Gelsenkirchen

Gelsenkirchen
The Musiktheater im Revier (MiR) opera house of Gelsenkirchen
Flag Coat of arms
Gelsenkirchen
Coordinates: 51°31′N 07°06′E / 51.517°N 7.100°E / 51.517; 7.100Coordinates: 51°31′N 07°06′E / 51.517°N 7.100°E / 51.517; 7.100
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Münster
District	Urban district
Government
• Lord Mayor	Frank Baranowski (SPD)
Area
• Total	104.84 km2 (40.48 sq mi)
Population (2015-12-31)
• Total	260,368
• Density	2,500/km2 (6,400/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	45801-45899
Dialling codes	0209
Vehicle registration	GE
Website	gelsenkirchen.de

Gelsenkirchen (German pronunciation: [ˌɡɛlzn̩ˈkɪʁçn̩]) is a city in the North Rhine-Westphalia state of Germany. It is located in the northern part of the Ruhr area. Its population in 2015 was c. 260,000.

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 gasses flaring at night. In 1928 Gelsenkirchen was merged with the adjoining cities of Buer and Horst (). The city bore the name Gelsenkirchen-Buer, until it was renamed Gelsenkirchen in 1930. During the Nazi era Gelsenkirchen remained a centre of coal production and oil refining, and for this reason it was bombed by Allied air raids in 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 is home of the famous football club Schalke 04, which is named after the borough Schalke, while the club's stadium, the Veltins-Arena, is located in the borough of Erle.

Although the part of town now called Buer was first mentioned by Heribert I in a document as Puira in 1003, there were hunting people on a hill north of the Emscher as early as the Bronze Age – and therefore earlier than 1000 BC. They did not live in houses as such, but in small yards gathered together near each other. Later, the Romans pushed into the area. In about 700, the region was settled by the Saxons. A few other parts of town which today lie in Gelsenkirchen's north end were mentioned in documents from the early Middle Ages, some examples being: Raedese (nowadays Resse), Middelvic (Middelich, today part of Resse), Sutheim (Sutum; today part of Beckhausen) and Sculven (nowadays Scholven). Many nearby farming communities were later identified as iuxta Bure ("near Buer").