How about a walk through a landscape shaped by industry? Welcome to the Ehemaliges Grubengelände Finkenheerd. This former mining area tells a story of transformation. It shows how nature reclaims its space.
Once, this area buzzed with activity. Coal was extracted to power the nearby power plant. Now, peace reigns. The Ehemaliges Grubengelände Finkenheerd is now a protected landscape.
Imagine towering chimneys dominating the horizon. The Märkische Elektrizitätswerk built a brown coal power plant here in 1921. Georg Warrelmann, the chairman, developed the technical concept. AEG supplied the machinery.
The plant needed coal. New open-cast mines were opened. New shafts were sunk. The coal fueled the turbines. In 1923, the first two turbines started. They generated 12.5 megawatts together.
These turbines ran for decades. They produced 200 million kilowatt-hours of electricity. The Ehemaliges Grubengelände Finkenheerd power plant grew. It eventually had six chimneys up to 125 meters tall. Dyckerhoff and Widmann AG built the first two chimneys. They were 110 meters high.
The plant supplied power to Frankfurt. It also supplied 21 other districts. In 1931, the sixth turbine was installed. The total capacity reached 170 megawatts.
World War II brought destruction. But the six chimneys remained standing. After the war, workers repaired the machines. By June 1945, the first turbine was running. The plant even powered Frankfurt’s trams again.
However, reparations took their toll. Four turbines were dismantled. They were shipped to the Soviet Union. Still, the Ehemaliges Grubengelände Finkenheerd plant kept going. It supplied power to local businesses, schools, and a nursery.
In 1972, the plant began providing district heating. A 57-kilometer pipeline connected it to 22000 households in Frankfurt. They received their heating energy from here.
The end came in 1992. The pollution was too high. The plant closed. On October 10, 1998, the last two chimneys were demolished. In its lifetime, the plant consumed 90 million tons of raw brown coal.
Today, nature has returned. The Ehemaliges Grubengelände Finkenheerd is now a landscape conservation area. Many people hike here. Komoot users especially love it. They have created thousands of hikes and walks here.
You can choose from easy routes. Some take just over an hour. Others are more challenging. These take over two hours.
So, take a walk. Breathe the fresh air. Explore the Ehemaliges Grubengelände Finkenheerd. Remember its industrial past. Appreciate its natural present.