Tours

The Initiativkreis Horizontastronomie im Ruhrgebiet is happy to guide your group across the slag heap and the installations on the plateau at the summit as long as there is a guide available for your chosen date. Guides will be able to offer the tours in English. Since we are the inventor and designers of the installations, you are guaranteed to experience a competent tour explaining all the functionalities and features of the horizon observatory and sundial. Additionally, we also include an overview of the surrounding Ruhr area and you will learn more about the mining history and the structural change in this region.

Schedule of a tour (special arrangements are possible)

• Meeting point at the shaft tower of the former colliery Recklinghausen II in the Stadteilpark Hochlarmark (Google Maps).

• Approximately 30 minutes, walk to the slag heap and ascent via the dragon bridge to the obelisk onto the southern plateau of the summit. During the walk there will be explanations on the origin and design of the slag heap and on the mining in the region.

• Approximately 20 minutes, explanations and trial measurement with the horizontal sundial. This includes first overviews of the Ruhr area.

• Approximately 10 minutes, walk to the northern plateau of the summit and the horizon observatory.

• Approximately 15 minutes, explanations of the functionality and the different features of the horizon observatory.

• Approximately 30 minutes, individual exploration of the installation and a 360° panoramic view of the Ruhr area.

• Approximately 15 minutes, descent via the sky stairway to the pub ‘Zum Handweiser’ (alternatively, a return journey via the dragon bridge to the Stadtteilpark)

Total duration of the tour approximately 2 hours.

Price: A tour costs generally €50 (payable in cash before the tour).

Number of participants: The maximum number of participants should not exceed 25 persons (or one school class).

Important: During the walk we will be managing an altitude difference of 100 m and a distance of approximately 5 km. Please decide for yourselves if you group is able to manage this walk. The entire walk is in principle freely accessible; however we cannot guarantee if a wheelchair user or a person with difficulties to walk can cope with some more than 5% slopes.

Wind and weather: At the summit of the slag heap you will be unprotected and open to wind and weather. It can be very hot during the summer and much colder during the winter compared to the more protected city. Furthermore, a light breeze or slight drizzle at the foot of the slag heap can turn into an unpleasant storm on the summit. Please treat the tour as a hike rather than a Sunday stroll and wear appropriate clothing and footwear. If during bad weather the tour will take place, has to be inquired at short notice. Whenever a thunderstorm is approaching, the tour will have to be terminated immediately due to health and safety reasons.

Liability: You will take part in the tour at your own risk. Neither the Initiativkreis nor the tour guide is liable for accidents or injuries during the walk.

Booking and arranging a date: We advise to contact and book a date for a tour in advance with the office of the Westfälischen Volkssternwarte Recklinghausen at info@sternwarte-recklinghausen.de or +49 (0)2361 23134. Please take into consideration that it may take some days to arrange a tour date with an honorary tour guide.

Miscellaneous: If time allows, we recommend a visit to the observatory Sternwarte Recklinghausen before the tour of the slag heap. The observatory regularly offers in its program presentations on the horizon observatory that can also be arranged individually for a group. The normal admission fees of the observatory apply for such presentations.

Google Maps - directions car park Stadtteilpark Hochlarmark/Drachenbrücke

Google Maps - directions car park Zum Handweiser