Weltkulturerbe Völklinger Hütte UNESCO

The Völklingen Ironworks in western Germany close to the border with France cover 6 ha and are a unique monument to pig-iron production in Western Europe. The Völklingen Ironworks (German: Völklinger Hütte ) is a former blast furnace complex located in the German town of Völklingen, Saarland. The first steelworks was set up in Völklingen in 1873. The Röchling family bought it in 1881 and founded the Völklingen Ironworks. Pig iron is the crude, intermediate iron product made by smelting iron ore in a blast furnace.