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The glow of the blast furnaces. European Theme Route Iron & Steel
Two steps are needed to make iron and steel – the key materials of the industrial era - from iron ore. First, the ore has to be smelted in the blast furnace to produce pig iron, which is then refined in the fire to produce wrought iron or steel. Both steps are dependent on the type of fuel used. Hard coal is not suitable for producing iron because its trace elements, above all sulphur, can damage the metal. For this reason charcoal was used in furnaces and forges until the start of the 18th century when a shortage of firewood made it very expensive.
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I |
Follonica | Museum of Iron and Cast-iron |
| 58022 Follonica | Italy | |
| Fallonica was the principal centre of ironmaking in Tuscany until the late nineteenth century. Substantial remains of a blast furnace of 1836 are incorporated in a public works garage. The most impres... more >> |
D |
Fröndenberg | Chainforge Musem |
| Ruhrstrasse 12 | 58730 Fröndenberg | Germany | |
| Die Produktion von Ketten bestimmte über hundert Jahre die Industriegeschichte der Stadt Fröndenberg. Die Produktpalette reichte von Ketten für die Landwirtschaft bis zu schwere... more >> |
D |
Gräfenhainichen | Ferropolis - Town of Iron |
| Ferropolisstraße 1 | 06773 Gräfenhainichen | Germany | |
| Its nickname was “Racehorse” and in its life it travelled a total of 221 kilometres – a long way for a crawler swing excavator. In 1995 the old steel giant went into retirement in Ferropolis, th... more >> |
F |
Grossouvre | Charcoal halle of Grossouvre |
| Route de Véreaux | 18600 Grossouvre | France | |
| Waffen für die französische Revolution, Kanalrohre für Madrid und Paris, Konstruktionsteile für den Eiffelturm: Die Eisenhütten des Pays Loire Val d'Aubois waren einst international ein Begriff. ... more >> |
D |
Hagen | LWL Open-Air Museum |
| Mäckingerbach | 58091 Hagen | Germany | |
| The piercing pounding of the mighty scythe rings through the green valley of the Mäckinger stream – no wonder that the old blacksmiths suffered from deafness. Other locations are also full of activ... more >> |
D |
Hagen | LWL Open Air Museum of Handicrafts and Science |
| Mäckingerbach | 58091 Hagen | Germany | |
| The piercing pounding of the mighty scythe rings through the green valley of the Mäckinger stream – no wonder that the old blacksmiths suffered from deafness. Other locations are also full of activ... more >> |
D |
Hattingen | LWL Industrial Museum Henrichshütte Steelworks |
| Werksstraße 25 | 45527 Hattingen | Germany | |
| The Henrichshütte works, one of the most traditional steelworks in the Ruhrgebiet, were set up in 1854. Ore and coal were mined here to help in the manufacture of coke, iron and steel. The latter wer... more >> |
B |
Hornu | Grand Hornu |
| rue Sainte-Louise 82 | 7301 Hornu | Belgium | |
| Coal mining at St Ghislain and Hornu, 8 km W of Mons, began in the 1770s. In 1810 the mines were acquired by the Frenchman Henri de Gorge Legrand (1774-1832). In 1816, having declared that he was ‘t... more >> |
D |
Iserlohn | Historic Factory Maste-Barendorf - Museum of Needles and Brass Casting |
| Baarstraße 220-226 | 58636 Iserlohn | Germany | |
| Haystacks is what the locals called them. And what do you find in haystacks? If you’re lucky? If you’re not you’d have been faced with more than 100 different working stages before you could pro... more >> |
TR |
Istanbul | Rahmi Koç Industrial Museum |
| Hasköy Caddesi 27 | 3445 Istanbul | Turkey | |
| The majority of the industrialist donated Rahmi Koç Museum is an excellent example of how historic industrial buildings a new use can feed. In the former anchor foundry of the Arsenal Hous... more >> |
F |
Jarville-la-Malgrange | Museum of the history of iron |
| Avenue du General de Gaulle BP 15 | 54140 Jarville-la-Malgrange | France | |
| The museum at Nancy has one of the most comprehensive collections in Europe illustrating the history of iron-making, with displays that incorporate artefacts, works of art and extracts from literature... more >> |
SLO |
Jesenice | Ironworking Museum |
| Cesta Prešerna 45 | 4270 Jesenice | Slovenia | |
| The ironworking museum in Jesenice in northern Slovenia is situated in the Ruardowa graščina (the Bucelleni-Ruard Manor House), one of four ‘ironworks castles’ that were formerly the homes of th... more >> |
S |
Karlholms | Karlholms bruk |
| Tygstugan | Karlholms | Sweden | |
| Karlsholm bruk was established in 1719 by the de Geer family, who were of Walloon origin, and is one of the most important monuments of the iron industry in Sweden. In the 18th century wrought-iron wa... more >> |
SK |
Kosice | Slovak Technical Museum |
| Hlavna 88 | 043 82 Kosice | Slovakia | |
| The Slovak Technical Museum originated in 1948, and gained its present name in 1983. It is located in an 18th century Baroque mansion in Kosice, the second town of the old kingdom of Hungary, an impor... more >> |
SLO |
Kropa | Iron Forging Museum |
| Kropa 10 | 4245 Kropa | Slovenia | |
| The small town of Kropa lies in the valley of the River Sava between Jesenice and Kranj. Iron has been worked in the area since the 14th century and it is known as the ‘cradle of Slovenian ironmakin... more >> |
