Cold draft wind caresses the nose, the hands are on the hips. The eyes cannot stop capturing the panorama from the summit of the Haniel dump: In the far distance, chimneys are still smoking, to the south lies the Oberhausen Gasometer, to the east the football arena in Gelsenkirchen. Concentrated Ruhr area at a glance. And down below, at the foot of the dump, the former shaft facility Franz Haniel I/II with its headgear can be recognized. It once brought, like other shaft facilities of the Prosper-Haniel mine, the "mining material" from the depths, which today towers 159 meters high to the dump.
The panoramic view over the northwestern district lingers on the colorful steles that rise skyward from the surface of the dump. They shine in various colors in small formations; their former use as railway sleepers is long past. What did the Basque painter and sculptor Augustin Ibarrola think when he installed his "totems" in 2002 as part of the Ruhr Triennale at this extraordinary location? He once said he wanted to create a connection between industry and nature. He has succeeded.
The "totems" complete the ensemble of art, culture, and religion on the <strong>Halde Haniel</strong>. Already on the ascent, visitors discover the Stations of the Cross and follow them upward. Since 1995, it offers the opportunity for devotion, as well as for further education on mining history. Over 15 stations with copper plates and arranged mining relics lead the serpentine path uphill. The plates depict scenes from the Passion story of Christ, the equipment recalls the hard work underground: a mining cart, a continuous miner, and a shield support that originally protected the miners from rock and coal falls.
The late artist and nun Tisa von der Schulenburg designed the 15 copper plates. The Oberhausen artist Adolf Radecke and then-apprentice of the Prosper-Haniel mine placed the equipment in an allegorical context. Today, all of that is history. Prosper-Haniel is also closed, no longer bringing mining material to the surface since September 2018. And slowly but surely, Haniel, the once glorious name in the Ruhr industry belonging to the Duisburg entrepreneur Franz Haniel, is losing its connection to mining.
Peace has now returned underground, but there is a lot going on at the heap. Thousands use the day for a pilgrimage with the Ruhr bishop and the honorary guard of Prosper-Haniel to the heap cross. It stands on a foreland plateau not far from the "totems" and the so-called mining arena. This amphitheater serves as a spectacular venue for major cultural events, such as operas like Wagner's "The Flying Dutchman" and Verdi's "Aida". On other days, it is wonderful for a break.
