Hornbeam
The hornbeam appears unremarkable – until you get up close. Its wood is so hard that it was once used to make gearwheels and tool handles. Even more impressive than its hardness, however, is the hornbeam’s resilience: even when cut back to the stump, it sprouts vigorously once more. No wonder it has always been a symbol of resilience and endurance. With these qualities, it fits perfectly into the Ruhr region, as it embodies precisely what has shaped this area: change, resilience and the ability to get back on its feet time and again.
Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus ‘Quercifolia’)
| Family: | Birch family, Betulaceae |
| Distribution: | Europe to the Near East |
| Size: | 10–18 metres tall, 7–12 metres wide |
| Life: | up to 150 years |
| Requirements: | sunny to shady, wind-resistant and heat-tolerant |
| Soil: | open ground, otherwise few soil requirements |
| Benefits: | well-decomposing, soil-improving foliage, humus-forming on bare soil, Tree of the Year in 1996 |
Sports brings people together
In mining, community meant survival. The hard work in an environment that posed dangers to people forged bonds and created a sense of togetherness that extended far beyond the shift and the shaft. Inclusion was a lived reality long before the term even existed. Underground, it didn’t matter where someone came from or what language they spoke – what mattered was being able to rely on one another. That was the only way to cope with the hard work in the pit. By people from very different origins, backgrounds and with different skills. Stable jobs and solidarity in action for both the strong and the weak.
The Zollverein World Heritage Run, which RAG-Stiftung has been supporting for years as part of its cultural sponsorship programme, pays tribute to this mining heritage. Over a thousand participants take part regularly. Young and old, from the highly fit to the highly motivated, from those aiming for a personal best to those for whom simply finishing is the goal. Together, they make their way through the Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site, past the winding tower and coking plant, factory halls and depot buildings. Some run five kilometres, others over ten. Still others even tackle the half-marathon distance. Of course, the popular children’s run is also a firm fixture on the programme. All in all, an experience for all generations and a day when, at Zollverein, everyone is once again just one thing: good mates.
Reason for planting
The World Heritage Run took place for the tenth time in 2025. A special highlight of the anniversary year was the first-ever wheelchair demonstration race, in which athletes showed just how naturally inclusion can be practised in sports. The Special Olympics competitions, in which people with and without disabilities competed together in the same starting field, were equally impressive. We dedicate our hornbeam to this special day of diversity, participation and enthusiasm.