Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord

The Meiderich ironworks closed in 1985, and instead of clearing the site Peter Latz's design from 1991 kept the structures and let vegetation take the ground between them. Blast furnace 5 is climbed by stairs to a platform at about seventy metres. Ore bunkers have been converted into climbing walls with hundreds of routes. The gasometer, filled with water, is one of Europe's largest indoor diving centres, with sunken objects placed for training. At night an installation by Jonathan Park lights the plant in changing colours. The park is free and open at all hours, used by local people as ordinary parkland.

What you'll find

• The furnace climb - stairs to a platform about seventy metres up.
• The bunker climbing walls - ore bunkers converted with hundreds of routes.
• The gasometer dive - a flooded gas tank used as an indoor diving centre.
• The light installation - the plant lit in changing colours after dark.

When to go

April to October for the outdoor routes; the light installation runs on Friday to Sunday evenings after dark year-round. The furnace closes in ice and storms.

Practical notes

High walkways close in wind and ice. Diving and climbing require qualification and booking. The site is industrial with rough surfaces throughout.

Nearby

Oberhausen's gasometer lies north; Essen is east.

Key facts