Halde Großes Holz, rekultivierte und landschaftlich gestaltete Bergehalde des Bergbaus in Bergkamen
Halde Großes Holz is an artificial hill landscape in western Bergkamen created from coal mining waste that spans nearly 200 hectares. It reaches a height of around 150 meters, making it the highest spoil heap in the western region, with several developed paths, viewpoints, and art installations across its surface.
The pile began in the early 1960s with waste from the Haus Aden and Monopol mines, reaching its final height of about 150 meters when mining operations closed. After 2006, the Regionalverband Ruhr purchased the land and invested over two million euros transforming it into a park with paths, artworks, and planted areas.
The name 'Großes Holz' comes from the beech forest that once covered this area before the pile was created, now surviving only in memory and naming. Today visitors walk and cycle here, and the light art sculptures like 'Impuls' turn the space into a place where industrial heritage meets contemporary creativity.
The site is mostly freely accessible with two large parking areas at Erich-Ollenhauer-Strasse and Waldstrasse, with the Waldstrasse lot closer to the lit towers. The well-marked paths work for both walkers and cyclists, and a flashlight is recommended for evening visits since lighting is scattered across the space.
The light sculpture 'Impuls' is a 30-meter tall white steel column with pulsing LED lights visible from far away at night, which glowed in Ukraine's colors in 2022. Hidden beneath lies an abandoned conveyor bridge from the mining era that no longer operates but preserves the site's industrial past underground.
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