Germany Guide
North Rhine-Westphalia
The Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord
Opening time: Mon– Thurs 10am–5pm, Fri– Sun 10am–9pm
Price: Free access to site, group guided tours in English from €75 on request to the visitor centre
Telephone: 0203/429 19 42
Website: www.landschaftspark.de
North of the centre is Duisburg's most original attraction, the Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord . Until 1985 it was a giant steelworks belonging to the Thyssen group; since its decommissioning, nature has reclaimed large parts of the two-square-kilometre site, with rose gardens planted in former ore-hoppers and trees growing up and through the rusty blast furnaces, one of which can be climbed for a vertigo-inducing – though perfectly safe – closer look. The atmosphere is eerie, almost post-apocalyptic, yet there's no doubt that it works, both as a peaceful urban park and an awe-inspiring piece of industrial archeology. It's also a concert venue and activity centre, with alpine climbing gardens and Europe's largest artificial diving centre housed in a flooded gasometer. At weekends a stunning light installation turns it into pure science-fiction after dark. To get there, take tram #903 or #902 from Duisburg's Hauptbahnhof, stop Landschaftspark Nord, from where it's a short walk along Emscherstrasse.