Between Ferropolis and Mansfelder Land, between the Junkers factory and the Halloren salt works, there is a dense network of stories, machines and people. Saxony-Anhalt is one of Germany's most prominent regions in terms of industrial culture. Here, the history of technology, upheaval and transformation are concentrated in a very small space. Whether underground or on the lakeshore, in the museum or on the festival stage - industrial culture can be experienced in depth here.
City of Iron: Ferropolis and the New Stage for Remembrance
Five colossi tower into the sky on the shores of Lake Gremmin. Big Wheel, Mad Max, Medusa, Mosquito, and Gemini: the former open-cast mining giants look like both a backdrop and a monument. Where lignite was once mined, Ferropolis - the "City of Iron" - is now located. The machines are accessible, their viewing platforms open up a view of the changing landscape. International festivals such as splash! have been bringing music and thousands of people to the site for years. As one of the anchor points of the European Route of Industrial Heritage, Ferropolis shows how memory, future and present intertwine.
Pioneers of Technology: Aviation and the World of Machines
The dream of flying took shape in Dessau. Hugo Junkers developed the world's first all-metal commercial airplane here, which took off in 1919. He is responsible for over 400 patents. The "Hugo Junkers" Museum of Technology exhibits original machines, the historic wind tunnel from 1934 and the iconic Junkers steel house. In Magdeburg, the Museum of Technology adds heavy industry, steel casting and mobility to the industrial culture picture. Locomotives, machines and virtual experiences are waiting to be discovered in an old Krupp-Gruson factory building. Two museums, two locations - linked by curiosity and technical thinking.
Chemistry, Film and the Future: the Triangle between Bitterfeld, Leuna and Wolfen
The Central German Chemical Triangle is one of Germany's defining industrial landscapes. Milestones in chemical history were created between Bitterfeld, Wolfen, Leuna and Buna, for example the first artificial silk, the first PVC and the first color film. The Wolfen Industrial and Film Museum tells the story of the Agfa era, of everyday life at the combine and of the people behind the production. The German Chemistry Museum in Merseburg delves into the depths of chemical processes and shows how production and society have changed. Today, modern chemical parks represent a new phase: networked, automated, future-oriented.
Copper, Slag Heaps and a Land on the Move
800 years of copper mining shaped the Mansfeld region. The mining of ores - silver, rhenium and germanium as well as copper - shaped landscapes, villages and biographies. In the Röhrigschacht show mine, a mine train runs 300 meters underground. Ride along and immerse yourself in everyday life underground - between rock, moisture and the rhythm of the strata. The Mansfeld Mining Railway, the oldest operational narrow-gauge railroad in Germany, takes visitors through a landscape of spoil heaps that look like pyramids. Mining may be dormant, but its traces are visible - in the earth, in the stories, in the air.
White Gold and Gray Walls: Salt, Sugar and Craftsmanship
Salt has been produced in Halle for centuries. The Halloren salt works with its historic pan houses is one of the oldest still active production sites in Europe. The Technical Halloren and Salt Museum shows the history of the "white gold" between tradition, craftsmanship and science. Sugar factories and agricultural industries in the Magdeburger Börde also bear witness to the power of regional raw materials. Many of these sites are still productive today or have been carefully opened up to visitors. Here, industrial heritage does not mean standing still, but continuing to work.
Coal-Steam-Light-Lakes Route
Where coal was once mined, there is now water. The "Coal-Steam-Light-Lakes Route" follows the traces of the energy industry over 160 kilometers. Cycle paths lead to power stations, mining sites and new lake landscapes. The Vockerode power station still bears witness to the large-scale technology of the GDR era, while the Piesteritz workers' housing estate conveys a picture of social planning. In between, lakes such as the Gremminer or Geiseltalsee open up - places for recreation, but also for dealing with change. A journey through change.
Bricks and Fire: the Hundisburg Show Brickworks
The Hundisburg show brickworks is not far from Haldensleben. The history of brick production comes to life in the historic circular kilns. Machines, workshops and exhibitions show the everyday life of the brickmakers and the importance of the building material for the region. Today, the show brickworks combines craftsmanship, industrial culture and cultural events, bringing an important chapter of regional industrial history to life.
Water Connects: The Magdeburg Waterway Junction and the Pretzien Weir
In the north of Saxony-Anhalt, the waterways intersect on a scale that is unique in Europe. The Magdeburg waterway intersection connects the Elbe, Mittelland Canal and Elbe-Havel Canal via bridges, locks and lifts. It is considered the largest of its kind in Europe. Technology and landscape intertwine here, making it one of the most important hydraulic engineering hubs. From viewpoints and on guided tours, you can see the art of engineering and its significance for shipping traffic.
A little further south, on the Elbe cycle path near Schönebeck, lies the Pretzien weir - a technical masterpiece from the 19th century. It has reliably protected against flooding for over 150 years and is considered one of the most important historical weirs in Europe. To this day, it still functions according to its original principle - a quiet engineering achievement that shows how technology, nature and responsibility work together.
Experience Industrial Heritage - All Locations at a Glance
The website of the Saxony-Anhalt Industrial Heritage Network offers orientation, background information and specific tips for visits. All locations, routes and museums can be found here - thematically bundled and with a current calendar of events: