ZOOM Erlebniswelt Gelsenkirchen

Holzbach is a small river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Emscher near Gelsenkirchen.

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).

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).

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.

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.

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 Hauptbahnhof is a railway station in the German city of Gelsenkirchen. It connects the city to the regional and long-distance rail service of Deutsche Bahn and other railway companies in Germany.

Gesamtschule Berger Feld is a gesamtschule in Gelsenkirchen. It is located in the Erle region and has 1325 pupils and 118 teachers. It is known for the fact that a great number of its former students have become professional football players.

Arena AufSchalke (German pronunciation: [aˈʁeːnaː ʔaʊfˈʃalkə]), currently known as Veltins-Arena (pronounced [ˈfɛltɪnsʔaˌʁeːnaː]) for sponsorship reasons, is an indoor football stadium in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It opened on 13 August 2001, as the new home ground for Bundesliga club FC Schalke 04. It hosted the 2004 UEFA Champions League Final and five matches at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, including a quarter-final. It has a capacity of 62,271 (standing and seated) for league matches and 54,740 (seated only) for international matches. The stadium has a retractable roof and a retractable pitch. The naming rights to the stadium were sold on 1 July 2005 to German brewery Veltins.

Mondpalast is a theatre in Herne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Parkstadion (German pronunciation: [ˈpaʁkˌʃtaːdi̯ɔn] (listen)) was a multi-purpose stadium in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, that is no longer used to host any major events. The stadium was built in 1973 and hosted five matches of the 1974 FIFA World Cup. It had a capacity of 62,109 with seats for 45,067. During the 1974 FIFA World Cup, Yugoslavia set the record for the biggest win ever at a FIFA World Cup with a 9–0 hammering of Zaire. Michael Jackson performed at the stadium during his Bad World Tour on 4 September 1988 and during his HIStory World Tour on 15 June 1997. He was also scheduled to perform at the stadium on 6 September 1992 on his Dangerous World Tour, but cancelled due to ill health. The Rolling Stones performed at the stadium during their Urban Jungle Tour on 16 August 1990 and during their Bridges To Babylon Tour on 27 July 1998. Pink Floyd performed at the stadium during The Division Bell Tour on 23 August 1994. It was the home ground of football club FC Schalke 04 until May 2001, before the newly built and adjacent Arena AufSchalke opened in July of the same year. The stadium hosted two UEFA Euro 1988 fixtures (West Germany v Denmark, and The Netherlands v the Republic of Ireland), as well as the first leg of the 1997 UEFA Cup Final between Schalke and Internazionale.The last competitive football match played in the stadium was a Bundesliga fixture between Schalke and SpVgg Unterhaching on 19 May 2001. The match was attended by approximately 65,000 people. At the end of the match, after a difficult 5–3 win against SpVgg Unterhaching, and thanks to a last minute goal scored by Hamburg SV against Bayern Munich, the crowd celebrated Schalke's first Bundesliga title before Patrik Andersson equalized in the additional time for Bayern, made Bayern retain the title and instantly killed the joy of the fans celebrating in Parkstadion. The stadium is now partly demolished and the Jumbotron that was placed atop of the northern stand was donated to Erzgebirgsstadion in Aue, where it was installed during the renovations of the stadium in 2004.

The Ewald Colliery (German: Zeche Ewald) is a disused coal mine in Herten, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Established in 1872, it was one of several major mining sites in the heavily-industrialized Ruhr district in northwestern Germany during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The site eventually ceased operations as a mine in 2001 and has since been converted to commercial space.