Since 1995, the Foundation for the Preservation of Industrial Monuments in North Rhine-Westphalia has been concerned with the preservation of industrial monuments that are worthy of protection and whose economic heyday is long behind them. The icons of industrial culture are to be saved from demolition, structurally secured and made accessible to the public. The portfolio includes 25 facilities at 14 locations, linked by the Industrial Heritage Tourist Route. The ten-hectare Hansa coking plant in Dortmund is one of them. Built in 1928, the plant produced 5,200 tons of coke per day at peak times. The coking plant has been shut down since 1992; today it can be visited year-round and free of charge "as a large walk-in sculpture" (Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Guided tours with experts are recommended. (Sat/Sun 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 5 euros).

The coking plant also sees itself as a cultural center; the well-known festival series "Extra-Schicht" (“Extra Shift”) is held here on a regular basis. The Dortmund Children's and Youth Theater celebrated a successful premiere on the site last Sunday with „Nachdem der Himmel glühte“ ("After the Sky Heated Up"). The innovative play (for ages 10 and up), designed as a guided tour with actors, addresses climate change with everything from flooding to drought. "An exciting, very current topic," says KJT spokeswoman Djamak Homayoun, who studied German language and literature in Bonn. Next dates: Sept. 8, 12 and 14

More information can be found on the website in English: https://www.industriedenkmal-stiftung.de/en/monuments/kokerei-hansa

"Don't be confused by our name," the operators of the Eckenhagen Monkey and Bird Park advise their visitors. Because: Barbary macaques and squirrel monkeys in two enclosures as well as numerous bird species in seven free-flight halls play a central role, but the facility in the Oberbergisches Land also houses kangaroos, coatis, deer, goats, arctic foxes and much more. The Tier Erlebnistagen (Experience the Animals Days) on September 4 and 5 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in each case) are filled with information and activities "all about animals," including lectures and demonstrations. For children there is a petting zoo.

More information can be found here: affen-und-vogelpark.de

A wood museum? Yes, there is one! The municipality of Morbach in the densely wooded Hunsrück region has been the official sponsor of the Hunsrück Wood Museum in the small district of Weiperath for 20 years now. Around 100 volunteers take turns handling organizational necessities such as admission, guided tours, technical demonstrations, catering and administration. The permanent exhibition focuses on tree and wood species, wood harvesting and wood crafting. Children go on a fun-filled museum rally with the mascot Hanni Holzwurm. Adult visitors are more drawn to the creel hall, where they can marvel at a historic horizontal creel in action: The saw with its horizontal saw blade splits mighty tree trunks lengthwise to produce beams and boards.

More information can be found here: hunsruecker-holzmuseum.de.

One festival, one place: In normal times, the town of Bernkastel-Kues hosts the annual "Wine Festival on the Middle Moselle." For 2021, the organizers wanted to minimize pandemic-related risks - and still celebrate a little bit. The idea: "We're spreading the festival over 19 locations in the Middle Moselle," says Claus Conrad of the Bernkastel Tourist Information Office. "This also distributes the visitors better". The "Wine Festivals on the Middle Moselle" will take place from September 2 to 5. Each municipality will have its own small program. On offer are boat tours, hikes, guided tours of the villages, concerts or picnics on the riverbanks. Numerous wineries will open their doors to the public.

More information can be found here: bernkastel.de

(Orig. text: Heinz Dietl, Translation: Carol Kloeppel)