Area in the riser

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The people in the Ruhr have made the shift away from coal for decades to own “almost as a brand,” says Eric Weik of the chamber of industry and Commerce Middle Ruhr district in the DW-interview.

Deutsche Welle: On 21. December is promoted to the last carbon, then closes the last mine in the Ruhr area. The Region, with more than five million inhabitants, the largest Metropolitan area in Germany and the fifth largest in Europe: More than 150,000 companies, including three Dax-listed companies and nearly two dozen universities with a total of around 270,000 students and with your chamber of Commerce and industry in the middle of it. What is that feeling?

Eric Weik: That’s actually a great feeling, because we are sitting with us in the center of Europe and just the beginning of an exciting future with many challenges.

They are for three years at the chamber of industry and Commerce Middle Ruhr district in Bochum, Germany and have driven the change in the own house. What you wanted to achieve?

That was very exciting. We have put ourselves first, even out of the question. I think this needs to do everyone – every organization, but also every state Institution. The time is past in which people accept us, just because we are there.

Eric Weik, the chief Executive of the chamber of industry and Commerce Middle Ruhr district

You have reformed your house by hierarchies abolished. Especially those that sit at the top of a hierarchy, are usually not really enthusiastic about such plans. How did you manage to convince these colleagues?

Now we are in the middle of the topic of change and readiness for Change of the people in the Ruhr area. As I have suggested, to put ourselves into question and to consider what would be the optimal form of organization in order to achieve maximum value for our member companies, were all ready, also, know that you are your function, your Flaps on the shoulder to lose, to cooperate – have been through and are going up today.

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The Ruhr area: “change the brand”

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The Ruhr area: “change the brand”

How long did the process take?

This process of circulation is never end, because the world keeps turning and everything is constantly changing – and always faster. This is also true for an Institution such as the chamber of Commerce and industry. We are working now since one and a half years, virtually without hierarchies. There is only a single hierarchical level in our chamber. Above all, we always work in an interdisciplinary way.

There are five competence field Manager. I’m one of them. The task of the competence field Manager, it is expressly not the same as before the employees, to direct and to control. We’re not doing that. Instead, we support our employees – but only if the want to.

You move in the truest sense of the word on this historic site. You feel in your daily work that the Ruhr area was for decades the heart of the European steel and energy supply, as well as a major hotbed for innovation?

I was a few days ago in the stadium of football club VfL Bochum. If, before the start of the game, the climbers-song, then you feel the. And when you are ready, in a time-honored, traditional organization such as the chamber of Commerce and industry of all the old towers and to break down boundaries, then you will be confronted with the story – maybe at some of the desperate look in the rear view mirror.

What projects are you currently conduct?

My favorite project is to take the theme of “the future” in the company and in the minds of the people. It’s about creating the space for the realization of entrepreneurial ideas – for example, with the project “Mark 51°7”. The Name refers to the coordinates of a centrally located site in Bochum, Germany, where formerly the large Opel plant 1 to the wedding, more than 20,000 employees as a production site was located.

This is already since many years of history. We develop from the story “the future”. On this terrain, very high quality service providers to settle. Maybe a Max-Planck-Institute for IT-security at this location is even. In two to three years more jobs will have been created, as Opel had at the end there. Our goal is five – to-six thousand new Jobs.

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Layer in the shaft

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Layer in the slot – the last German coal mine closes

How difficult is the marketing of this historic commercial area is? Before the Opel, the mining industry was located there.

Companies and institutions have shown keen interest. By the way, in the whole Ruhr area and not only in Bochum. A lot of investors from all over Germany or from abroad have understood the Signal. As a population, which knows the change and has made the change, so to speak, as a brand to own. These people say: ‘We want to shape the future and are willing to think in new ways.’ Therefore, the investors come to us.

That sounds almost euphoric. Why did the Ruhr area, but in spite of all the Confidence a higher unemployment rate than structurally weak areas of Germany and in part still have a bad Image?

For one, there is a kind of monument to romance, we are hauling all around with us. We can see the support towers, and you have very specific associations. When we see a modern office building, we associate, thus for the first time, nothing, because it has no content. What strikes us, however, are the support towers, and instantly we think back to earlier.

This also happens often in the minds of the people living in the Ruhr area. You think of ThyssenKrupp or on the RAG, so large companies, which in the past have accompanied the lives of people are practically out of school until the last day and everything is taken care of.

These large corporations will not, however, be the future of the Ruhr area. Many smaller, different companies will shape the future. This changeover is currently taking place in the minds, the statistics speak by the way. The unemployment figures continue to fall. We see in the last years in the whole Ruhr area is a very positive development. Since air is still up. But we are on the right path.

“Happiness comes to 4.0” or “The Steiger is the founder of” – two poignant headlines to the structural change in the Ruhr area in recent times. You like those labels?

I would always omit the first part. I like the Steiger, but I would not put it in the Heading. I would just say: ‘The founder.’ I don’t need the climbers. The Steiger is gone. He is an important historical heritage. But the climbers.

Eric Weik is since 2015, the chief Executive of the chamber of industry and Commerce Middle Ruhr district in Bochum, Germany. According to the study of the lawyer, first worked at different companies. From 2004 to 2015, he was Wermelskirchen main official mayor of the city.


  • Ten reasons for the Ruhr area

    Zeche Zollverein, Essen

    The Zollverein coal mine in Essen was the largest coal mine in the world. Above and below ground, up to 8,000 miners worked around the clock. Today the colliery is an architectural and industrial monument and belongs since 2001 to the UNESCO world heritage site. Here, the Ruhr Museum acts as a memory of the Region. It tells the story of men and machines, of hard work and the life of miners at that time.


  • Ten reasons for the Ruhr area

    The Landscape Park Duisburg Nord

    An important location of steel production in Duisburg. Alone in the blast furnace of the disused ironworks in Duisburg-Meiderich million tons of pig iron were produced. Since 1994, the steel colossus is open to visitors. He is a stage and a sculpture, the colour of the scene is set by the British light artist Jonathan Park.


  • Ten reasons for the Ruhr area

    Rhine Orange, Duisburg

    The steel sculpture “Rhine orange” marks the mouth of the Ruhr into the Rhine. From here, the steel of the Ruhr area was shipped in the world. The sculpture is located in the Duisburg port area. In the high phase of the industrialization he was the center of the whole of the Rhine. Today, Duisburg has the largest inland port in Europe. A Harbor cruise is a great experience.


  • Ten reasons for the Ruhr area

    The Gasometer Oberhausen

    The Gasometer is the landmark of the city of Oberhausen. Towers such as this saved the Gas formed during the production of Coke, and the surrounding industry-provided systems. In 1988, the Gasometer has been shut down and since then, as a spectacular exhibition hall, including artists such as Christo or Olafur Eliasson recorded. The roof serves as a viewing platform.


  • Ten reasons for the Ruhr area

    Century Hall Of Bochum

    The huge hall was built in 1902 as an exhibition space for a trade exhibition, and later was part of the Bochum cast steel works. The steel construction with 8900 square meters of space is now used for events and is the Central venue of the music and theatre festival “Ruhr Triennale”, which takes place annually in the summer.


  • Ten reasons for the Ruhr area

    Westphalian Industrial Museum, Dortmund

    At the beginning of the 20th century. Century, there were 17 coking plants in the Ruhr area. They turned coal into coke for steel smelting is indispensable. Since 1998, the Hansa coking plant stands under monument protection and is part of the Westphalian industrial Museum. At eight historical places in the history of the industrial age to life. Shown is the huge compressor hall of the Hansa coking plant.


  • Ten reasons for the Ruhr area

    German Mining Museum Bochum

    It is the largest mining Museum in the world and one of the most visited museums in Germany. Was built in the plant in the middle of the 19th century. Century, to the miners to train in realistic conditions. How it looked exactly, visitors can explore in the show mine below the Museum terrain.


  • Ten reasons for the Ruhr area

    Grimberg Bridge, The Rhine-Herne Canal

    As the coal and steel industry (a collective term for the iron and steel industry) was booming still, rivers is forced into the channels and waste water is discharged. Added to that were hundreds of kilometers of canals that allowed the Transport to the Rhine. Again, water, scenery and recreation have been restored from this areas. Eye-catcher is the many new bridges with surprising architecture.


  • Ten reasons for the Ruhr area

    Halde Rheinpreussen, Moers

    The overburden of the mountains of the Ruhr area are dumps. The underground mining of coal created huge amounts of rubble and debris, which were heaped up into huge hills. 20 out of over 200 are accessible. Once at the summit, visitors are received, often with impressive landscape art, and imposing sculptures. The “lighting equipment” by Otto Piene inspired by a miner’s lamp.


  • Ten reasons for the Ruhr area

    Route of the industrial culture

    Who’s on-the-go, experienced former steelworks, coal Mines, coking plants or dumps in an exciting Tour through the Region. There are some courses for both car and cyclist. The road course is 400 kilometres long, the cycle path network even 700 kilometers. Both routes promise an intense encounter with the history and present of the Ruhr area.

    Author: Anne Termèche