After arriving at Essen Main Station, I came across this sculpture near the station hall. The work “Steile Lagerung” by sculptor Max Kratz reminded me that Essen was one of the largest mining towns in Europe for a certain period. [German]
“Steile Lagerung” (1989) by Max Kratz
The “Steile Lagerung” is a miner’s memorial reminding us of the coal mine era in Essen. The work of art consists of sixty individual parts made of cast bronze. I find it fascinating how Max Kratz managed to show the hardship of working underground. The steep incline of the adit gives the sculpture additional dynamism.
The mining history of Essen
I was surprised to learn that Essen was a large mining town in earlier times. For example, there were several black coal mines nearby. The German term for this kind of mine is “Zeche”. On the same trip, I visited one of them: The “Zeche Zollverein“. It is one of the anchor points of the European Route of Industrial Heritage. Since 2001, it has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.