Rules and Regulations
Rules & Regulations
By staying on our premises (payment area and outdoor areas such as the beer garden and visitor car park), you accept these house rules as binding:
Access regulations
(1) Children under the age of 14 may only enter the premises if accompanied by an adult supervisor.
(2) Animals are not permitted on the company premises - with the exception of the outdoor areas. Assistance dogs are naturally excluded from this.
(3) The carrying of weapons or dangerous objects (guns, knives, chains, brass knuckles, etc.) is prohibited on the premises. Bicycles, scooters, skateboards, roller skates, sledges, etc. as well as umbrellas, luggage and bags larger than 20x30 cm are also not permitted on the premises - with the exception of the outdoor areas. Smaller items can be safely stored in our lockers next to the ticket desk.
(4) Bags and containers brought onto the premises may be inspected upon request. Access may be denied if inspection is refused.
2 Safety Regulations
(1) The Völklingen Ironworks World Heritage Site is a former industrial site with mature structures that were not originally intended for visitors. Despite regular inspections and protective measures, it is therefore not possible to guarantee absolute safety in the buildings and on the paths, steps and squares. This is particularly true in adverse weather conditions (rain, freezing rain, snowfall, etc.) and in the vicinity of construction sites and the associated traffic. The premises are only partially accessible. There is no or only limited winter maintenance.
(2) We therefore ask visitors to exercise the necessary caution and care on the premises, to wear non-slip closed footwear, to refrain from walking and running at speed and to use the handrails provided. Pay attention to potholes, possible unevenness and tripping hazards and be particularly careful on stairs. Move with great care when using a wheelchair or walking aid. Do not stay on the company premises while drunk or intoxicated.
(3) Visitors are not permitted to leave the paths. Safety grids, barriers, fences and walls must not be climbed over under any circumstances, as otherwise there is a risk to life. Specially marked operating and staff routes may also not be entered. In addition, helmets are mandatory in parts of the facility. Access to this specially labelled area is only permitted with a helmet, which you can obtain from the helmet station. Climbing on machines and exhibits is not permitted. Burning open fires (including barbecues and pyrotechnics) is not permitted. Signs must be observed and escape routes must be kept clear.
(4) Adult supervisors must fulfil their duty of supervision when visiting with underage children. In particular, they must ensure that they adhere to the house rules and stay within the established barriers and pathways at all times. Otherwise, there is a danger to life.
3 Rules of Conduct
(1) We want all visitors to have a carefree stay. We therefore ask you to show consideration and not to disturb or endanger others. Rubbish must be disposed of in the rubbish bins provided. Appropriate clothing must be worn. Deliberate noise and loud music are prohibited. The consumption of cannabis and other drugs is prohibited on the entire premises.
(2) The World Heritage Site is a listed building. Therefore, please understand that you may only consume food and drinks you have brought with you in the designated picnic and resting areas. Smoking on the premises is only permitted in the picnic area at the blast furnace site. The visitor car park is exempt from these restrictions. Smoking outdoors in the beer garden is permitted unless it is restricted to certain areas by our tenant.
(3) If you have been issued with an audio or media guide for your visit to the World Cultural Heritage Site, you are required to return the device before leaving the site. Devices handed out must be handled with care; if you have any questions about how to use them, please contact the staff at the device issue desk.
4 Limitation of Liability
(1) We are liable for all damages that are attributable to a grossly negligent or wilful breach of duty on our part. In addition, we shall be liable for foreseeable and typical damages in the event of culpable breach of an essential contractual obligation without gross negligence or intent. Irrespective of this, we shall be liable in all cases of damage due to culpable injury to life, limb or health. Otherwise, liability is excluded to the extent permitted by law. This limitation of liability shall not affect any strict liability prescribed by law or liability arising from a no-fault guarantee.
(2) Insofar as liability is excluded or limited in accordance with paragraph 1, this shall also apply to the personal liability of our executive bodies, employees and vicarious agents.
(3) The World Cultural Heritage Site is not liable for items that are handed over to employees or authorised personnel or deposited on the premises; a duty of care is not associated with the handover and/or deposit. No liability is accepted for all objects that are damaged, destroyed or lost while on the premises; paragraph 1 remains unaffected. Valuables can be safely stored in our lockers next to the ticket desk.
(4) If individual facilities are not in operation, for example due to repairs, TÜV inspections, force majeure or unfavourable weather conditions, no admission fee refund or reduction can be granted. The same applies if access to certain areas is restricted due to events. Please note the daily updated information on the Internet and/or at the ticket desk.
5 Filming and photo shootings for promotional purposes
(1) Guided tours of the premises are only permitted by employees and authorised representatives of the World Heritage Site.
(2) Photography, sound and film recordings that are not exclusively for private purposes require our permission. Hobby photographers please fill out a declaration, which we will have available at the ticket desk. For commercial and editorial recordings, please send an application to mail@voelklinger-huette.org. Regardless of the purpose of use, drone shots and wedding or similar shoots must be registered and authorised via the aforementioned email address. Whether requested recordings are subject to a fee depends on the respective purpose of use and the amount of support required.
(3) We regularly take and permit photographs, sound recordings and film recordings on the company premises. When you enter the premises, it is therefore possible that third parties commissioned by us and/or other third parties (e.g. other visitors) may take photos in which you can be seen in addition to our premises. If you do not wish to be photographed, please inform the person taking the photographs on site. Photographs taken may be used by the photographer without restriction in terms of time and location in accordance with paragraph 2. If you are recognisably depicted in a photograph, you may object to its further use for reasons arising from your particular situation. In this case, the use must be discontinued unless compelling legitimate grounds for the processing can be demonstrated (Art. 21 GDPR). If the recordings are used for reporting, press and media purposes, we would like to point out that the provisions of the GDPR may not apply and that the permissibility of use is governed solely by the Art Copyright Act (KUG). In this respect, recordings of publicly accessible locations are generally permitted.
(4) We would like to point out that our premises are under video surveillance. All personal data obtained in this way is collected and processed exclusively within the framework of the provisions of the data protection law of the Federal Republic of Germany in accordance with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Further information, in particular on the purpose and scope of data processing and your rights as a data subject, can be found on the information signs on video surveillance or requested at the ticket desk, where information sheets are available for you.
6 Householder’s Rights
The staff of the World Heritage Site and the security personnel employed by our contracted security service provider exercise domiciliary rights on the entire premises. The same applies to the ticket desk staff employed by our appointed ticket desk service provider for the entrance area in the water tower. The instructions of this staff must be followed. They are authorised to expel people from the premises who are on the premises without a valid admission ticket or who violate the house rules or instructions issued. In such cases, there is no entitlement to a refund of the admission fee.
Date: 01. April 2025