General Terms and Conditions for the Zollverein Foundation Ticket Shop
1 Scope of Application
1.1 The following General Terms and Conditions apply to any online purchase of:
- Admission or time-slot tickets for exhibitions
- Participation tickets for Zollverein guided tours of the coal mine or coking plant,
organised and/or conducted by Zollverein Foundation (hereinafter referred to as “Foundation”).
1.2 By submitting an offer to purchase tickets online (see Section 2.2, Sentence 2), the buyer agrees to the following general terms and conditions of the Foundation. Any general terms and conditions of the buyer that deviate from or supplement the following general terms and conditions shall not be considered part of the agreement. This also applies if the Foundation does not explicitly object to them.
2 Conclusion of Contract
2.1 The contract is concluded through an offer from the customer and its acceptance by the Foundation.
2.2 The provision of the ticket shop, including its listed exhibitions, entry locations, or tours, as well as the provision of an online ordering system by the Foundation, merely constitutes an invitation to submit an offer by the buyer and does not constitute an offer itself. The customer makes an offer by submitting their ticket order and selecting a payment method, which is confirmed by clicking the “OK” icon. The offer is deemed received when the order arrives on the server where hosting the Foundation’s order processing system.
2.3 Acceptance of the offer is confirmed by the Foundation via a confirmation e-mail to the buyer. The acceptance is considered received when the e-mail reaches the server hosting the buyer’s e-mail inbox.
2.4 A digital copy of the ticket in PDF format is attached to the confirmation e-mail.
3 Obligations of the Foundation
3.1 The Foundation is obliged to send the buyer a digital ticket in PDF format, containing the following details:
- Name of the booked guided tour tickets
- Name of the booked admission or time-slot tickets for exhibitions
- Number of persons admitted, including relevant pricing criteria (adults, discounts, children, etc.)
- Validity period / time-slot when applicable
- Barcode documenting the payment of the ticket
3.2 The Foundation is obligated to allow a one-time admission for the person(s) into an exhibition/building or participation in a tour, provided that they present a fully legible ticket in accordance with Section 3.1. If multiple printouts of a digital ticket exist, the Foundation shall grant admission only to the first person presenting a fully legible ticket.
The Foundation has no obligation to admit or allow participation without the presentation of a fully legible ticket as described in Section 3.1, even if a purchase contract has been validly concluded as per Section 2 and the buyer has fulfilled their payment obligations as per Section 4.1.
The Foundation is not obliged to replace a lost ticket after the confirmation e-mail with an attachment (Sections 2.3/2.4) has been sent.
The ticket loses its validity upon entry to the Zollverein Monument Path or exhibition or once it has been invalidated. Day tickets are non-transferable once admission has been granted. Tickets that have been forged or otherwise manipulated do not grant admission and will be confiscated by the Foundation without replacement or compensation. The same applies in the event of misuse of tickets.
The Foundation reserves the right to close or restrict access to certain areas of the exhibition or Monument Path. Such closures or access restrictions do not entitle the visitor to any claims.
3.3 The content and structure of exhibitions, tours, or digital offerings are the sole responsibility of the Foundation. The Foundation reserves the right to make changes to the content as necessary, and fulfilling its contractual obligations by granting admission to or facilitating participation in the modified exhibitions/tours/digital offerings shall be deemed acceptable.
3.4 The Foundation is not obliged to wait for latecomers holding an online ticket.
- Tours begin promptly at the time specified on the ticket. The Foundation is not obliged to admit latecomers to an already started tour.
- Time slots begin at the exact time stated on the ticket. The Foundation is not obliged to admit latecomers to an ongoing time slot or to extend it.
4 Obligations of the Buyer
4.1 The buyer is obliged to pay the purchase price for the ordered tickets. Payment is due immediately and is considered settled upon receipt by the Foundation.
4.2 The buyer is obliged to ensure that they have the technical requirements necessary for viewing and printing the digital ticket. These includes:
- A PDF reader
- White paper in A4/Letter format
- Printing in original size (100%)
- Smartphone or tablet for mobile ticketing
4.3 The buyer responsible for ensuring the barcode on the ticket provided under Section 3.1 is legible when entering the exhibition or Monument Path. Any damage, contamination, or unreadable printouts must be avoided.
4.4 The buyer must not resell tickets provided under Section 3.1 and must store them securely to prevent misuse.
4.5 The buyer is obliged to verify the correctness of their ticket details immediately upon receiving the confirmation e-mail (Section 2.3). Any discrepancies must be reported to the Foundation within 48 hours of receiving the confirmation e-mail. If no complaint is received by the Foundation within this period, the ticket details shall be considered agreed upon.
4.6 The buyer acknowledges that the premises of the former Zollverein Coal Mine and Coking Plant, as well as the adjacent areas and buildings located there, are former industrial sites. Therefore, entering the site and the buildings requires wearing appropriate clothing and footwear, as well as behaving appropriately while on the premises. The buyer agrees to wear suitable footwear and other appropriate clothing and to behave in a manner that prevents the risk of injury and/or damage to any personal belongings.
The house rules of Zollverein Foundation apply.
5 Cancellation, Withdrawal, and Refunds
5.1 The Foundation reserves the right to cancel a tour if the assigned guide is unavailable and, despite reasonable efforts, a replacement cannot be arranged, and/or if weather conditions pose increased risks to participants, and/or in other cases where the performance cannot be carried out due to impossibility, force majeure, or obvious pricing errors.
In such cases, the Foundation will immediately inform the buyer that the tour will not take place and promptly refund any payment made.
The Foundation is entitled to withdraw from a contract for admission or time-slot tickets to an exhibition or a guided tour of the Monument Path in cases of force majeure.
In such cases, the Foundation will immediately inform the buyer that entry to the building will not be permitted and will promptly refund any payment made.
The Foundation is never liable for further compensation.
5.2 The buyer has no right to return, rebook, or exchange time-slot tickets, admission tickets, or tour tickets. This is because services related to leisure activities with a fixed date of performance are exempt from remote selling regulations under Section 312b (3) No. 6 BGB (German Civil Code), meaning there is no right of withdrawal or return.
5.3 The Foundation explicitly points out that the Zollverein premises, as well as the adjacent areas and buildings, are former industrial sites. Participation in tours of these sites and buildings may involve physical exertion and requires wearing appropriate clothing and footwear. There is no valid reason for withdrawal and refund in cases where a ticket holder on site recognises that they are unable or unwilling to cope with such physical exertion, or that their clothing/footwear is unsuitable for participating in a tour.
5.4 The buyer is not entitled to a refund if they do not present a fully legible ticket as per Section 3.1 upon arrival and are therefore denied entry to an exhibition, the Monument Path or participation in a tour.
6 Intellectual Property Rights
6.1 The content and software of the online shop are protected by copyright. Company names, logos, and product names mentioned on the website may be protected as industrial property rights.
6.2 The Foundation reserves all rights to which it is entitled under statutory provisions. Any use of texts, images, or designs from the online shop’s website requires prior written consent from the Foundation.
7 Liability and Warranty Disclaimer
7.1 Claims for warranty or liability due to personal taste or dissatisfaction with an exhibition, a guided tour, or a digital offering are excluded.
7.2 The Foundation is liable only for intent and gross negligence, except for cases involving injury to life, body, or health.
In this context, the buyer acknowledges that the premises of the former Zollverein Coal Mine, as well as the adjacent areas and the buildings located thereon, are former industrial facilities. Entering these premises and buildings is therefore at the buyer’s own risk. The foundation is not liable for damages caused by behaviour that contradicts the buyer’s obligations under section 4.6.
7.3 The Foundation is only liable for breaches of duty by its vicarious agents that are based on intent or gross negligence. This limitation does not apply to liability for damages resulting from injury to life, body, or health. The provision in section 7.2, paragraph 2, applies accordingly.
7.4 Claims against the Foundation for defective performance or other breaches of duty expire after one year.
8 Data Protection
Data protection regulations are available under “Privacy Policy”.
9 Jurisdiction
9.1 The sole place of performance for delivery, service, and payment is Essen.
9.2 If the customer is a merchant, Essen shall be the exclusive place of jurisdiction.
9.3 For cross-border contracts, the place of jurisdiction shall be Essen, Germany.
9.4 In the case of cross-border contracts, the exclusive place of jurisdiction for all disputes arising from the contractual relationship shall be Essen, Federal Republic of Germany (Art. 17 of the European Convention on Jurisdiction and the Enforcement of Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters of 27 September 1968, EuGVU). The Foundation is also entitled to bring an action before any other court that has jurisdiction on the basis of the EuGVU of 27 September 1968.
10 Final Provisions
10.1 German law shall apply exclusively. The application of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) is excluded.
10.2 If individual provisions of these General Terms and Conditions are or become wholly or partially invalid, this shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions or the remaining parts of such provisions. The parties shall replace the invalid provision with a valid provision that most closely reflects the intended economic and actual purpose.
Version: 21.04.2021
