What is now still a construction site on the demolished Königsgrube pumping station in Herne-Röhlinghausen is growing into a hybrid landscape, a quarry forest biotope, a sound installation, a water feature in a small park near the Hüllerbach stream, which flows into the Emscher further north.

We are in the centre of the Ruhr area, where coal was mined from 1860 to 1967 in the colliery that gave the area its name. The resulting subsidence of up to ten metres made underground wastewater disposal impossible, which is why our pumping station diverted the wastewater from the surrounding settlements into the Hüllerbach and from there into the Emscher. Fortunately, this is now a thing of the past; the ‘Königsgrube’ has been given a new lease of life as an artistically remodelled ruin and everyone is cordially invited to celebrate the opening with us!