Hop Hornbeam
The hop hornbeam is a robust tree with hop-like fruit clusters and hard, durable wood. It symbolises steadfastness and adaptability. It demonstrates how plants can thrive with little water in warm, dry habitats – a true model for climate-resilient forests.
Hop Hornbeam (Ostrya carpinifolia)
| Family: | Birch family, Betulaceae |
| Distribution: | Southern Europe, eastern Mediterranean, Caucasus |
| Size: | 10–13 metres tall, 8–10 metres wide |
| Lifespan: | up to 100 years |
| Requirements: | Sunny locations; tolerates heat and dry air |
| Soil: | Calcareous soils; tolerates dry, poor soils |
| Advantages: | Good street tree due to its requirements and characteristics |
Hugo – from coal mine to landscape park
For more than a century, the Hugo mine – later as part of a larger network of mines – shaped Gelsenkirchen’s economy. The locally mined hard coal provided energy for households, industry and the development of modern infrastructure. At its peak, over 5,000 people worked here, with around 3.2 million tonnes of coal extracted annually. On 28 April 2000, the last of Hugo’s coal rolled off the conveyor belts – marking the end of a significant chapter in industrial history.
After its closure, the site remained closed to the public at first. It was only after extensive, multi-year regeneration that today’s Hugo Landscape Park opened its gates. An environmental information trail has been created to the east that features a community garden and play areas; to the west, open brownfield sites and near-natural water bodies are developing into valuable refuges for endangered species. The Landscape Agency Plus is carrying out long-term ecological enhancement of these areas; effective measures that are incorporated into the “Hugo Eco-Account.”
And the transformation continues: on the initiative of RAG-Stiftung, an avenue of around 40 climate-resilient trees is being created here – a contribution to regional climate adaptation and to the transformation of the former coal-mining region.
Reason for planting
Hugo will celebrate two milestone anniversaries in 2026: 145 years ago, on 31 May 1881, the former colliery began operations. And 10 years ago, on 25 June 2016, part of the current site was returned to the public for the first time. This marked the birth of today’s Hugo Landscape Park. To mark the 145th and 10th anniversaries, we are giving this special place and our Climate Arboretum a lasting gift: a hop hornbeam in the golden centre of the avenue.
