Geotourist on a spoil heap? The case of the Ruhr, Germany

The establishment of Geopark Ruhrgebiet was undoubtedly aimed at highlighting the uniqueness and diversity of the region, linked not only to its industrial past but also to its natural environment. Among many geosites offered to tourists, there are a number of former mining and metallurgical dumps (heaps). There are hundreds of them in the Ruhr, and they have permanently shaped the cultural landscape of the region. It would therefore seem that the geopark is exploiting the geotourism potential of the spoil heaps, allowing for active learning in the field of geoheritage and natural resources used by humans. However, an analysis of the current development of the most touristically and recreationally used spoil heaps, as well as the main concepts for the development of tourism, based on mining and metallurgical heaps, clearly outlines a strategy whose main assumptions are: rebranding, blurring the industrial character of the spoil heaps, developing them for sports, recreation, and tourism, and developing green energy. Based on observations, it can be concluded that there is no information about the genesis of the spoil heaps or the processes taking place there (even more, there is no information about geology or geomorphology at all), hence geotourism on the spoil heaps of the Ruhr is more declarative than actual.