The more ironwork factories in production, the more jobs that were available. In 1965, more than 17,000 people were working at Völklingen Hütte. When the factory closed down many people lost their jobs, thus eventually weakening the local economy. Today as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Völklingen Hütte has been semi-turned around, becoming once again an attraction for visitors whose tourism is in turn helping contribute to the future of the town.
The museum itself serves as a great reminder of the past age of iron production in the town and pays homage to the thousands of people who worked there.
The people in this environment faced many challenges, the first of which were the health effects of steel production. Working in the factory was a dangerous job, and all of the exposure to coal and iron had negative effects on workers' health.
However, another very important challenge was that of national identity. When Saarland changed from being German to an occupied French zone it created a lot of conflicts. People were split between two countries and often lost their rights in the political squabbling.
People adapted to this environment firstly by exploiting the resources. Once that was no longer possible, a lot of people moved away to find better economic opportunities. In terms of contemporary adaptation, I believe that Völklingen as a town has followed the same trend and looked towards other means of growth and income.
