The Völklingen Ironworks

At the dawn of the 21st century, the World Heritage Site Völklinger Hütte stands out as one of the most exciting places in the world.

The 'idea laboratory' continues the creative process of rethinking and reorganising ideas that begun in the Völklingen Ironworks. In future workshops, the progress of which is covered by a presenter, tomorrow's world is being moulded.

Throughout the course of its history, the Völklingen Ironworks has managed on several occasions to turn past into future, failure into success and defeat into victory. The future needs the past thus it is appropriate that this historical legacy should flow on into the work of the future workshops in a fitting manner.

The crisis undergone at the Völklingen Ironworks at the end of the industrial era brought about a realisation, the consequences of which are still being seen today. The realisation was that the enormous production possibilities of the ironworks were leading mankind to the limits of what could be done and therby into a vacuum. Yet it is this very vacuum that has created inexhaustible opportunities for new things at Völklinger Hütte.