Gasometer Oberhausen

1 - You can see the huge, round structure from a long way off. It is right beside the A 42 motorway, near the Emscher River and the Rhine-Herne Canal. This is the gasometer, which has since become one of Oberhausen’s landmarks. A gasometer is a facility used to store flammable gases, such as natural gas, biogas, or sewage gas. Gas used to be stored in the Oberhausen Gasometer, too.

2 - This was so-called blast-furnace gas, produced during steelmaking in the surrounding blast furnaces of Gutehoffnungshütte (GHH). Blast-furnace gas is actually a low-grade gas. But by storing it, it could be put to use instead of simply being burned off. Later, the gasometer was used to store coke-oven gas, which was produced during coal processing. The gasometer was built between 1927 and 1929. It is 117 meters high and 67 meters in diameter, making it the largest of its kind in Europe. At the time, the Ruhr region’s huge industrial plants required a great deal of energy.

3 - The gasometer is a telescoping gas holder. A massive steel disc compressed the gas inside the holder to maintain a constant pressure. The disc in the Oberhausen Gasometer weighed 1,200 tonnes with its added weights. It moved up or down inside the structure, depending on how much gas was stored.

4 - After the Second World War, the gasometer burned down during repair work. However, it was rebuilt and remained in operation until 1988. At that time, many mines and blast furnaces in the Ruhr region had to close because coal mining and iron and steel production were no longer profitable. Many people lost their jobs, and the gasometer was no longer needed either.

5 - The facility was threatened with demolition. But in the end, it was decided to convert it into an exhibition hall. The enormous gas holder was fixed at a height of 4 metres, and a stand for 500 spectators was also built. Exhibitions are held at the gasometer, and theatre performances are regularly staged there. You can reach the roof by lift or outside stairs. From here, you get a wonderful view over the Ruhr region. You can also see the Centro, Europe's largest shopping and leisure centre, built on the site of the former Gutehoffnungshütte.