Schloss Oberhausen
Gasometer Oberhausen
Floor area: 7,000 m2 (75,000 sq ft)
The Gasometer Oberhausen is a former gas holder in Oberhausen, Germany, which has been converted into an exhibition space. It has hosted several large scale exhibitions, including two by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The Gasometer is an industrial landmark, and an anchor point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage and the Industrial Heritage Trail. It was built in the 1920s, and reconstructed after World War II.
In the 1920s the coal and steel industry in the Ruhrgebiet produced blast furnace gas and coal gas as a by-product of iron production and coking, while the steel industry as well as coking used large amounts these gasses or alternative fuels. As supply and demand of gas varied independently, sometimes excess gas had to be flared off, while at other times additional fuel had to be purchased. The Gasometer was built as a buffer: storing excess gas and releasing it again when demand exceeded production.
The Gasometer was built by Gutehoffnungshütte, by the side of the Rhine-Herne Canal. Construction started 27 February 1927 and cost 1.74 million Reichsmark. A framework of 24 steel girders was built on a concrete base, and a skin of 5mm thick sheet metal was riveted to the framework. Inside, a 1,207,000 kg pressure disc was mounted which could freely move up and down, floating on top of the gas underneath and keeping it at a constant pressure. 15 May 1929 the Gasometer was first put into operation, with a maximum capacity of 347,000m³, a height of 117.5m and diameter of 67.6m.
During World War II, the Gasometer was hit by bombs several times, but kept operating. When it was shelled by allied forces it did not explode, but the gas burned up and the pressure disc slowly descended. The Gasometer officially stopped operating 31 December 1944. It was completely disassembled after it had caught fire during repair work on 10 June 1946. Reconstruction began 1949 using the original pressure disc and roof. By 1 June 1950 the Gasometer was operational again.
In 1977 the Gasometer was repainted, at a cost of 3.5 million DM. In later years many coking plants and iron works closed, reducing supply as well as demand for the gas stored in the Gasometer. In addition, natural gas became cheaper. The Gasometer became superfluous and in 1988 it was decommissioned by its owner, Ruhrkohle AG.
A discussion ensued about the dismantling or possible reuse of the Gasometer. In 1992 the city council of Oberhausen, with a margin of 1 vote decided to acquire the building and convert it to an exhibition space. At the time, plans were being developed for building shopping mall (CentrO) on an adjacent plot, and Internationale Bauausstellung Emscher Park planned to use the Gasometer for its exhibition. Ownership transferred to the city of Oberhausen, with Ruhrkohle AG paying 1.8 million DM in saved demolition costs to the city.
Conversion and restoration were done by Deutsche Babcock AG in 1993–1994. The former pressure disc was fixed at 4.5m height, with a 3000m² exhibition space on the ground floor below. The main exhibition space, on top of the pressure disc, was fitted with a stage and seating for 500 people. Lifts and stairs were fitted to provide visitors access to the roof. Conversion cost approximately DM 16 million.
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Impressive structure that Gasometer Oberhausen, sure the castle is nice though but the resilience of structural engineering proved itself against the hailstorm of incoming bombs and artillery fire, perhaps structurally sound although it appears the internal mechanism took it’s toll.. Reminds me of the will of persistent Industrialism in itself.
Admirable, a shame some people would sooner leave these things to decay.
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We had a gas tower in simular cize in Copenhagen. 4. november 2012
Great art. It seems like Germany have a strong tradition of saving some of their industrial history.





Ferropolis, Industry museum to the brown coal open-cast mining in Germany
Historic harbor cranes at ‘Schuppen 50’, Hansahafen, Harbor museum Hamburg, Germany
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I guess in the aforementioned case, conversion into a spiffy projector chamber was not a viable option considering that the conversion isn’t entirely practical. Demolition of massive engineering is always bittersweet although I’d rather see derelict steel mills over glass office buildings any day.
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List of historical harbour cranes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_historical_harbour_cranes
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They had plans for the gas tower, but then they lost interest because of the economic crises.





A lot of these awesome buildings are no more! Very sad!
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Well, I guess the lesson to this story would be unless it is engineered to German Bunker/Flak-tower standards nothing is immune to the whim of community/financial management.
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Eriksberg is an area on Hisingen in Gothenburg where Eriksbergs Mekaniska Verkstads AB had their shipyard until bankruptcy in 1979. For over a century the area was dominated by shipbuilding but a crisis in the 1970s destroyed the industry.
Since the collapse of the shipyards, the area has been rebuilt into Gothenburg’s finest modern neighbourhood. The former machinery buildings have been renovated into a hotel with conference facilities. An 84 metre high gantry crane – the Eriksberg crane – stands as a remnant of the area’s shipbuilding past.
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Scenic, I personally wouldn’t mind living the shadow of a massive industrial monument.
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