Volklingen ironworks in Germany
Rating: 8,1/10 (150 votes)  Volklingen ironworks – one of the oldest and largest metallurgical plant in Europe. The plant operated from 1873 to 1986, after which it became an industrial museum. The world's first industrial monument with international status, the plant was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994. In 1873, Julius Buch founded a metallurgical plant, which was equipped with puddling and welding furnaces, steam hammers and rolling mills. However, six years later, the production was deemed unprofitable and Bukh was forced to close the plant. The company went bankrupt and in 1881 it was sold at auction. With the arrival of the new owner Karl Rochling, the company flourished. One of the blast furnaces of the plant, surviving to this day, was founded in 1882, a year later dismantled the old puddling and welding furnaces. Five more blast furnaces were built over the next ten years. Several more important innovations were followed (a patent was acquired for the use of the Thomas process in metal melting, a compressor shop was built, sintering machines were put into operation, a coke shop was built by 1897, an induction furnace was launched by 1907, which made it possible to produce high-quality stainless steel) . For over a century, the Volklingen steelworks have been the largest iron and steel smelter in Germany. During the Second World War, the economy was on the rise and about seventeen thousand people worked here. However, the equipment was outdated, and after the crisis of the steel industry in the 70s, production began to decline sharply. As a result, the plant ceased operations in 1986 due to lack of funds for modernization. Immediately after the closure, the plant began to be used as a museum and a venue for various cultural events.     We also recommend reading Historic city of Goslar in Germany Topic: Volklingen ironworks in Germany. |
