List of preserved historic blast furnaces

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This list of preserved historic blast furnaces contains decommissioned blast furnaces, of which substantial remains survive. The furnaces are preserved in a park or museum, or as a site otherwise open to visitors, or intended to become such.

Contents

While pre-20th-century blast furnaces already have a long history of monument preservation, the perception of 20th century mass production blast furnace installations as industrial heritage is a comparably new trend. For a long time, it has been normal procedure for such a blast furnace to be demolished after being decommissioned and either be replaced with a newer, improved one, or to have the entire site demolished to make room for follow-up use of the area. It has only been in recent years[ when? ] that numerous countries have realized the value of blast furnaces as a part of their industrial history.[ citation needed ]

Historically, the first such blast furnace not to be demolished stands in Starachowice, Poland (decommissioned in 1968), followed by the last blast furnace of Yahata Steel Works in Yahatahigashi-ku, Kitakyūshū, Japan (decommissioned in 1972) and the "Carrie Furnaces" in Homestead, Pennsylvania in the United States (decommissioned in 1978). One of the two blast furnaces in Neunkirchen in Germany (decommissioned in 1982) was the first blast furnace worldwide to be not just preserved, but actively refurbished for the purpose of preservation.

For 20th-century mass production blast furnaces, the degree of accurate preservation versus integration into new structures, or even re-purposing, differs between the various sites. Colorful illumination installations at night are common.

List of preserved historic pre-mass production blast furnaces around the world

Australia

City and stateName of locationCurrent purpose, preserved installations and public attractionsPhotoOfficial website
Lal Lal, Victoria Lal Lal Iron Company Furnace built in 1880, operated until 1884.

Now part of the Lal Lal-Bungal Historic Area.

Lal Lal Blast Furnace.JPG Parks Victoria
Beaconsfield, Tasmania Ilfracombe Iron Company Furnace built in 1873, abandoned from 1874.

The furnace ruin exists on private property.

Ilfracombe Iron Co's blast furnace ruin.jpg None
Bookham, New South Wales Bogolong iron mine and blast furnace Furnace built in 1873–1874, operated briefly in 1874.

The blast furnace ruin exists on private property but is partially visible from public land adjoining Ilalong Road.

Bogolong Blast Furnace from Public Land on Illalong Rd (October 2019).jpg NSW Heritage Database

Austria

CityName of locationCurrent purpose, preserved installations and public attractionsPhotoOfficial website
Thomatal, Tamsweg, Salzburg Bergbaumuseum Hochofen Bundschuh (decommissioned in 1903, opened to the public in 1984)The blast furnace (built in 1867) is now a museum.

Brazil

CityName of locationCurrent purpose, preserved installations and public attractionsPhotoOfficial website
Ipanema, Iperó, Sao Paulo Fábrica de Ferro de São João do Ipanema (decommissioned in 1926, opened to the public in 1994)Three blast furnaces, two built in 1817 and one in 1884, are now with Floresta Nacional de Ipanema.

Twin Blast furnaces at Ipanema.jpg

Finland

CityName of locationCurrent purpose, preserved installations and public attractionsPhotoOfficial website
Karkkila Högforsin ruukki Blast furnace built 1820-1822. Decommissioned in 1916 Museovirasto

Germany

CityName of locationCurrent purpose, preserved installations and public attractionsPhotoOfficial website
Völklingen, Saarland The Völklingen Ironworks (German : Völklinger Hütte), decommissioned in 1986.One of the major iron works in Germany, consisting of 6 blast furnaces, the only one surviving WW-II without severe damage. In 1994, it was declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Today, the Völklingen Ironworks is a museum. The Ferrodrom is an interactive science center focusing on the making of iron. Visitors can tour the production areas, including the 'Gebläse Halle' containing huge blowers dating from the first decade of the 20th century. In addition, temporary exhibits on a variety of topics are hosted in the large power halls. VoelklingerHuette1.JPG Völklinger Hütte
Between Grünebach and Alsdorf, Rhineland-Palatinate Neugrünebacher Hütte (decommissioned in 1963)The historic blast furnace has been put under monument conservation in 1983.
Wenden, Sauerland, North Rhine-Westphalia Wendener Hütte (decommissioned in 1866)The casthouse, which contains the blast furnace, is now a museum. Wenden-WendenerHuette5-Bubo.JPG
Balve, Sauerland, North Rhine-Westphalia Luisenhütte Wocklum (decommissioned in 1865)The casthouse, which contains the oldest completely preserved blast furnace in Germany, was declared a technical cultural monument 1950. Following an extensive two-year renovation, it was reopened as a museum in 2006. Balve-Luisenhuette2-Bubo.JPG
Bockenem-Bornum, Ambergau, Lower Saxony Wilhelmshütte (decommissioned in 1966, opened to the public in 1982)The historic blast furnace (built in 1783) is now a museum.

Poland

CityName of locationCurrent purpose, preserved installations and public attractionsPhotoOfficial website
Chlewiska, Gmina Chlewiska, Szydłowiec County, Mazowieckie Voivodeship Iron Works in Chlewiska (built between 1882 and 1892, decommissioned in 1940)Chlewiska Iron Works is now part of the Museum of Technology and is opened for tourists.
Kuźniaki, Gmina Strawczyn, Kielce County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship Metallurgical Furnace in Kuźniaki (decommissioned in 1897)The casthouse, which contains the blast furnace, has been declared a historical monument and is open to visitors. POL Kuzniaki, wielki piec hutniczy.jpg
Samsonów, Gmina Zagnańsk, Kielce County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship Huta Józef (decommissioned in 1866)Installation was declared as a historical monument in 1967 and opened to visitors in 1983. Samsonow ruiny huty.JPG

Romania

CityName of locationCurrent purpose, preserved installations and public attractionsPhotoOfficial website
Govăjdia, Hunedoara County Blast Furnace in Govăjdia built between 1806 and 1810 on the site of an old iron working workshop called "Old Limpert", the furnace's capacity is 43,9 cubic meters and it operated with charcoal brought from Vadu Dobrii and the iron ore mined and brought from the iron ore mines at Ghelari via narrow-gauge railway. It was decommissioned in 1924 after the start of the ironworks at Hunedoara in 1884. This blast furnace is famous for providing iron for the steel of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Some of the iron parts for the tower were made here. [ citation needed ]The casthouse, which contains the blast furnace, has been declared a historical monument since 2000 and is open to visitors since 2007 Blast furnace of Govajdia.jpg

Slovakia

CountyName of locationCurrent purpose, preserved installations and public attractionsPhotoOfficial website
Zvolen,

near village Osrblie

Tri vody (Three Waters)The oldest blast furnace in the former Kingdom of Hungary. The blast furnace was built in 1795, and burnt charcoal as fuel. Fire in the 1882 destroyed the manufacture. Casing, which is 8.5 m long, is still preserved.
Blast furnace in Osrblie - Tri Vody.jpg
Blast furnace in Osrblie - Tri Vody 2.jpg
Blast furnace Osrblie - Tri Vody 3.jpg
SpišJakubanyJakubany (49°13’02’’N; 20°40’56’’E),  Jakubján, Szépesjakobfalva, Jakobsau, Spiš county. The first director of copper smeltery “Nicolaus” in Slovinky near Krompachy Probstner leased and  bought after the time primarily exchequer  ironworks with Slovak furnace (since 1760) and blast furnace (since 1776)  in 1820s. The pig iron was refined in three hearts. The part of the plant was hammer in near Nová Ľubovňa and the rolling mill in Jakubany since 1855. The work  became extinct in the 1860s.  The blast furnace (inaccessible in consequence of  irregular ownerships between  state and  restitutors at the present time) is in  fairish condition.

(Moravčíková et al., 2004; Petrík 2010).

Moravčíková, Ľ., Petrík, J. and Mihok, Ľ. (2004) Analysis of remnants from blast furnace in Jakubany, 18th - 19th centuries. Acta Metallurgica Slovaca. Vol. 10, pp. 672–676.

Petrík, J. (2010) The metallurgy in Spiš county. Carpatica - Karpatika, Vol. 39, Užgorod, UNU, pp. 171–184.

SpišKrompachyKrompachy (48°55’18’’N; 20°53’23’’E),  Korompa, Krompach, Spiš county. The slag is product of older iron works in locality "Maša". The first blast furnace was built there in 1831. Its owner were noble family Gundelfinger, later Pohornádska Company and since 1900  Rimavsko – Muráňská Company. It built new ironworks with coke blast furnaces and Siemens-Martin steel works on the new site near the railway station. The plant was demolished after 1921. The copper smelter was built in its place in the 1930s. Smelted iron ore was mined in Folkmár, Žakarovce/Klippenberg and Helcmanovce.

Petrík, J. (2010) The metallurgy in Spiš county. Carpatica - Karpatika, Vol. 39, Užgorod, UNU, pp. 171–184.

Gemer-MalohontNižná SlanáNižná Slaná (48°44’20’’N; 20°25’03’’E), Alsósajó, Gemer-Malohont county. The slag is  product of blast furnace blown between 1867 and 1907. The family of Counts Andrássy was the owner of the plant. The smelted iron ore was mined in surroundings -  Gompel, mine Manó (Nižná Slaná) and mine Ignác (Gočovo).

Mihok, Ľ., Petrík, J., Štefanča, P. and Hlobil, J. (2009a)  Die Eisenhüttenwerke der Familie Andrássy. Montánna história Vol.  2, Limbach   LC s.r.o, pp.208-245. (in Slovak).

Petrík, J., Mihok, Ľ. and  Moravčíková, Ľ. (2005c) Charcoal blast furnaces situated in localities by the river Slaná. Proceedings of the 35th Meeting of National Technical Museum -  History of metallurgy, Prague, Czech Republic, pp. 111-120. (in Slovak)

OravaPodbielPodbiel (49°17’58’’N; 19°30’02’’E), Podbjel, Orava/Arva county.  The slag P 291 is  product of blast furnace, a part of the ironworks “Františkova Huta“. The furnace was  blown in at 1836 and blown out at 1862. The “Oravský Komposesorát”(árvai uradalom, the consortium of  landlords, successors of Count Thurzo) was the owner of the plant. The smelted iron ore was mined in surroundings (Oravské hámre, Ústie nad Priehradou).

Mihok, Ľ. and  Petrík, J. (2007b) Charcoal furnaces in Podbiel and Píla. Proceedings of the 37th Meeting of National Technical Museum -  History of metallurgy, Prague, Czech republic, pp. 39-46. (in Slovak)

Mihok, Ľ., Petrík, J. and Moravčíková, Ľ. (2009b) Die Holzkohleöfen im Gebiert der nördlichen und nordöstlichen Slowakei. Montánna história Vol.  2, Limbach  LC s.r.o, pp.298-314. (in Slovak).

Gemer-MalohontSirk, local part ČerveňanySirk, local part Červeňany (48°36’15.09’’N; 20°06’31.54’’E) Szirk, Gemer-malohont county. Blast furnace owned by Hrlicko – tapolcsánska company was in operation  between 1871 and 1903.  The shaft of  the furnace, blown out in 1903 was renovated in 1970s. Sources of iron ore are Železník, Sirk, Rákoš and Nandráž.

Petrík, J., Mihok, Ľ. and Fröhlich, L. (2002a): The production of iron in Červeňany and Tri Vody. Proceedings of the 31st Meeting  of National Technical Museum -  History of metallurgy, Prague, Czech republic, pp. 35-39. (in Slovak)

Gemer-MalohontVlachovoVlachovo (48°47’48’’N; 20°23’05’’E), Oláhpatak, Gemer-malohont county. The slag is  product of blast furnace blown in at 1843 and blown out at 1907. The shaft of the furace exists on the present. The family of Counts Andrássy was the owner of the plant. The smelted iron ore was mined in Dobšiná, Mlynky, Rejdová (Romolová and Radzim - Kupferberg).

(Petrík et al., 2005c; Mihok et al., 2009a).

Petrík, J., Mihok, Ľ. and  Moravčíková, Ľ. (2005c) Charcoal blast furnaces situated in localities by the river Slaná. Proceedings of the 35th Meeting of National Technical Museum -  History of metallurgy, Prague, Czech Republic, pp. 111-120. (in Slovak)

Mihok, Ľ., Petrík, J., Štefanča, P. and Hlobil, J. (2009a)  Die Eisenhüttenwerke der Familie Andrássy. Montánna história Vol.  2, Limbach   LC s.r.o, pp.208-245. (in Slovak).

ZemplínZemplínske HámreZemplínske Hámre (48°56’58.25’’ N; 22°09’18.89’’ E), Josefsthal, until 1960 part of the town Snina, Szinna, Zemplín/Zemplén county. Noble family Rholl von Udvarnok and Count Csaky established ironworks with the blast furnace in 1815. The blast furnace was blown – out in 1873. Only crucible of the original furnace can be seen at the present time.  The model of the furnace was built in  conformity with documentation in 2015. The ore, smelted in the plant was mined in Zamutov and  Hermanovce (Petrík et al., 2002b; Petrík et al., 2002c; Mihok et al., 2009b).

Petrík, J. and Mihok, Ľ. (2002b): The archaeometallurgical analysis of the slags from extinct blast furnace plants. Carpatica – Karpatika,  Vol. 15, Užgorod, UNU,  pp. 250-260.

Petrík, J.,  Mihok, Ľ. and Fröhlich, L. (2002c) Analysis of ironwork slag from the vicinity of the town of Snina. Proceedings of the 13th Meeting Archaeologia technica, Brno, Czech Republic, pp. 23-27. (in Slovak)

Mihok, Ľ., Petrík, J. and Moravčíková, Ľ. (2009b) Die Holzkohleöfen im Gebiert der nördlichen und nordöstlichen Slowakei. Montánna história Vol.  2, Limbach   LC s.r.o, pp.298-314. (in Slovak).

Ukraine

CountyName of locationCurrent purpose, preserved installations and public attractionsPhotoOfficial website
Between villages of Yasen’ and Hryn’kiw, Kalush Raion, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast.A charcoal blast furnace built in 1810. It was built by wizards who was Boykos. Operated until 1818, using iron ore from neighbourhood. There was casthouse and forge there. Today it is may be oldest historical blast furnace in Ukraine. [1] Anheliv Domna RB.jpg
Village Maidan, Drohobych Raion, Lviv oblast A charcoal blast furnace built in 1814. It was of 9,48 m high. Maidans'ka guta 003.jpg
Village Mihove, Vyzhnytsia Raion, Chernivtsi Oblast A charcoal blast furnace built in 1835. It was of 14 m high. Migove Reshtki zalizoplavil'noyi pechi.jpg

United Kingdom

England

CountyName of locationCurrent purpose, preserved installations and public attractionsPhotoOfficial website
Cumbria Newland FurnaceA charcoal blast furnace built in 1747. Operated by Harrison Ainslie until 1891. Open on heritage open days and by appointment. Newland1.jpg
Cumbria Backbarrow Furnace Built as a charcoal blast furnace in 1711. Operated by Harrison Ainslie from 1818 until 1914. Closed 1966. On private land but visible from the road Backbarrow1.jpg
Broughton-in-Furness, Cumbria Duddon furnace A charcoal blast furnace, operating 1736–1867. Managed by Cumbria Tourist Board Duddon1.jpg
Telford, Shropshire Blists Hill The remains of three 19th-century blast furnaces stand with the Blists Hill site of Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust. Madeley Wood Company built these in 1832. They worked until 1912. Blast furnaces at Blists Hill - geograph.org.uk - 571055.jpg IGMT
Coalbrookdale Originally a charcoal furnace, the old blast furnace at Coalbrookdale was leased in 1709 by Abraham Darby I, who used it to make coke pig iron and created the first long-term business to do so. The furnace remained in use until the 19th century and now forms part of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust's Museum of Iron. Abraham Darby's blast furnace - geograph.org.uk - 571119.jpg IGMT
Madeley Wood or BedlamTwo blast furnaces standing beside the road near river Severn, built in 1756 by Madeley Wood Company, and taken over by the Coalbrookdale Company in 1776. Further furnaces were built in the 19th century and operated until 1912. The first two furnaces were blown using water wheels using pumped by steam engines. The site is owned by Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust Philipp Jakob Loutherbourg d. J. 002.jpg
The Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire Darkhill Ironworks Internationally important remains associated with the development of the iron and steel industry. Built in 1818 by David Mushet and later managed by his son Robert Mushet; the site of several key advances in iron and steel production. Darkhill Ironworks.jpg
Whitecliff Ironworks Industrial remains of a coke-fired furnace, built at Coleford in 1798 and associated with the development of the iron industry in the Forest of Dean. Whitecliff Ironworks.jpg
Parkend Ironworks Was a coke-fired furnace built in 1799. Most of the ironworks were demolished between 1890 and 1908, but the engine house survived and is arguably the best preserved example of its kind to be found in the UK. Field Study Centre.jpg

Scotland

CountyName of locationCurrent purpose, preserved installations and public attractionsPhotoOfficial website
Argyllshire Bonawe or Lorn FurnaceA charcoal furnace operating 1753–1876, owned by the Newland Company from Furness and using iron ore from there. Lorn Furnace.jpg Historic Iron Furnace
Argyllshire Argyll or Craleckan or Goatfield Furnace, Furnace A charcoal furnace operating 1755–1812, [2] belonging to Kendall & Co., owners of Duddon furnace in Cumbria and other ironworks, using iron ore from Cumbria and local charcoal. The furnace building stands beside the road in the village of Furnace and can be viewed from the road: no public access. Craleckan Furnace.jpg

Wales

CountyName of locationCurrent purpose, preserved installations and public attractionsPhotoOfficial website
Ceredigion Dyfi Furnace A charcoal blast furnace close to the west coast of Wales, built in 1755 and long worked by Kendall & Co., it operated until 1805. Now preserved by Cadw. Dyfi Furnace.jpg [3]
Monmouthshire Tintern FurnaceThe excavated site of a charcoal blast furnace on the Angidy Brook is displayed as a tourist attraction. This was part of a series of ironworks (including finery forges and wireworks which existed in the valley, originally established by the Company of Mineral and Battery Works and its farmers. It is maintained by Monmouthshire County Council [4]
Torfaen Blaenavon Ironworks An integrated coke-fired ironworks operating 1789–1903. Now preserved by Cadw and designated a World Heritage Site Blaenafon Ironworks-24May2008.jpg [5]
Neath Port Talbot Neath Abbey Ironworks Remains of two furnaces built in 1792.

United States

City and stateName of locationCurrent purpose, preserved installations and public attractionsPhotoOfficial website
Cartersville, Georgia Cooper Iron WorksBuilt by Mark Anthony Cooper in 1847 Cooper's Furnace
Clifton Forge, Alleghany County, Virginia Clifton Furnace Site was operational from around 1825. The existing charcoal cold-blast furnace built in 1846 and operated until 1854, renovated in 1874 and abandoned in 1877. Clifton Furnace from north.jpg
Saugus, Massachusetts Saugus ironworks An early integrated ironworks from the 17th century, excavated and reconstructed in the 1950s. A National Historic Site managed by National Park Service Saugus Iron Mill - forge with bellows.JPG NPS
Fayette, Michigan Jackson Iron CompanyCharcoal blast furnace operating 1867–1891, now part of Fayette Historic State Park and listed on the National Register of Historic Places Fayette HSP furnace.jpg Fayette Historic State Park
Cornwall, Pennsylvania Cornwall Iron Furnace Charcoal blast furnace operating 1742–1883, preserved since 1932 by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission CornwallFurnacePA.jpg Cornwall Iron Furnace
Elverson, Pennsylvania Hopewell Furnace Charcoal-fired cold-blast furnace operating c. 1771–1883. A National Historic Site surrounded by French Creek State Park on three sides. Visitor center, seasonal molding & casting demonstrations, running water-powered blast machinery, charcoal making. Hopewell Furnace.JPG Hopewell Furnace NHS
Robeson Twp., PennsylvaniaJoanna FurnaceOperated 1791–1898, charcoal fired, water powered until the late 1850s, then steam powered Weimar engine. Demos of hand casting, sawmill, line shaft machine shop. Annual Festivals.www.haycreek.org
Rosiclare, Illinois Illinois Iron Furnace Operated 1838-1861 and from 1868 to 1883. The furnace was used to smelt locally mined iron ore; the resulting iron pigs were transported to Elizabethtown, Illinois, where they were shipped elsewhere along the Ohio River. The surrounding area is a picnic site and visitor information center narrating the history of the furnace and Illinois' iron industry.
Illinois Iron Furnace from south.jpg
Shawnee National Forest web site

List of preserved industrial mass production blast furnaces around the world

These installations all date from the 20th century. They are supported by outer frames made of metal, were supplied with pre-heated blast air from external Cowper stoves, were typically part of large industrial compounds where, at one point, multiple blast furnaces were typically standing and operating side by side for efficiency reasons, raw materials were delivered by external elevating mechanisms, and the entire site was accessible by freight trains which delivered the raw materials and carried off the freshly smelted pig iron in ladles.

In many cases, the preserved sites have been deliberately stripped down to minimize maintenance costs; namely, some blast furnaces and related installations have been demolished. The goal was to only retain one or two blast furnaces including the relevant related installations (such as Cowper stoves, cast house, winch house etc.), which are considered sufficient to explain the blast furnace process and all related functions to visitors.

The first such decommissioned blast furnace that wasn't demolished and has been preserved to this very day stands in Starachowice, Poland, and has ceased operation as early as 1968.

Czech Republic

CityName of locationCurrent purpose, preserved installations and public attractionsPhotoOfficial website
Ostrava-Vítkovice, Moravian-Silesian Region Vítkovice Area (formerly Vítkovice Iron and Steel Works, or Vítkovické železárny, decommissioned in 1998)The site has been declared an industrial heritage site and is currently in the process of being rebuilt for further use, but is already open to visitors upon reservation. Three blast furnaces have been preserved, including cowper stoves and cast houses.
A light installation illuminates the entire plant at nighttime.
An application to declare the entire site a UNESCO World Heritage Site is currently pending. [6]
20050124 Vitkovice blast furnace.jpg

France

CityName of locationCurrent purpose, preserved installations and public attractionsPhotoOfficial website
Uckange, Moselle, Lorraine Parc du Haut-Fourneau (last operated by Lorfonte, decommissioned in 1991, opened to the public in 2007)The site is open to the public as part of a park. [7]
One blast furnace (U4) has been preserved, including cowper stoves.
A colorful light installation illuminates the entire plant at nighttime.
U4 Uckange.jpg

Germany

City and regionName of locationCurrent purpose, preserved installations and public attractionsPhotoOfficial website
Dortmund, Ruhr, North Rhine-Westphalia Phoenix-West (formerly Hoerder Verein, last operated by Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp, decommissioned in 1998)The area is currently in the process of being turned into a modern technology plant. Some of the remaining structures of the ironworks are intended to be incorporated into the new facilities, while others are supposed to be turned into a museum site.
One blast furnace has been preserved, a second one has been mostly dismantled, only the outer frame, the Cowper stoves and the lower portion of the furnace itself remain.
The site is currently only accessible to the public as part of guided tours along a walkway called the "Skywalk Dortmund", although the top platform of blast furnace 6 is not accessible to the public yet. However, unlike other sites in Germany, the inside of the remains of blast furnace 6 is accessible to the public.
The outer frame of blast furnace 6 is considered for a re-purposed use, but there are no concrete plans yet.
A colorful light installation illuminates the plant at special occasions in the summer.
Phoenix-West 2008.jpg
Duisburg, Ruhr, North Rhine-Westphalia Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord (formerly Thyssen-Hüttenwerk Meiderich, decommissioned in 1985, opened to the public in 1994)The ironworks site has been integrated into a public park that tries to re-purpose existing structures with minimal modifications.
Three complete blast furnaces have been preserved, including outer frames, furnaces, Cowper stoves, winch houses, and casthouses. The cowper stoves of blast furnace 5 are rust-free due to a zinc layer added during construction.
The casthouse of blast furnace 1 has been turned into a multi-purpose hall including a newly added tribune which is used as a movie theater in the summer.
The casthouse of blast furnace 2 has been turned into a climbing garden (primarily for children) which is only accessible upon reservation.
Blast furnace 5, including winch house and cast house, has been turned into an observation platform that is open to the public, featuring information plates for the function of the blast furnace's individual components.
A colorful light installation designed by Jonathan Park illuminates the entire plant at nighttime during the weekends, with a stripped-down version used on regular weekdays.
Luftaufnahme Laundschaftspark DU.jpg
Hattingen, Ruhr, North Rhine-Westphalia Henrichshütte (last operated by Thyssen Stahl AG, decommissioned in 1987, opened to the public in 2000)The ironworks site has been turned into a museum (part of the LWL-Industriemuseum).
One complete blast furnace has been preserved, including the outer frame, furnace, Cowper stoves, winch house, and casthouse. A protective paint coating minimizes the rusting effects on the blast furnace's outer frame. Two of the Cowper stoves are also rust-free due to a zinc layer added during construction.
Blast furnace 3, including the cast house, is one of the main components of the museum and features numerous information plates, exhibition pieces and documentary films on monitors. The blast furnace also serves as an observation platform. An elevator has been installed.
A colorful light installation illuminates the blast furnace at night.
Gelande der Henrichshutte Hochofen 2004.jpg
Neunkirchen, Saarland Altes Hüttenareal Neunkirchen (formerly Neunkircher Eisenwerk, last operated by ARBED, decommissioned in 1982, opened to the public in 1993)The remains of the ironworks site have been integrated into a public park. New structures, such as pubs, a movie theater and a multi-purpose event hall, have been built around the remaining installations. A shopping mall is located adjacent to the park.
Two blast furnaces have been preserved, including outer frames, furnaces and Cowper stoves. A protective paint coating minimizes the rusting effects on the blast furnaces.
Blast furnace 6 is accessible to the public as part of guided tours.
A colorful light installation illuminates the entire area at nighttime. [8] [9]
Neunkirchen Hochofen pano.jpg
Sulzbach-Rosenberg, Bavaria Maxhütte (last operated by NMH Stahlwerke GmbH, decommissioned in 2002)Formerly an integrated steel mill, a large number of installations are currently in the process of demolition. Only a small core area, including the blast furnace itself, is intended for preservation.
The site is currently not open to the public.
One blast furnace remains, including cowper stoves.
Nmh.jpg
Völklingen, Saarland Völklingen Ironworks (Völklinger Hütte, last used by ARBED Saarstahl GmbH, decommissioned in 1986, put under monument conservation in 1992)The ironworks site has been turned into a museum (declared UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994).
Six blast furnaces have been preserved, including outer frames, furnaces, Cowper stoves, and casthouses.
As part of the museum site, the combined blast furnaces also serve as an observation platform, with the highest point being on top of a group of Cowper stoves.
A colorful light installation designed by Hans Peter Kuhn illuminates the entire plant at nighttime.
VoelklingerHuette1.JPG

Japan

City and prefectureName of locationCurrent purpose, preserved installations and public attractionsPhotoOfficial website
Yahatahigashi-ku, Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyūshū Island Higashida Blast Furnace Memorial Square (formerly Yahata Steel Works, decommissioned in 1972, opened to the public in 1997)The site is now a museum. The inside of the blast furnace is accessible to the public.
One blast furnace has been preserved, including outer frame, furnace, cowper stoves and casthouse. A protective paint coating minimizes the rusting effects on the blast furnace.
A light installation illuminates the site at nighttime.
Yahata.jpg

Luxembourg

CityName of locationCurrent purpose, preserved installations and public attractionsPhotoOfficial website
Esch-sur-Alzette Esch Belval (last operated by ARBED, decommissioned in 1997)The site is currently in the process of being converted into a multi-purpose area. Two blast furnaces have been preserved. Dexia Belval.jpg

Mexico

City and countryName of locationCurrent purpose, preserved installations and public attractionsPhotoOfficial website
Monterrey Fundidora Park (Parque Fundidora, previously operated by Monterrey Steel Foundry Company, decommissioned in 1986, opened to the public in 1988)The steel mill has been integrated into a public park, with a blast furnace serving as a museum.
Two blast furnaces have been preserved, including cowper stoves.
Blast furnace 3 is a museum and serves as an observation platform. An elevator has been installed.
The entire plant is illuminated at night.
An application to declare blast furnaces 1 and 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites is currently pending. [10]
Fundidora Mty 1.jpg

Poland

City and provinceName of locationCurrent purpose, preserved installations and public attractionsPhotoOfficial website
Starachowice, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship Museum of Nature and Technology Ekomuseum Jana Pazdura (Muzeum Przyrody i Techniki Ekomuzeum im. Jana Pazdura, last operated by Star, decommissioned in 1968, opened to the public in 2000)One blast furnace has been preserved, including cowper stoves. Wielki Piec.JPG

Romania

CityName of locationCurrent purpose, preserved installations and public attractionsPhotoOfficial website
Reșița, Caraș-Severin County,Inside TMK Reșița, near the continuous casting plant. The number 2 blast furnace with a 700-cubic-meter capacity, built between 1959 and 1962, and it was permanently shut down in 1991.There were two same type, Soviet-model blast furnaces and shared the same casthouse. The number 1 blast furnace was demolished between 2001 and 2002. The second blast furnace with its three Cowper type preheating stoves, smokestack, raw materials silos and plumbing are declared as historical monument since 2003. The furnace can't be visited because it is located inside the yard of an active steel mill, but can be seen very well from outside. Resita furnal.jpg

Russian Federation

City and provinceName of locationCurrent purpose, preserved installations and public attractionsPhotoOfficial website
Nizhny Tagil, Sverdlovsk Oblast Nizhny Tagil Museum-Reserve of Mining and Metallurgy of the Middle Urals (previously Nizhny Tagil Metallurgical Combine/Kuibyshev Metallurgical Plant, decommissioned in 1987, integrated into the museum in 1992)The steel mill has been turned into a museum. Two blast furnaces have been preserved, including cowper stoves. Nizhny tagil demidov factory from fox hill.jpg [ permanent dead link ]
Polevskoy, Sverdlovsk Oblast Museum Complex "Seversky Blast Furnace" owned by Seversky Tube Works (TMK Group).The decommissioned blast furnace built in 1860, rebuild in 1896 and has been turned into a museum in 1980-s.

Spain

Place and provinceName of locationCurrent purpose, preserved installations and public attractionsPhotoOfficial website
Puerto de Sagunto, Sagunto, Camp de Morvedre, Valencia Altos Hornos del Mediterráneo (decommissioned in 1984)One blast furnace has been preserved, including the outer frame. The blast furnace is currently intended to be turned into a museum site following the examples of Völklingen Ironworks and Fundidora Park. [11] Alto Horno, Puerto de Sagunto, Espana, 2015-01-04, DD 90.JPG
Sestao, Biscay, Basque Country Altos Hornos de Vizcaya (decommissioned in 1996)One blast furnace has been preserved, including the outer frame, winch house and cowper stoves. Alto horno antiguo Sestao.jpg

United States

City and countryName of locationCurrent purpose, preserved installations and public attractionsPhotoOfficial website
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem Steel (decommissioned in 1995)The site is now the location of the Wind Creek Bethlehem casino hotel.
Five blast furnaces were left standing, including cowper stoves.
The plant was intended to be incorporated into The National Museum of Industrial History, however the bankruptcy of Bethlehem Steel and the sale of assets to ISG put that on hold. The blast furnaces are now the property of the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, as are other remaining structures intended for the NMIH.
Bethlehem Steel.jpg
Rankin, Pennsylvania Carrie Furnace (last operated by U.S. Steel Homestead Steel Works, decommissioned in 1978)Two blast furnaces have been preserved, including cowper stoves.
The site is open to the public as part of guided tours and is currently planned to be incorporated into a Homestead Works National Park. [12]
Carrie Furnace030.jpg
Birmingham, Alabama Sloss Furnaces (decommissioned in 1971)Pig iron-producing blast furnace from 1882 to 1971. Two blast furnaces have been preserved, including cowper stoves.
Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1981, the site currently serves as an interpretive museum of industry and hosts a nationally recognized metal arts program. It also serves as a concert and festival venue.
Sloss Furnaces Birmingham AL USA.JPG

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Industrial archaeology</span> Archaeological sub-discipline

Industrial archaeology (IA) is the systematic study of material evidence associated with the industrial past. This evidence, collectively referred to as industrial heritage, includes buildings, machinery, artifacts, sites, infrastructure, documents and other items associated with the production, manufacture, extraction, transport or construction of a product or range of products. The field of industrial archaeology incorporates a range of disciplines including archaeology, architecture, construction, engineering, historic preservation, museology, technology, urban planning and other specialties, in order to piece together the history of past industrial activities. The scientific interpretation of material evidence is often necessary, as the written record of many industrial techniques is often incomplete or nonexistent. Industrial archaeology includes both the examination of standing structures and sites that must be studied by an excavation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blast furnace</span> Type of furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals

A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally pig iron, but also others such as lead or copper. Blast refers to the combustion air being supplied above atmospheric pressure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blaenavon</span> Human settlement in Wales

Blaenavon is a town and community in Torfaen county borough, Wales, high on a hillside on the source of the Afon Lwyd. It is within the boundaries of the historic county of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent. The population is 6,055.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coalbrookdale</span> Village in Shropshire, England

Coalbrookdale is a village in the Ironbridge Gorge and the Telford and Wrekin borough of Shropshire, England, containing a settlement of great significance in the history of iron ore smelting. It lies within the civil parish called the Gorge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sloss Furnaces</span> United States historic place

Sloss Furnaces is a National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, Alabama in the United States. It operated as a pig iron-producing blast furnace from 1882 to 1971. After closing, it became one of the first industrial sites in the U.S. to be preserved and restored for public use. In 1981, the furnaces were designated a National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Engelsberg Ironworks</span> UNESCO World Heritage Site in Fagersta Municipality, Sweden

Engelsberg Ironworks is an ironworks in Ängelsberg, a village in Fagersta Municipality in Västmanland County, Sweden. It was built in 1681 by Per Larsson Gyllenhöök (1645-1706) and developed into one of the world's most modern ironworks in the period 1700–1800. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blaenavon Industrial Landscape</span> UNESCO World Heritage Site in Wales

Blaenavon Industrial Landscape, in and around Blaenavon, Torfaen, Wales, was inscribed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000. The Blaenavon Ironworks, now a museum, was a major centre of iron production using locally mined or quarried iron ore, coal and limestone. Raw materials and products were transported via horse-drawn tramroads, canals and steam railways. The Landscape includes protected or listed monuments of the industrial processes, transport infrastructure, workers' housing and other aspects of early industrialisation in South Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hot blast</span> Metallurgical preheating of air

Hot blast refers to the preheating of air blown into a blast furnace or other metallurgical process. As this considerably reduced the fuel consumed, hot blast was one of the most important technologies developed during the Industrial Revolution. Hot blast also allowed higher furnace temperatures, which increased the capacity of furnaces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tannehill Ironworks</span> United States state park and historic place

The Tannehill Ironworks is the central feature of Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park near the unincorporated town of McCalla in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Tannehill Furnace, it was a major supplier of iron for Confederate ordnance. Remains of the old furnaces are located 12 miles (19 km) south of Bessemer off Interstate 59/Interstate 20 near the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains. The 1,500-acre (610 ha) park includes: the John Wesley Hall Grist Mill; the May Plantation Cotton Gin House; and the Iron & Steel Museum of Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Völklingen Ironworks</span> UNESCO World Heritage Site in Saarland, Germany

The Völklingen Ironworks is a former blast-furnace complex located in the German town of Völklingen, Saarland. Pig iron production occurred at the site from 1882 through 1986. As one of the only intact ironworks surviving from the 19th and early-20th centuries in Europe and North America, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 because of its exceptional preservation and its testimony to ferrous metallurgy and the Industrial Revolution. In addition, the site is an anchor point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrie Furnace</span> United States historic place

Carrie Furnace is a former blast furnace located along the Monongahela River in the Pittsburgh area industrial town of Swissvale, Pennsylvania, and it had formed a part of the Homestead Steel Works. The Carrie Furnaces were built in 1884 and they operated until 1982. During its peak, the site produced 1,000 to 1,250 tons of iron per day. All that is left of the site are furnaces #6 and #7, which operated from 1907 to 1978, and its hot metal bridge. The furnaces, designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006, are among the only pre-World War II 20th century blast furnaces to survive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornwall Iron Furnace</span> Historic district in Pennsylvania, United States

Cornwall Iron Furnace is a designated National Historic Landmark that is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in Cornwall, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The furnace was a leading Pennsylvania iron producer from 1742 until it was shut down in 1883. The furnaces, support buildings and surrounding community have been preserved as a historical site and museum, providing a glimpse into Lebanon County's industrial past. The site is the only intact charcoal-burning iron blast furnace in its original plantation in the western hemisphere. Established by Peter Grubb in 1742, Cornwall Furnace was operated during the Revolution by his sons Curtis and Peter Jr. who were major arms providers to George Washington. Robert Coleman acquired Cornwall Furnace after the Revolution and became Pennsylvania's first millionaire. Ownership of the furnace and its surroundings was transferred to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1932.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iron & Steel Museum of Alabama</span> Industrial museum in Alabama, US

The Iron & Steel Museum of Alabama, also known as the Tannehill Museum, is an industrial museum that demonstrates iron production in the nineteenth-century Alabama located at Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park in McCalla, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. Opened in 1981, it covers 13,000 square feet (1,200 m2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blaenavon Ironworks</span> Former ironworks transformed into a museum

Blaenavon Ironworks is a former industrial site which is now a museum in Blaenavon, Wales. The ironworks was of crucial importance in the development of the ability to use cheap, low quality, high sulphur iron ores worldwide. It was the site of the experiments by Sidney Gilchrist Thomas and his cousin Percy Gilchrist that led to "the basic steel process" or "Gilchrist–Thomas process".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitecliff Ironworks</span> Historic site in England, UK

Whitecliff Ironworks, sometimes referred to as Whitecliff Furnace, at Coleford, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, are industrial remains associated with the production of iron, using coke, in the Forest of Dean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caernarfon town walls</span> Grade I listed urban defence in Caernarfon, United Kingdom

Caernarfon's town walls are a medieval defensive structure around the town of Caernarfon in North Wales. The walls were constructed between 1283 and 1292 after the foundation of Caernarfon by Edward I, alongside the adjacent castle. The walls are 734 m (2,408 ft) long and include eight towers and two medieval gatehouses. The project was completed using large numbers of labourers brought in from England; the cost of building the walls came to around £3,500, a large sum for the period. The walls were significantly damaged during the rebellion of Madog ap Llywelyn in 1294, and had to be repaired at considerable expense. Political changes in the 16th century reduced the need to maintain such defences around the town. Today the walls form part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site administered by Cadw. Archaeologists Oliver Creighton and Robert Higham describe the defences as "a remarkably intact walled circuit".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Næs jernverk</span> Iron works in Norway (1665–1959)

Næs Ironworks in Holt, was an iron works which started operation in 1665 under the name “Baaseland Værk”. The blast furnace and foundry were located at the Båsland farm, while the associated forge was located a kilometer further east, by the Storelva river at Næs. The blast furnace was new, and not an extension of the Barbu jernverk at Arendal which ceased operations in the 1650s. “Baaseland Værk” was given the name Naes blast furnace operation when the buildings were concentrated by Storelva in 1738. About 1840 the firm was renamed Jacob Aall & Søn. It ceased operation in 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lower Vítkovice</span> Industrial heritage site in the Czech Republic

Lower Vítkovice (Czech: Dolní oblast Vítkovice) is a national site of industrial heritage located in the Vítkovice district of Ostrava in the Czech Republic. It includes an extensive industrial area Vítkovice ironworks with a unique collection of industrial architecture. A set of three successive parts - coal mine, coke ovens and blast furnace operations - also called Ostravian Hradčany, after Hradčany, the Castle District of Prague. The area is registered in the list of European cultural heritage, and was placed on the Czech Republic's list of tentative UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2001 under the name The Industrial Complexes at Ostrava.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lithgow Blast Furnace</span> Former blast furnace in New South Wales

The Lithgow Blast Furnace is a heritage-listed former blast furnace and now park and visitor attraction at Inch Street, Lithgow, City of Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1906 to 1907 by William Sandford Limited. It is also known as Eskbank Ironworks Blast Furnace site; Industrial Archaeological Site. The property is owned by Lithgow City Council. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plas Madoc</span> Housing estate in Wrexham County Borough, Wales

Plas Madoc is a housing estate and former electoral ward near Acrefair, in the Cefn community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It is located seven miles to the south-west of Wrexham, and contains The Land adventure playground, and a community-run leisure centre with a swimming pool. The area is one of the most deprived areas in Wales, and the fourth most deprived LSOA in Wrexham County Borough.

References

  1. The oldest blast furnace in Ukraine is 200 years old Archived 2012-03-26 at the Wayback Machine , the article in the Chicago Ukrainian newspaper “Українське слово” “Ukrainian word”.
  2. Historic Environment Scotland. "Furnace, Ironworks (SM2530)" . Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  3. Cadw - Dyfi Furnace
  4. "Monmouthshire County Council - Angidy Ironworks, Tintern". Archived from the original on 2010-07-10. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
  5. Cadw - Blaenavon Ironworks
  6. Pending application to declare the Industrial Complexes at Ostravaa UNESCO World Heritage Site, UNESCO, July 2001.
  7. German language article on the Uckange plant Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine
  8. Altes Hütten Areal Neunkirchen Archived 2011-07-19 at archive.today at Industriekultur und Tourismus im Saarland (in German)
  9. Neunkirchen blast furnaces Archived 2007-10-13 at the Wayback Machine at Lebendige Stadt
  10. Pending application to declare Fundidora blast furnaces 1 and 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, UNESCO, October 2008.
  11. Blog entry explaining the plans for the Sagunto blast furnace Archived 2010-01-10 at the Wayback Machine , April 28, 2009.
  12. Photo Essay: Pittsburgh’s Carrie Blast Furnace, June 18, 2009.