Anfang der 1950er-Jahre war das Ruhrgebiet noch jenes einzigartige Labyrinth aus Werksanlagen der Schwerindustrie, Eisenbahntrassen, Kanälen und zersiedelten Großstädten, das der amerikanische Journalist Max Ascoli 1949 unter der Überschrift “Industrial Jungle: the Ruhr” beschrieben hatte. Die kürzlich vom Regionalverband Ruhr veröffentlichten historischen Luftbilder des Ruhrgebiets erlauben nun einen faszinierenden Rückblick auf diese Landschaft.
Als Ergänzung zu den Luftbildern aus dem Jahr 1952 ist diese Karte entstanden.
Sie zeigt die wichtigsten Industriebetriebe der Region in dieser Zeit gegliedert nach Branchen.
Category Archives: Ruhr-West
Casting-Rolling Mill
The unique casting rolling unit at ThyssenKrupp’s integrated steel mill in Duisburg, Germany produces strip up to 1,6 m wide with a combined caster and a 7-stand finishing mill in one heat.
The facilities were installed in 1999.
Images now at Stahlseite.
ThyssenKrupp’s Work Horse
the hot strip mill No.2 in Duisburg-Beekerwerth celebrated it’s 50th anniversary in late June.
Installed in 1964 and producing about 6 Mio. tons of hot strip each year it still is one of the most powerfull rolling mills worldwide.
Images now at Stahlseite.
TKS Heavy Plate Mill, Duisburg
The heavy plate mill in Duisburg-Hüttenheim, Germany was built by the Mannesmann company in 1963 to supply plates to their adjecent large diameter pipe welding mill (closed in 1978).
In 1970 the August Thyssen Hütte AG took over the flat rolling business from Mannesmann.
In 1978 the Sack company installed the 3,9 meter four-high rolling stand still in use today.
Images now at Stahlseite.
Coking Plant Schwelgern
The new coking plant Schwelgern in Duisburg, Germany was commmissioned by ThyssenKrupp in 2003 replacing the old August-Thyssen coke ovens.
Two batteries of 70 ovens each were built.
Some images now at Stahlseite.
The Last German Rail
was rolled yesterday at the TSTG rail mill in Duisburg.
The rolling mill exists since 1894 built by the August Thyssen Hütte and sold to the Austrian Voest Alpine group in 2001.
Voest is still producing rails at it’s Donawitz works in Austria.
TSTG’s finishing stands were built in 1924 named “Fertigstrasse 1” back then.
Some images.
It helps to know…
…what you are shooting. At least in Steel Industry Photography.
One of my first steel plant interiors. Krupp Rheinhausen in 1997 and no clue what that “silo” above might be.
So I never went upstairs to see the two 320 ton BOFs, the second largest in Germany. The BOF shop was blown up in 1999.
Vintage Image #7
The image done in 1953 shows the August Thyssen Hütte steel works in Duisburg Hamborn, Germany.
The furnaces shown are, left to right: 7,6,5,4,3,2 . Number one is hidden by the steam cloud from the attached coking plant August Thyssen. Blast furnaces 8 and 9 are to the left and not included. In the center of the image the headgear of coal mine Friedrich Thyssen,shaft 7 is to be seen.
Some more recent images of the mill at Stahlseite.
Fritz Schupp, 1957
The famous German industrial architect built this melt shop in 1957 for Phoenix Rheinrohr in Duisburg, one of the largest German steel companies of that time. It was equipped with three Thomas converters and one modern oxygen converter.
The building underwent several changes over the years especially when it was transformed into a BOF shop in 1969.
Nowadays the ArcelorMittal Ruhrort plant runs a steel making shop with two 140 ton BOF vessels (and one in reserve), two continuous casters and a two stand billet mill. Hot metal comes from the ThyssenKrupp steel company in Duisburg via bottle cars.
Further images on my site.
Grey Iron Casting
Founded in 1921 the Metallwerk Fritz Kleinken is a medium size foundry on the northern rim of the industrial Ruhr-Area in Germany.
It produces grey iron and nodular iron castings up to 30 tons a piece from two cupola and two induction furnaces.
Fritz Kleinken employes 180 people.
Further images at Stahlseite.