The UNESCO World Heritage Zollverein in the north of Essen is one of the most impressive monuments of industrial culture - and vividly shows how nature and culture are reclaiming the former industrial complex. Hard coal was mined here from 1851 to December 1986, a total of more than 240 million tonnes. Zeche Zollverein was once the largest coal mine in the world and is now a symbol of the Ruhr region's transformation from a coal mining centre to a cultural centre.

The area of the Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site includes the colliery grounds and the coking plant, which was once the largest in Europe. Between the bolides of steel and stone, a diverse plant world has developed, at first imperceptibly but now clearly visible: Native woods and exotic plants stretch across former wastelands. A unique scenery is created in the area of tension between the historical industrial backdrop and the experience of nature.

The Zollverein Coal Mine and Coking Plant was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on 14 December 2001 as the "Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex". Since then, the former industrial complex has officially been one of the world's most important cultural assets.