Castell

Ulrich Rückriem had already designated an area for art on the extensive grounds of the Zeche Zollverein just a few years after the coal mining industrial complex was decommissioned. The exhibition space that Rückriem selected for his sculptures was once a large-scale former industrial area near pit XII. The pit was constructed by architects Fritz Schupp and Martin Kremmer in 1928 as the largest and most modern mine in Europe. The artist’s decision was a deliberate occupation of the property, since there were already plans for it to be used as a city construction waste dump. Today, the 24 monumental granite blocks of the Castell form a space between pit XII and the coking plant that functions a focal point and a boundary.
The stone blocks still exhibit marks from when they were extracted from the quarry. They are positioned to create an intersection with a rectangular space in the middle, which offers the viewer an enclosed space for retreat and protection, while simultaneously being open on all sides.

Further reading:
Public Art Ruhr. Die Metropole Ruhr und die Kunst im öffentlichen Raum. Eds. Walter Smerling and Ferdinand Ulrich on behalf of the RuhrKunstMuseen, Cologne 2012, ISBN 978-3-8632-134-0, p. 156