Board of the German Federal Association of Industrial Heritage. Courtesy LWL / Philipp Harms
German Federal Association of Industrial Heritage founded, followed by the ERIH Germany Dialogue
After three years of preparatory work, largely driven by ERIH, Germany launched a Federal Association of Industrial Heritage. It will promote the interests of a wide range of industrial heritage sites and initiatives and advocate on their behalf at the political level. 180 participants from across Germany, including 120 founding members, gathered at the ERIH Anchor Point LWL Industrial Museum Zollern Colliery in Dortmund on 1 April to elect a board and adopt the association's statutes.
Whether education, fundraising expertise, political and legal support or the preservation and (re)use of industrial monuments – the association considers itself a competent partner in all areas of industrial heritage. This corresponds to the preferences expressed in an online survey conducted by ERIH as early as 2022, which, however, was aimed at establishing a federal foundation. Out of this initiative, the idea of setting up a federal association emerged to ensure a combined representation of the various stakeholders in the future foundation. The proposed bill to establish this foundation could no longer be voted on in the Bundestag due to the collapse of the so-called ‘traffic light coalition’ government. Nevertheless, the process of constituting an association continued, not least to join forces in pushing ahead with the plans for a federal foundation.
Leading the way were the participants of the ERIH Germany Dialogue. In 2023, at the Nuremberg Museum of Industrial Culture, they adopted the Nuremberg Declaration on German Industrial Heritage, and one year later, at ERIH Anchor Point Zollverein World Heritage Site, they passed a resolution to formally establish the federal association, which was now implemented in the context of the ERIH Germany Dialogue 2025.
The new association, based at the LWL Industrial Museum Zollern Colliery in Dortmund, has up to 450,000 euros at its disposal for the initial project period of three years. Key funding partners include the Cultural Foundation of the Regional Association of Westphalia-Lippe (LWL), the Department for Cultural Affairs of the Rhineland Regional Association (LVR) and the Ruhr Regional Association (RVR), which is responsible for the Industrial Heritage Trail in the Ruhr District. A conference on the future of industrial heritage is planned for 2027, at the end of the pilot phase.
Summing up, ERIH President Dr Walter Hauser said: ‘This was a successful and important day for industrial heritage in Germany, with the association now providing a powerful voice to represent the interests of all stakeholders in the country.’ With regard to European industrial heritage, he added that the process of founding a national association can potentially serve as a blueprint for other countries in the ERIH network.
Dr Hauser sits on the board of the new federal association as the representative of the ERIH member LVR Industrial Museum. Other members of the ERIH network, including LWL Museums of Industrieal Heritage, the Brandenburg/Havel Industrial Museum, Ferropolis Ltd, the BZI Berlin Centre for Industrial Heritage and the Ruhr Regional Association, also hold seats on the association's board. ‘As ERIH community, we look forward to working together and creating meaningful synergies,’ stated Dr Hauser.
The inaugural meeting was followed by the annual ERIH Germany Dialogue, a national conference attended by over 100 participants. The agenda featured current developments in the network, the newly elected ERIH board as of 2024, and a presentation of the working programme (work packages) for the new Creative Europe project SHINE4future, including opportunities for members to get involved.
The mutual exchange provided an opportunity to meet new colleagues. In addition, participants reported on current activities, events and innovations at their respective sites. Display boards served to collect ideas, challenges, ongoing and planned projects, as well as suggestions for possible partnerships. Attendees were also asked about their interest in participating in specific SHINE4future topics. The results will help to shape the further project planning.
Photo: Board of the German Federal Association of Industrial Heritage. Courtesy LWL / Philipp Harms
From left to right: Thies Schröder (Managing Director of Ferropolis Ltd., 2nd Chairman), Constanze Roth (INNOVENT e.V. / Head of the Vogtland Pioneers Alliance, Member), Prof. Josef Hoppe (Managing Director of the Berlin Centre for Industrial Heritage, Member), Dr Corinna Franz (Head of LVR Culture Dept.), Dr Barbara Rüschoff-Parzinger (Head of LWL Culture Dept.), Marius Krohn (Director of Brandenburg/Havel Industrial Museum, Treasurer), Anja Nixdorf-Munkwitz (Chair of the Saxony State Association for Industrial Heritage, Member), Timo Hauge (Team Leader, Industrial Heritage RVR, Member), Dr Kirsten Baumann (Director LWL-Museums of Industrial Heritage, 1st Chairwoman), Dr Walter Hauser (ERIH President and Director LVR Industrial Museum, Member), Jürgen K. Enninger (Head of Culture Dept., World Heritage and Sport, City of Augsburg, Member).