Out of Order

Painter Bert Hermans made this painting after a visit to the Völklingen Iron Smelter (Völklinger Hütte) in Germany on June 12, 2024.
Völklinger Hütte is now part of the industrial heritage in the town of Völklingen in the Saarland. It has been a World Heritage Site since 1994. The iron smelter is an excellent example of an integrated iron and steel complex where the entire production process took place at one location. The complex has six blast furnaces. 
The factory was founded in 1873 by Julius Buch and grew from 1881 under the leadership of the Röchling family into one of the most important iron and steel factories in Europe. In its heyday around 1965, it employed more than 16,000 workers. More than 30,000 people found work through the supply industry. The global steel crisis in the mid-1970s heralded the end.
Völklinger Hütte was closed in 1986. It later became a museum with exhibition space and a concert hall. 
The Völklingen Ironworks is a so-called anchor point of the European Route for Industrial Heritage.