[1] 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 1873, Julius Buch planned and built a steel works near Völklingen on the banks of the Saar river.

A large conveyor belt system was installed in the plant, and the technology used at the ironworks became a model for other factories across the world during the early 20th century.

[1] With a shortage of labor during and after World War I, up to 1,446 people from territories occupied by Germany (with most of them from Russia and Belgium) were forced to work involuntarily at the Völklingen Ironworks between 1915 and 1918.

[3] After World War II, only minor maintenance was conducted until the plant closed in 1986 during the economic steel crisis.

Ralf Beil has been the General Director of the World Cultural Heritage Site at the Völklingen Ironworks since 1 May 2020.