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Hiking trails & Routes

Germany

North Rhine-Westphalia

Ruhr Region

ZollvereinSteig

Routes

Hiking trails & Routes

Germany

North Rhine-Westphalia

Ruhr Region

ZollvereinSteig

Hard

4.6

(579)

1,796

hikers

ZollvereinSteig

06:57

26.6km

200m

Hiking

Welcome to the ZollvereinSteig. Here, lush green parks meet unique industrial culture and lovingly maintained allotment gardens meet impressive heap art. It is named after – of course – the Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site, the only world heritage site in the Ruhr area.

The route takes you from the impressive 100-hectare mine area across the north of Essen and past the Rhine-Herne Canal. Nowhere else in the city can you discover the successful structural change of the once industrial region so closely and, above all, close to nature. The highlights, in the truest sense of the word, are the accessible dumps. Let your gaze wander and see how nature has increasingly reclaimed the landscape in recent decades.

If you lack time, desire or fitness - no problem: the ZollvereinSteig can be easily hiked in one or more stages. And you don't need to pack your backpack too full for a refreshment break, as there are numerous good restaurants and cafés along the way.

by Visit Essen

Last updated: April 16, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

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Ehemaliges Floatglas-Gelände

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

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190 m

Ruhr Museum

Highlight • Monument

The Ruhr Museum in Essen, formerly the Ruhrland Museum, is a natural and cultural history museum that shows the history of the Ruhr region with its wide-ranging collections and departments. It is housed in the coal washing plant of shaft XII of the Zollverein mine.

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844 m

Cooling Towers Zeche Zollverein

Highlight • Monument

The two impressive octagonal steel colossi invite you to take photos and admire them.

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1.62 km

Zollverein Coal Mine and Coking Plant

Highlight • Monument

The former hard coal mine Zeche Zollverein is known beyond the Ruhr area for industrial culture. The mine was in operation from 1851 to 1986, and parts of it are now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

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2.90 km

Kunstschacht B43 and PACT Zollverein

Highlight • Historical Site

The artist Thomas Rother developed his work in the former machine house on shafts 1/2/8. The PACT Zollverein choreographic center is located in the former laundry room right next door. The focus here is on dance and performance as well as the networking and exchange of artists.

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5.95 km

Kaiser-Wilhelm Park

Highlight • Natural Monument

The park was created for the 100th birthday of Kaiser Wilhelm I to create a green oasis nearby for the hard-working miners. Today, music fans are particularly drawn to the memorial erected there for Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington, who died in 2018.

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6.99 km

Zeche Carl

Highlight • Historical Site

In the Zeche Carl there is a good program of comedy, 70s/80s parties, flea markets, workshops, etc. Afterwards there is the Malakow restaurant with beer garden.

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7.60 km

Memorial to the Victims of the Kapp Putsch at Nordfriedhof Altenessen

Highlight • Monument

The 22-hectare cemetery contains a burial ground of 45 miners who died in a firedamp explosion at the Fritz colliery in 1942. There is an impressive monument in front of it.

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11.8 km

Bramme on the Schurenbach slag heap

Highlight • Monument

At 50 meters, the highest slag heap in the city offers an impressive 360-degree view. Mountain bikers will find the best training conditions here on their own track. Treat each other with respect. The landmark is the "Slab" by the sculptor Richard Serra.

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14.0 km

Halde Eickwinkel Viewpoint

Highlight • Viewpoint

At around 21 meters, it is lower than the neighboring Schurenbachhalde, but the Eickwinkel spoil heap also rewards with a fascinating panoramic view.

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18.5 km

Halde Zollverein 4/11

Highlight • Natural Monument

As the name suggests, this 37 hectare dump was created by dumping the tailings from the Zollverein colliery.

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24.6 km

View of Essen North from Friedhof Am Hallo

Highlight • Viewpoint

From the spacious cemetery, located on a natural elevation, visitors get a beautiful panoramic view of the north of Essen. It is part of the “Essener Outlook” project.

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26.6 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

15.3 km

4.81 km

3.37 km

2.78 km

282 m

Surfaces

13.3 km

8.32 km

2.80 km

1.17 km

733 m

191 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (90 m)

Lowest point (40 m)

Weather

Sunday 7 June

21°C

10°C

21 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 13.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

August 24, 2025,ZollvereinSteig

Starting at the free parking lot of the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex, today was my fourth and final Essen circular walk. This time with significantly less elevation gain and a focus on industrial heritage instead of natural trails.
The Zollverein Trail opened only a few years ago and offers a fantastic view of the industrial heritage that has long …

Showing Translation

April 5, 2025,Tag der Steige: Zollvereinsteig

Following last year's success, Essen hosted another Steige Day today. This time, five hikes were offered around the Zollvereinsteig trail. So, this morning, just before 9 a.m., I met @Verena—whom I had the pleasure of meeting last year on the Baldeneysteig—at Zollverein. After the mayor's opening, the first participants were allowed to start. We headed past the coking plant, where …

Showing Translation

April 22, 2026,Urwald, Halden und Industriedenkmale: Der Essener Zollvereinsteig

"And preserve the colours of His sky, white and blue!" - this colour theory of the Bavarians is surpassed by the Ruhr area: Bright blue sky over rich green foliage and, in between, rust-red industrial monuments.

Essen was once the city with the most hard coal mines in the world. Today, none are active anymore. The last one, located at …

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August 8, 2023,Zollvereinsteig II

Back from Sweden nine days ago and only done two small hikes of around 19 km each. That had to change.
That's why we went to Essen today to complete the Zollvereinsteig for the second time.

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March 9, 2024,ZollvereinSteig - 27 Kilometer durch Essen

The ZollvereinSteig leads from the impressive 100 hectare area of the UNESCO World Heritage Zollverein Coal Mine Site right through the north of Essen. We hiked the route at the beginning of March 2024, passed the coking plant and the Carl Coal Mine, climbed several slag heaps, enjoyed the distant views of the Ruhr area and had a "surprise guest" …

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May 8, 2022,Zollverein-Steig

A very nice and varied tour. However, the duration of the tour should not be underestimated.

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May 5, 2024,Zollvereinsteig (mit Variation am Ende)

On a very short notice (just yesterday) we went to Essen today to start the Zollvereinsteig.
The tour starts at the Zollverein Nord train station. From there it is only a few minutes' walk to the trail.

For a while you walk along roads near the Zollverein mine, but not for too long. Then the route branches off into one …

Showing Translation

April 10, 2022,Erkundungsrunde auf dem Zollvereinsteig 🥾

The Zollvereinsteig was only opened a few days ago as the third path of its kind in Essen. In typical April weather, the appraisal began, and soon the sun came out.

Showing Translation

March 13, 2024

Welcome to the ZollvereinSteig. Here, lush green parks meet unique industrial culture and lovingly maintained allotment gardens meet impressive heap art. It is named after – of course – the Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site, the only world heritage site in the Ruhr area.
﻿
The route takes you from the

Translated by Google •

March 8, 2025

It was fun, especially the stretches through the greenery and branches. I was glad I had filled my backpack with provisions. This early in the year there was hardly anything open. No beer garden or café....

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ZollvereinSteig

Ruhr Museum

Cooling Towers Zeche Zollverein

Zollverein Coal Mine and Coking Plant

Kunstschacht B43 and PACT Zollverein

Kaiser-Wilhelm Park

Zeche Carl

Memorial to the Victims of the Kapp Putsch at Nordfriedhof Altenessen

Bramme on the Schurenbach slag heap

Halde Eickwinkel Viewpoint

Halde Zollverein 4/11

View of Essen North from Friedhof Am Hallo

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