Stahlkocher

The steelmaking tradition in Gelsenkirchen is deeply connected to the rise of the Ruhr region as an industrial powerhouse. Along with coal mining, the iron and steel industry shaped the city and the lives of its people. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Gelsenkirchen became famous as the "City of a Thousand Fires" because the flames from blast furnaces and coking plants lit up the night sky.