Westfalenhütte Green Ring - A new park in Dortmund's Nordstadt district

The "Westfalenhütte Green Ring" project is creating a 34-hectare park and green space on part of the site of the former Westfalenhütte steelworks in Dortmund. The site, once dominated by heavy industry, is being transformed into a natural recreational area and made accessible to the public for the first time. A core element of the planning for the Westfalenhütte is to surround the entire area with a closed green belt. The resulting park serves both local recreation and nature conservation interests and forms a link to existing green spaces.

From steelworks to green oasis

The "Westfalenhütte Green Ring" is one of the most important urban renewal measures in Dortmund. Until 2000, the huge site was home to a Hoesch AG steelworks, which at times employed up to 25,000 people. Over the next few years, a green oasis will be created there, offering play, sports, leisure and recreation facilities as well as new cycle and footpath connections. An area for urban gardening is also planned. The planning was carried out with the intensive participation of Dortmund residents. The redesign of the area should be completed by 2028.

Natural design for a better quality of life

The central park area covers around 29 hectares and will be specifically designed with hills, embankments and near-natural planting. The new park will create urgently needed green spaces for the densely populated northern part of the city and improve the microclimate. The near-natural design, retention areas and greenery will retain rainwater and reduce the formation of heat islands. Park areas that have already been completed will gradually be opened up for use: for recreation, new paths and a better quality of life, which will also benefit the climate and environment.*

Future-oriented development for Dortmund

Many levels are involved in financing this major project. The funds from the ERDF/JTF NRW program are being used primarily for the South and North areas, the playground and sports field as well as for the creation of a house garden for the steel bungalow relocated to the Westfalenhütte as a new exhibit of the Hoesch Museum located there. With the Westfalenhütte Green Ring as the "green lung" of Nordstadt, a link is being created between living, working and recreation - a visible sign of structural change and sustainable urban development in the Ruhr region.