Gelsenkirchen

Gelsenkirchen is a city situated in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Positioned along the Emscher River, the municipality rests at the core of the Ruhr area.

Historically documented first in 1150, the settlement remained a small village until the Industrial Revolution triggered rapid growth through the mining of coal starting in 1840. By the dawn of the 20th century, the locality had evolved into the most prominent coal mining town in all of Europe, earning the descriptive moniker of the city of a thousand fires due to nightly flames from mine gases. Territorial integration arrived in 1928 through a merger with Buer and Gelsenkirchen-Horst, followed by a renaming to Gelsenkirchen in 1930. Continued importance as a center for coal mining and oil refining through the Nazi era subjected the urban center to frequent Allied bombing raids during World War II.

Presently, coalmines no longer operate within or around the municipality, leaving the regional economy to seek new foundations while managing prolonged high unemployment. Daily life inside the community involves continuous movement connected to urban transit and regional industry within the wider Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan territory. Cultural movement centers heavily on local sports culture, notably featuring the football club Schalke 04, whose team name derives from Gelsenkirchen-Schalke while its current home matches take place at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen-Erle.