Himmelstreppe, Large sculpture on Halde Rheinelbe Süd, Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

Himmelstreppe is an art installation on Halde Rheinelbe Süd, made of three ramp paths that meet at a circular area and lead to a 12-meter-high staircase of concrete blocks. The structure incorporates recycled materials from a former coal mining site and provides viewpoints across the Ruhr region.

The work was created in 1999 as part of the International Building Exhibition Emscher Park, symbolizing the Ruhr region's shift from mining to new uses. The concrete blocks came from a demolished Dortmund coal mine, preserving traces of that industrial era.

The name Himmelstreppe, German for "stairway to heaven," refers to the ten-meter stack of heavy concrete blocks crowning the mound. At the foot of the ascent, Herman Prigann set up a row of concrete steles carved with examples of Ruhr miners' poetry; some have since broken and are no longer complete. The surrounding Skulpturenwald mixes industrial debris with oak trunks and gravel.

The site is accessible on foot with multiple paths for exploring the structure and climbing to higher levels. Clear weather makes the ascent to the upper platform worthwhile for views across the surrounding landscape.

The mound is one of the Ruhr's burning spoil tips: coal residue inside reacts with oxygen and has self-ignited, with temperatures measured up to 400 °C. Visitors may notice warmth or faint smoke on parts of the slope.