Gelsenkirchen

Pre-industrial remnants

Gelsenkirchen was first mentioned in a historical document in the year 1150. A number of architectural monuments still bear witness to the early history of the city. The oldest of these, Lüttinghoff Castle, is situated in a nature preserve with a stand of three-hundred-year-old oak trees. Lüttinghoff was first mentioned in a document from the year 1308. A main castle, a front castle, and a large park area form an architectural ensemble surrounded by moats.

The main castle was preserved in its role as a defensive structure. The front castle, on the other hand, was replaced by a complex of buildings arranged in a manner typical of the 18th century. In 1994 the castle won a prize for outstanding architecture in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Berge Castle, constructed in the style of the late baroque at the turning point to classicism, stands in the center of a greenery-filled park. Originally built by Gerlach von Strünkede in the year 1264, it was converted into a stately home around 1700. From 1785 to 1788 it was enlarged and given the architectural style it has today. Its variously styled gardens are pleasant to walk through and, together with Berger Lake, constitute an attractive recreational opportunity and aesthetic contrast to the surrounding industrial landscape.

Horst Castle on the Emscher is considered a unique example of Renaissance architecture in northwestern Germany. An aristocrat, Rütger von der Horst, had it built between 1555 and 1573. Today the castle houses a museum dedicated to the Renaissance era. Concerts are held in the glass hall, the knights hall, and the hearth room.

Coal and steel

The Gelsenkirchen area was sparsely populated (about 6,000 inhabitants) and agrarian in nature up until the 18th century. The discovery of coal in 1840 and the building of a train station led to a transformation of the city. Within a very short period of time Gelsenkirchen became a center of heavy industry. It assumed the dimensions of a major industrial city with a population of nearly 400,000 and came to be known as the 'city of a thousand fires'.

As a result of the increasing availability of cheap coal imports Gelsenkirchen went through a profound structural crisis in the late 1950s. There were massive layoffs in the coal and steel industries and the region was faced with the need to move in a new direction. A one-sided focus on coal and steel was given up in favor of new technologies and the services sector.

Changed times

The most visible evidence of this structural change is the Rheinelbe Science Park, offering innovative companies ideal conditions for working and networking together. Where a steel plant once stood there is now a development center for energy technology, biotechnology, as well as the information and communications technologies, with facilities for conferences and exhibitions.


In 1996 one of the world's largest roof-installed solar power plants was dedicated at the Science Park. Shell Solar Deutschland GmbH opened a photovoltaic information center in Gelsenkirchen. The 83-meter-long, 47-meter-wide, and 12-meter-high solar power plant is equipped with photovoltaic cells that can each produce 120 kilowatts of electricity.

'Royal Blues'

In recent years the Gelsenkirchen's leading soccer club, FC Schalke 04, has been an important job provider in the region. Since 2001 the new 'AufSchalke Arena' has been a landmark in the city and a sign of the success being enjoyed by the 'Royal Blues' on the pitch. The stadium seats 61,524 spectators and creates the right atmosphere for watching top-competition matches.

A hundred years ago a group of fourteen and fifteen year lads founded a football club by the name of 'Westfalia Schalke'. In 1924 it was renamed FC Schalke 04. Ernst Kuzorra and Fritz Szepan created the famous 'Schalke whirligig', an offensive maneuver consisting of a lightning-fast combination of short passes, and led the club to the top of the league. Between 1933 and 1942 Schalke was in the German Championship final nine times and won the title six times.

After that the club suffered a long period of decline, including relegation to the second league in the 1970s. They made a spectacular comeback in 1997, winning the UEFA Cup in a dramatic penalty shootout and living up to their nickname, 'the Eurofighters', given to them for their indomitable fighting spirit. During the 2006 World Cup the 'AufSchalke Arena' will be the scene of four group elimination matches and a quarterfinal.