1400 B.C.

Iron fell to earth from the heavens: In Asia Minor, iron which came from meteorites was processed by humans for the first time. The Hittites made use of the discovery to increase their defensive potential - so the first iron was used to manufacture weapons.

1200 B.C.

Syria was the birthplace of 'man-made' iron. The armourers melted the material from ores for the manufacture of powerful weapons. Whoever had the iron had the power.

1000 B.C.

The word 'iron' is of Illyrian origin. The Illyrians made agricultural tools from it. Excavations at sites in Palestine bear witness to these beginnings of the Iron Age.

800 B.C.

The first finds in the German region date from this period. An iron finger ring, found near Hanover, shows that iron had become acceptable: it had begun to be used as jewellery, and had therefore become a status symbol. The use of iron in the technology of war was further developed. Iron rivets were used to fix lance tips.

400 B.C.

In the region of Siegen, to the north-west of what is now Frankfurt, the first iron metropolis was created. The basis for the fast-growing iron industry was formed by iron ore and timber. In the bloomery hearth process, the blast furnace technology of later years was anticipated: charcoal served as fuel, and draught was used to increase the temperature for smelting.

1200 A.D.

In Rome, water wheels were used in the manufacture of iron, driving both bellows and blacksmith's hammers. The mechanisation of iron production had begun.

1430

The existence of the iron-processing trade was mentioned for the first time in Saarland. In writings which were discovered, mention was made of 'iron-smiths and coal-pits in the Sinder valley'. In those times too, the iron and mining industries were closely interwoven.

 
1539

The oldest ironworks in Saarland was founded in Neunkirchen. In 1806, the Stumm brothers took over the works. The 'Stumm era' made its mark on industrial and social history, and not only in the area of Neunkirchen. In 1982 the ironworks was shut down and demolished. Today, only a few relics are left to remind us of one of Saarland's most important industrial sites.

1572

In Geislautern, near Völklingen, an ironworks was built. Here, minette ores from the Hayingen area were processed. The site remained in use for centuries. On the founding of the Völklingen Ironworks, however, the smelting-plant in Geislautern disappeared. Many of the workers came to contribute their experience at Röchling's Ironworks.

1709

In England, iron was smelted in a coke blast furnace for the first time. At last it was possible to make use of the abundant hard coal in the smelting process. It was high time. In the British Isles in particular, the forests were to be decimated by the intensive production of charcoal. 

1711

Newcomen constructed the first atmospheric vapour engine. This was a vital innovation for the ironworks, since it made them independent of sites on rivers. It was soon possible to manage without water power, which was unreliable in the driving of blowers and hammers.

1740

In England, molten steel was produced successfully for the first time, using the crucible process.

1784 

The puddling process was introduced in England. Now, it was for the first time possible to produce high-quality steel in large quantities. The puddling technique continued in use in many ironworks right up to the end of the 19th century.

1796

The first coke blast furnace went into operation in Germany. An ironworks at Gleiwitz in Upper Silesia was the first to use the new technique.

1824

Forty years after its invention, the puddling technique came to German ironworks. In Rasselstein, near Neuwied, Germany's first puddle steel works was built.

1835

A key innovation suddenly changed the world: the first railway locomotive travelled between Nuremberg and Fürth. The new means of transport meant two things for the iron and steel processing industry: transportation was made easier, and the railway companies were good customers for all kinds of steel product. Indeed the production of rail track actually ensured the continuing existence of many ironworks.

1850

An invention by Hans Bessemer heralded the age of mass steel production. With the Bessemer process, constantly rising demands for the production of pig iron were able to be met. The need for steel, which was increasing sharply, was finally able to be satisfied.

1857

The Englishman E. A. Cowper registered a patent for stone blast-heating apparatus. The technology of blast-heating apparatus has remained almost unchanged to this day. The stones, once heated up, enabled blast temperatures to be attained at which the ore could be smelted in the furnace.

1879 

Sidney Gilchrist Thomas invented a process for steel production which was named after him. For the steelworks in the Saar-Lor-Lux region, this innovation was a matter of special interest. With the new process, pig iron made from minette, which contained large amounts of phosphorus, was able to be processed into workable steel. 

1881

Carl Röchling bought a disused steelworks in Völklingen. He invested his hopes and money in the production of pig iron: in 1883, the first blast furnace was set to work.

1895 

The Deutz gas engine factory in Hörde constructed the first engine run on blast furnace gas. With it, a breakthrough was made. Blast furnace gas, hitherto regarded as a waste product, was able to be put to use in the smelting process as an energy provider.

1900

The Röchling brothers immediately recognised the importance of the gas engine for the continued development of the iron industry. On a site a little way away from the blast furnaces, the blower shed was built.

1928

Sintering technology also presented the opportunity to recycle residues from the various smelting processes, for example fine ores and blast furnace dust. In Völklingen, one of Europe's most modern sintering plants came into being.

1965

More than 17,000 men and women were working at the Völklingen Ironworks, the largest number of people ever employed in its history.

1986

The blast furnaces of the Völklingen Ironworks were shut down. Many people lost their job. Völklingen's 'iron age' came to an end.

1994

UNESCO declared the Völklingen Ironworks a World Cultural Heritage Site.

1999

Das Saarland gründet die neue Trägergesellschaft Weltkulturerbe Völklinger Hütte - Europäisches Zentrum für Kunst und Industriekultur.

2000

Erstmals besuchen mehr als 104.000 Menschen das Weltkulturerbe Völklinger Hütte.

2004

10-jähriges Jubiläum der Völklinger Hütte als UNESCO-Weltkulturerbe. Eröffnung des 1. Science Center im Saar-Lor-Lux Raum, „Ferrodrom® – Erlebniswelt Völklinger Hütte“, rund um Eisen und Stahl in der Möllerhalle.

2007

Das Weltkulturerbe Völklinger Hütte ist ein Hauptprojekt von Luxemburg und Großregion – Kulturhauptstadt Europas 2007. Science Center Ferrodrom® um über 100 Mitmachobjekte im Innen- und Außenbereich ausgebaut.