3rd Middle Hesse Industrial Heritage Days, Germany
For ten days, from 30 June to 9 July, Middle Hesse will be dominated by industrial heritage. Doors that are otherwise closed will be opened to visitors, offering, for example, a glimpse into the factory halls of manufacturing companies. ERIH members are also involved in the event, which will showcase the diversity of the region's industrial heritage with guided tours and lectures, hikes and bus trips, storytelling cafés and concerts.
This year, an exciting programme has been set up again. From Limburg to Schlitz and from Biedenkopf to Schotten, the third Middle Industrial Heritage Days will feature over 50 events in five districts. To kick things off, there will be a jazz concert in the Grünberg Brunnental. Its waterworks with the fountain house built in 1593, the spring water, engine and water wheel houses dating to the 19th century, and the 1910 pumping station with its historic water trail are examples of the vibrant industrial heritage of Central Hesse.
Another example is the smelting and forging day at the Fortuna visitor mine and ERIH Anchor Point in Solms, which, with three bloomery furnaces specifically put into operation for this day, produces the source material from which the industrial heritage in Middle Hesse emerged: iron. Of particular importance for the region's industrial development is Leica, one of the leading companies in the optical industry, which is both sponsor and presenter this time – with three lectures on "Photography between Tradition and Innovation" at the Ernst Leitz Museum in Wetzlar.
The Middle Hesse Industrial Heritage Days were initiated by the Middle Hesse Industrial Heritage Working Group, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. Participants in the event include museums and science centres, clubs and associations, companies and tourism experts as well as representatives of municipalities, districts and the regional council. Also involved are the two natural reserves and the national Geopark.
Tage der Industriekultur Mittelhessen