REGIONAL ROUTES OPEN UP THE INDUSTRIAL HISTORY OF A REGION

In many European regions there are few industrial heritage sites with touristic potential. Each of this regions has its own specialisms. In this respect European industrial heritage is just like food. Its strength lies in the fact that it unites many different traditions within a single idea. The Regional Routes link landscapes and sites which have left their mark on European industrial history. Germany's Ruhrgebiet, for example. Or South Wales, a key region in the "world's first industrial nation". Both these areas comprise a number of less significant industrial monuments - the small cogs in the large machine.

ERIH animates and supports local actors to present the industrial history and sites of their region in the framework of networks or routes, to develop tourist offers and to promote them.
 

ERIH Good Practive Advice Note for Download

Guidance for creating ERIH Regional Routes

Regional Routes in Austria

Styrian Iron Trail

The upper Styrian region around the Erzberg mine in the city of Eisenerz has been shaped for centuries by mining and processing of iron ore.
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Regional Routes in Czech Republic

Moravian-Silesian Technical Trail

The Moravian-Silesian region was industrialised already during the times of Austria-Hungary in the 19th century and still today is one of the ...
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Regional Routes in Finland

West Coast

Satakunta is a region in the West Coast of Finland with a rich history in forestry and metal industries. Several ironworks were founded along the waterways.
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Regional Routes in Germany

Berlin

At the beginning of the 20th century, Berlin had evolved into one of the largest industrial centres of Europe. The leading economic sectors were ...
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Euregio Meuse-Rhine

The three-nation region around Liège, Maastricht and Aachen, known as the Euregio Maas-Rhine, has often been described as „Europe on a small scale“.
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Hamburg MetropolitanRegion

Hamburg Metropolitan Region is not determined by either chimney landscapes or huge raw material deposits.
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Industrial Valleys

The slate hillsides of the Rhineland do not resemble an industrial area in the slightest. That said, it is indeed an industrial area whose economic roots ...
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Lusatia

Lusatia is swimming in a sea of lignite. Over decades the region was transformed into a centre for the power industry.
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North Hessen

The history of industry and technology plays an important role in North Hessen even though it is less evident today. Sector giants such as ...
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Rhine-Main

The Rhine-Main region epitomises the “Second Industrial Revolution” in Germany that commenced in the mid-19th century.
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Ruhr

Heavy industry means heavy labour. Nowhere in Europe is this so clear as in the Ruhrgebiet. The region is full of the history of coal, steel and people.
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Saar-Lor-Lux

For centuries the region along the Saar, Lorraine and Luxembourg has been deeply influenced by the borders between them.
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Saxony

The industrialisation of Saxony is based on mining which already started in the 10th century, thus creating capital and early technological expertise.
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Saxony-Anhalt

In the early 20th century the area now known as Saxony-Anhalt rose to become one of the most important industrial regions in Europe.
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Regional Routes in Italy

Water Routes Po Valley

Water is a fundamental resource for the life of the planet and indispensable for humans, serving purposes such as food and hygiene, supporting agriculture, acting as a source of energy ...
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Regional Routes in Luxembourg

Minett Tour

The steel industry shaped the landscape, factories and blast furnaces rose, and workers formed an unfamiliar kind of settlements.
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Regional Routes in the Netherlands

Euregio Meuse-Rhine

The three-nation region around Liège, Maastricht and Aachen, known as the Euregio Maas-Rhine, has often been described as „Europe on a small scale“.
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HollandRoute

The port of Amsterdam for a long period of time, suffered the problem that the sea was only accessible via the Zuiderzee, now called The IJsselmeer.
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Regional Routes in Poland

Silesia

Silesian Voivodeship can boast the highest number of historic industrial buildings in Poland. Their uniqueness and authenticity enrich the Region.
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Regional Routes in Spain

Asturias

Silhouettes of mining scaffolds dominate the horizon, steam machines rolling over metal tracks, towns born out of industrial paternalism ...
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Basque Country

The Basque Country is one of the most prosperous regions in southern Europe. With approximately 2 million inhabitants, this region in the north ...
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Catalonia

Catalonia was one of the first regions in the Mediterranean to begin its process of industrialisation during the first third of the 19th century.
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Regional Routes in the United Kingdom

South Wales

Wales played a leading role in the formative years of the Industrial Revolution in the production of iron and steel, tinplate and coal.
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