Those who can get used to the wobbly feeling here venture further over the grating with a clear view into the depths, to the second resting place, 32 meters high. Now only a spiral staircase leads further, just a few meters below the top of the tetrahedron, 38 meters above the ground. The walkable three-sided pyramid was designed by the Darmstadt architect Wolfgang Christ. Under the name “Haldenereignis Emscherblick,” it was opened as a project of the International Building Exhibition (IBA) Emscher Park in 1995. A total of 210 tons of steel were used; the steel pipes of the frame – the side length is 60 meters – would, if laid end to end, have a length of 1.5 kilometers. They form small tetrahedrons, which in turn combine to create a large one. Architect Christ wanted to realize an experienceable structure, an artificial formation similar to the artificiality of the spoil heap.
Especially at night, the tetrahedron seems to float when the light installation by the Düsseldorf artist Jürgen LIT Fischer leaves the four narrow foundation columns dark. The view from the top leads both to the Schalke football arena and to nearby industrial cultural sites such as the Gasometer Oberhausen, the Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord, or the UNESCO World Heritage Zollverein. In good visibility, the Düsseldorf TV tower can even be seen. The tetrahedron stands on the Beckstraße spoil heap in the Batenbrock district, which was created for the mining material of the Bottrop mine Prosper Haniel between 1963 and 1980. On the wide platform of this so-called plateau spoil heap, dolomite rock is scattered, together with the steel construction of the tetrahedron, recalling the past of the mining industry. The lower part of the artificially piled mountain, approximately 65 meters high, has since been greened. Visitors can take the leisurely ascent here or choose the “Diretissima,” a steel staircase with nearly 400 steps.
Note: From the bus stops Arnsmannstraße or Tetraeder, it takes about 20 to 25 minutes to reach the platform. From the end of March to October, a bus operates on Fridays to Sundays up to the stop "Tetraeder Platform".
