The Gasometer Oberhausen is an industrial monument and at the same time one of the most spectacular exhibition venues in the Ruhr area. Previously, the 117-meter-high steel cylinder was the heart of a complex of coking plants, steelworks, and rolling mills – the Gutehoffnungshütte.
The industrial buildings have disappeared and made way for the shopping center "CentrO", but the Gasometer has been preserved and offers space for exhibitions, theater, or concerts. In 1994, the first exhibition "Fire and Flame" marketed the Ruhr area and documented the 200-year history of the region. Spatially extensive exhibitions have an ideal place here: in 1999, for the finale of the IBA (International Building Exhibition Emscher Park), Christo and Jeanne-Claude took over the Gasometer.
Although it was not packed, the two artists built "The Wall" inside, a 26-meter high wall made of 13,000 stacked colored oil barrels – thousands of small tons in a large ton. The airspace of the gasometer is repeatedly artistically occupied, such as in the exhibition "Sternstunden – Wonders of the Solar System", when the "largest moon on Earth" hung above the visitors' heads – a replica of the planet with a diameter of 25 meters. The impressive spaces and exhibitions are popular with young visitors - likely also due to the exciting audio guides for children. In addition, the gasometer can be used as a viewing platform. With a glass elevator inside, one can reach the roof and enjoy a 360-degree panorama over the Ruhr area.
