Germany: Ruhr Area Transforms to Surf Hotspot

On the former grounds of the Zeche Werde I/II coal mine located in Werne (Germany, Ruhr Region), which was shut down in 1975, a new mega artificial surf spot called SURFWRLD will be developed. Plans for the new water attraction were presented recently by the Werne municipality and the project executing organisation SW GmbH & Co. KG.

During the first development phase, which is planned to be completed by the end of 2022, the first of two Olympic standard surf pools (250 x 90 x 2 metres) will be constructed. The artificial pool will generate waves in short time intervals, which will suit professional surfers and beginners at the same time. Including a stationary wave (such as the “Eisbach“ located in Munich), a surf school, a mobile home campsite, beachvolleyball fields, a relaxation area and numerous F&B offerings, Surfwrld will be a new type of leisure attraction. “With the dimension of the facility and the wave quality as well as the olympic standard we are surfing on our own wave,“ comments Carl-Luis Scheer, in charge of communications at Surfwrld, and adds: “In comparison to other surf locations we offer twice as much pools, three times more water surface and most important a four times longer surfing time – longer than on some natural surfing spots.“

Besides sports, scientifical will be possible at Surfwrld. The technical universities RWTH Aachen and TH Cologne, which have been working on the conceptional design, too, will be able to use the facility for research purposes. Prof. Dr. Holger Schüttrumpf explains: “The facility offers an unique feature for water constructional matters. Finally, we will be able to research wave dynamics in a large scale […].“ In the future, Surfwrld is supposed to attract 200,000 vistors per year. “Within a one our drive we reach ten million residents and within two hours 20 million […],“ comments Dr. Michael Detering, General Manager of Surfwrld. For the first construction phase an investment sum of 30 million euros is planned. (eap)