WasserEisenLand celebrates 40 years: Experience industrial culture in a new way!

WasserEisenLand celebrates 40 years: Experience industrial culture in a new way!

In 2023, WasserEisenLand, an important player in the promotion of industrial culture in South Westphalia, celebrated its 40th anniversary. The club was founded in 1985 out of necessity after a negative article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung described the region as desolate. Arnold Rump, a committed district council member from Altena, was the driving force behind this initiative, which aimed to improve the region's image and make its cultural treasures visible.

The beginnings were modest, but the enthusiasm of the 17 founding members paid off. On August 26, 1996, the support association was brought into being in the Wertreiben moated castle. From the beginning, the focus was on the documentation and restoration of architectural monuments in the Märkischer Kreis and the development of a tourism guide to the “Märkische Straße Technical Cultural Monuments”. The aim was to recognize and promote the importance of industrial heritage monuments for tourism.

The development of industrial culture

South Westphalia, also known as WasserEisenLand, has a tradition of economic progress stretching back over 2,300 years, particularly in the areas of water and iron. Historically, mining and iron processing shaped the region's landscape and commercial development. Today, South Westphalia can proudly count itself as one of the strongest and most sustainable industrial regions in Europe. There are numerous metal processing high-tech companies here, many of them are world market leaders that can look back on a rich, early industrial past.

The heritage extends across many impressive sites: mines, ironworks, wire drawing factories, cutlery and needle factories, blacksmith hammers and foundries characterize this industrial-historical landscape. In 2000, an internet presence was created to make this valuable heritage accessible to a wider public, and collaborations with the Industrial Heritage Route began. This collaboration has reached a new dimension since 2018 through a cooperation agreement.

Current developments and future plans

However, change in WasserEisenLand has not stood still. In November 2023, Dr. Oliver Schmidt chaired Stephan Sensen's association. With fresh ideas and a lot of enthusiasm, the new board plans to further support and revitalize the industrial culture in the region. The focus is not only on preserving the heritage, but also on passing it on to future generations. In recent years, we have also actively participated in the REGIONALE 2013 and initiated the “Eisenstraße Südwestfalen” project.

Thanks to intensive marketing activities and signage of technical cultural monuments, they are now easier to find and experience. A special project that received support from the European Regional Development Fund is “StahlZeitReisen”, which shows how strong the region's roots in industrial history are.

There are many exciting opportunities for those interested to experience the industrial heritage of South Westphalia. On the South Westphalia Magazine website Visitors will find a variety of places that bring this heritage to life. The WasserEisenLand therefore remains an important player that not only refers to the past, but also looks to the future and continues to make the treasures of industrial culture accessible to everyone.