Between the shopping centre, heavy industry and traffic routes there are small areas everywhere where many a herb and even more animals feel at home.
momentsofurban nature
The project “Wild Ruhr Area” introduces itself
At first glance, the Ruhr area does not seem to be the ideal working environment for nature photographers. Nevertheless, or perhaps precisely because of this, a number of nature photographers who grew up in the Ruhr or now live here have joined forces in the “Wild Ruhr” photo project. Together, they want to show with their photographs that there are indeed natural spaces and all kinds of beautiful things to discover in the Ruhr region. Of course, there is a lack of large-scale wilderness, which is now hard to find anywhere on the globe. But between the shopping centre, heavy industry, traffic routes and the ubiquitous “Ruhrpöttler” (a person who lives in the Ruhr area), there are small areas everywhere where many a herb and even more animals feel at home.
Wildes Ruhrgebiet wants to show these, make them visible and thus speak out for them. This also means drawing attention to the habitats that nature needs and that are actually there.
For example, there are very natural forests and even meandering streams like the Rotbach, which flows from Bottrop via Oberhausen to Dinslaken into the Rhine. Such a body of water has become rare throughout northern Germany.
Herons and kingfishers hunt in the floodplain forest remnants of the Ruhr, and we encounter hare and deer on the farmland and meadows bordering the Ruhr everywhere. Almost like everywhere else in Germany, too, if it weren’t for the rooftops of houses and the chimneys and pits in the background.
But there is also life in the shadows of industrial plants and their ruins, along railway tracks, in our immediate neighbourhood on the balcony and in the garden. These smaller habitats need to be portrayed more often, as such areas are usually not perceived as biotopes at all. Yet it is precisely our brownfield sites that represent a type of landscape and habitat that exists almost exclusively in the Ruhr area and that represents a last refuge for many special species, since their actual, original homes have long since disappeared. Without brownfields, we lose these species completely, but also the typical character face of the Ruhr region. And with it a piece of what makes us special here.
If you want to discover the Ruhr for yourself, there are many places to do so. In the far west are the Rhine meadows in Walsum, where you can take a look at a stork’s nest. From the many footpaths along the waterways, you can also observe various water birds. A particularly atmospheric morning can also be experienced on the Ruhr in the south of Bochum or near Witten, when the fog lies in the Ruhr valley in spring or autumn.
But there is also nature to discover in the midst of industrial culture. High up on the winding tower of the former Nordstern colliery, for example, the peregrine falcon nests at a dizzying height. And in La Pa Du (Duisburg North Landscape Park), numerous wall lizards can be found on the railway tracks and embankments as well as on the buildings. At the right time of year, you can hear the concert of the natterjack toads, which are at home here as well as on other derelict industrial sites in tiny bodies of water. With patience and careful behaviour, the animals can not only be observed but also excellently photographed. In addition, it shows very beautifully how various wild plants make even the smallest niches their habitat.
Good photo opportunities can be found wherever the animals are used to humans and therefore show little shyness. For example, at the numerous park waters, parks and local recreation areas as well as the renaturalised tailings piles common to our region. Examples include the Abtsküche in Heiligenhaus, the Phönixsee in Dortmund, the Stadtteich in Bottrop and the Ruhraue in Essen-Heisingen. The best photographic results are achieved with telephoto focal lengths from 200 mm. But because of the familiarity of the animals with the visitors, it is also possible to take pictures with a smartphone.
In any case, we wish all those interested a lot of fun discovering nature on their doorstep!
Article: Stefan Fabritz (Wildes Ruhrgebiet)
Pictures: Sabine Fabritz, Stefan Fabritz