Gelsenkirchen: Creative Mines and Zoos

Germanic tribes lived in these places back in the Bronze Age. Later the Romans, and then the Saxons came here. Until the XIX century nothing remarkable happened on the territory of Gelsenkirchen. It was a small quiet town. All that changed with the discovery of coal deposits here and the industrial revolution. Heavy and chemical industries began to develop quickly in Gelsenkirchen. In our days, a lot of attention is paid to solar energy here. In addition, the town is very famous among football fans for its FC Schalke 04. 

Gelsenkirchen is considered a very green city: one-tenth of its area is occupied by parks, and one fourth is forest and agricultural land. Its most famous park was constructed on the site of the mine Northern Star (Zeche Nordstern) and is called the Pole Star (Nordsternpark). Another remarkable piece of nature is the huge zoo ZOOM Adventure World (ZOOM Erlebniswelt), where animals live not in cells, but in their familiar habitats, specially created by people. On the territory of Gelsenkirchen there are two castles- Horst Castle (Schloss Horst) and Berg Castle (Schloss Berge), which are again used after abandonment and destruction. 

The cuisine in these places is not complicated, but rich with hearty dishes. It includes the slightly sweet Westphalian bread, Pumpernickel, the Westphalian ham (Westfälischer Knochenschinken), and the potato pancakes (Reibekuchen). Special attention should be paid to the “bread with cracknels” (Möpkebrot). This is a kind of blood sausage. It is made of cracklings, blood, salt, and spices. This sausage is always eaten with rye bread or mashed potatoes.

Travelers will love Gelsenkirchen, with its castles, parks at the site of mines and with its green areas, especially if they look at the city from the height of the tower, which rises above the Town Hall, and then go downstairs and drink a cup of coffee with one of the local desserts.