Diana Strässle
The Ripe Fruit


Until the 19th century, Limburg consisted largely of idyllic heathland landscapes that inspired many painters. But this idyll was fundamentally shaken up when geologists discovered coal in the Kempen Plateau in 1901. The flat landscape was fundamentally disturbed by the appearance of several slag heaps, some of which were over 100 metres high. Today, the coal industry remains only as a spatial memory and various s lag heaps are protected due to their biodiversity However, the Terrils have more potential than just their rich biodiversity and use as a leisure park. Similar to a mushroom system, whose overall shape only appears on the surface as a fruiting body, the material from the tunnels appears as slag heaps above the ground as fruit! For a century, these fruiting bodies were nourished by the rock materials from the mine shafts and today they can be harvested as raw materials. The redesign of the Terril shows an alternative way of using the historically site as a landscape park and combines the aspects of resource utilisation, a pioneering ecosystem, a leisure park and socio cultural heritage. The Terril is now partly being used as a circular temporary storage facility: Construction waste can be stored and reused in industry if required. The dynamic qua r ry can be visited by everyone. Wide footpaths lead up to the viewing point and are separated from the road by a hedge of plants to protect visitors from the construction work. Shortcuts across the field are also permitted as a disturbance to the succession. However, the landscape is constantly changing, so be careful and enjoy the moment, as the fruit will probably look different on your next visit.