history and operation. It was a unique glimpse into a bygone era when Germany was almost unrecognizable to those only familiar with its present state. The tour was extensive (>2 hours!) but left me wanting to learn more about the process and history of coal processing (my interest level had previously been near 0). My favorite thing was seeing where nature was reclaiming the factory grounds, with layers of soil covering rail tracks and platforms, already sprouting trees that have grown for a few years. It was a unique and memorable experience. Two caveats if you're considering a visit. First, I don't think the tour is available in English. I speak fluent Dutch, which is close enough to German that I understood about 80% of what was said, but I don't think our guide spoke enough English to give a tour in it or translate the more technical words. Secondly, this tour is mostly outside, so I wouldn't recommend it on a rainy day or in super cold weather. It involves moderately vigorous activity (lots of walking, stairs, and a really long and steep ramp) and goes into lots of places built long before people were concerned with accessibility. A couple of people on our tour were in their 60's and in good shape, and they handled it fine, but I could imagine it being challenging for some.

The ambience of this old Kokerei is really something else. If you go on a nice sunny day you will have a great day here.