Gelsenkirchen Hauptbahnhof

The Hans-Sachs-Haus (HSH) is a landmark building in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, constructed between 1924 and 1927. Named after the Meistersinger Hans Sachs, the building was designed by Essen-based architect Alfred Fischer. The outside of the modernist building represents Brick Expressionism, New Objectivity (German: Neue Sachlichkeit) and Streamline Moderne, as well as Bauhaus influences which also characterize its interior. The building covers a floor area of about 27,500 square metres (296,000 sq ft). It was initially designated as multi-function centre to house offices, a hotel and restaurant, shops, a large concert hall with one of the largest concert organs in Europe (92 stops, built by Walcker Orgelbau) at that time. The building was partially destroyed by bombing during World War II but was reconstructed by 1953. Until 1984, a paternoster lift by Schindler operated in the building.Between 2001 and 2013, the building was subject to a major reconstruction, redevelopment and refurbishment at the cost of 69 million euro.The building is currently used as the town hall for the Gelsenkirchen city council and about 450 of its employees. The Hans-Sachs-Haus and the nearby Musiktheater im Revier are part of the Industrial Heritage Trail.

Gelsenkirchen (UK: , US: , German: [ˌɡɛlzn̩ˈkɪʁçn̩] (listen); Westphalian: Gelsenkiärken) is the 25th most populous city of Germany and the 11th most populous in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia with 262,528 (2016) inhabitants. On the Emscher River (a tributary of the Rhine), it lies at the centre of the Ruhr, the largest urban area of Germany, of which it is the fifth largest city after Dortmund, Essen, Duisburg and Bochum. The Ruhr is located in the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Region, one of Europe's largest urban areas. Gelsenkirchen is the fifth largest city of Westphalia after Dortmund, Bochum, Bielefeld and Münster, and it is one of the southernmost cities in the Low German dialect area. The city is home to the football club Schalke 04, which is named after Gelsenkirchen-Schalke. The club's current stadium Veltins-Arena, however, is located in Gelsenkirchen-Erle. Gelsenkirchen was first documented in 1150, but it remained a tiny village until the 19th century, when the Industrial Revolution led to the growth of the entire area. In 1840, when the mining of coal began, 6,000 inhabitants lived in Gelsenkirchen; in 1900 the population had increased to 138,000. In the early 20th century, Gelsenkirchen was the most important coal mining town in Europe. It was called the "city of a thousand fires" for the flames of mine gases flaring at night. In 1928, Gelsenkirchen was merged with the adjoining cities of Buer and Gelsenkirchen-Horst. The city bore the name Gelsenkirchen-Buer, until it was renamed Gelsenkirchen in 1930. The city remained a center of coal mining and oil refining during the Nazi Era, so it was often a target of Allied bombing raids during World War II. There are no longer colliers in Gelsenkirchen with the city searching for a new image, having been hit for decades with one of the highest unemployment rates in Germany. Today Germany's largest solar power plant is located in the city. In Gelsenkirchen-Scholven there is a coal-fired power station with the tallest chimneys in Germany (302 m).

Musiktheater im Revier (MiR) (Music Theatre in the Ruhr) is the venue for performing opera, operetta, musical theatre and ballet in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. It opened on 15 December 1959; it is listed since 1997 as a protected cultural monument. The building offers two performance spaces: the Large House (Großes Haus) with 1,008 seats and about 200 performances per year, and the Small House (Kleines Haus) with 336 seats and about 120 annual performances. In contrast to the building's outside cubic appearance, the auditoria use a more curved design.

Gelsenkirchen-Rotthausen is a railway station on the Essen–Gelsenkirchen railway situated in Gelsenkirchen in western Germany. It is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 6 station. It is served by Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn line S 2 and by bus route 381 (Gelsenkirchen – Erle – Resse/Buer) operated by BOGESTRA.

Gelsenkirchen-Schalke is a quarter of Gelsenkirchen. In its current boundaries, it has an area of 2.968 square kilometres and 21,510 inhabitants (as of 31 December 2022). Thanks to the local football club FC Schalke 04, the district is at least as well known nationally as the city of Gelsenkirchen. However, Schalke 04 has played its matches in the Erle district since 1973 (first in the Parkstadion, since 2001 in the Arena AufSchalke).

Leithe is the northwesternmost part of the city of Bochum in the Ruhr area in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. The population used to speak Westphalian, but now standard German is the norm. Leithe borders onto a part of the city of Essen also bearing the name of Leithe. Leithe belongs to the Stadtbezirk (district of the town) of Wattenscheid. When the last census was held in 1987, Leithe had the third highest share of Roman Catholics in Wattenscheid and Bochum overall.

The Lohrheidestadion is a multi-use stadium in Bochum-Wattenscheid, Germany. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of SG Wattenscheid 09. The stadium is able to hold 16,233 people and opened in 1954. It is used for athletics by the local club TV Wattenscheid.

Glückauf-Kampfbahn is a multi-use stadium in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was initially used as the stadium of FC Schalke 04 matches. It was replaced by Parkstadion in 1973. The capacity of the stadium is 11,000 spectators.

Wattenscheid (German pronunciation: [ˈvatn̩ˌʃaɪ̯t] (listen)) is a Stadtbezirk of the city of Bochum. Until 1975, it was a separate town in the Ruhr area of North Rhine-Westphalia. Wattenscheid has a population of about 80,000 citizens. Some notable firms have their headquarters in there, such as Steilmann.

Essen-Kray Nord is a railway station on the Essen–Gelsenkirchen railway situated in Essen in western Germany. It is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 6 station. It is served by Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn line S 2 and by bus routes 144 (Steele – Annental – Stadtwaldplatz), 146 (Leithe Wackenberg + Essen Hbf – Stadtwald – Heisingen), 147 (Porscheplatz – Haarzopf Erbach + Grimbergstr), 170 (Steele + Schonnebeck – Katernberg – Altenessen – Borbeck) and 194 (Gelsenkirchen Hbf + Steele – Stadtwald – Haarzopf) operated by Ruhrbahn.

ZOOM Erlebniswelt Gelsenkirchen, founded on April 14, 1949, as "Ruhr-Zoo", is one of the most modern zoological gardens in Germany. It was founded on a heavily shelled area in Gelsenkirchen adjacent to a port on the Rhine–Herne Canal. It initially encompassed 15.5 hectares. During its first years, there was a large turnover of animals as an animal trader provided them. Today the park is owned by the city of Gelsenkirchen via GEW – Gesellschaft für Energie und Wirtschaft mbH (society for energy and business), a holding of municipally owned concerns. After 2004 the park was enlarged to the present size. It is incredibly well known for its panoramas and cultural approach. The main attractions are big animals, mostly mammals; the zoo has no aquarium house, insectarium or other facilities for smaller animals. The numbers before 2005 reflect average visitor numbers for the old Ruhr-Zoo.

Trabrennbahn Gelsenkirchen, also known as GelsenTrabPark, is located in the Feldmark quarter of Gelsenkirchen, Germany. The track, built in 1912, is used for harness racing and is the largest harness racing track in Germany, with a capacity for 30,000 spectators. The grandstand was built in 1965 and expanded in 1979, owns 9,600 seats on four floors and has a length of 112 meters. In 2002 the grandstand was renovated and a VIP-lounge called "Abano As Club" was installed. The track length is 1,200 meters and it is a right-handed course. The highlight of the racing year is the "Bild-Pokal" on 1 May. Every year, a charity race day called "Schalke hilft!" is held in cooperation with the world famous local football club FC Schalke 04.