Augsburg gas works

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Augsburg gas works
Augsburg gas works
Gas container of the Augsburg gas works
Location data
State : Germany
Region : Bavaria
City : augsburg
Construction data
Construction: 1913–1915, with later additions
Shutdown: 2001
Reuse: Sound work of art and viewing platform
Technical specifications
Type: Disk gas container
Operating pressure : 2.3 kPa
Height : 84.1 m
Diameter : 45 m
Usable volume : 100,000
Floor plan : 20-sided
Others

Event and concert hall in the foundation

Western part of the gasworks

The Augsburg gasworks went into operation in the Augsburg district of Oberhausen at the end of 1915 . Since 2001, the entire gas works with the gas boiler - a disk gas tank that used to be operated at low pressure - has been shut down.

description

The buildings, which were built until 1915, survived the Second World War unscathed and are now a listed building . The gas works includes the furnace house, container tower (in addition to water containers, containers for tar and ammonia byproducts), electrical control center, workshop wing, vacuum cleaner house, apparatus house and cleaning building, civil servants 'residence, staff residence, office building, three workers' houses as well as two telescopic gas containers and the widely visible panes built in 1954 -Gas container - also called gas boiler.

The eight hectare site is partly park and castle-like in character. It is considered a monument of European standing and is unique in Bavaria. Almost all of the buildings are still preserved and two different types of gas containers ( telescopic and disk gas containers ) can be seen. The casing of the first MAN disk gas tank (built in 1914/15, i.e. a pioneering construction) is still on the site.

History of the Augsburg gas works

Aerial photo of the Augsburg gasworks (around 1932)

There were already two predecessors. The Gas Plant I (originally light gasworks was called) in December 1848 to the supply of street lighting in Augsburg taken at the Johannes-Haag-road running. Augsburg was the second city in Bavaria after Nuremberg to have a gasworks . 15 years later, in 1863, the second gasworks went into operation.

In 1907 the city of Augsburg acquired the two privately operated gas works (so-called municipalization ). They were replaced by the new gas works in 1915. This was built between 1912 and 1915 according to the plans of the Munich architects Rank Brothers . The 1,600 m³ gas tank was the first disk gas tank to be sold by the MAN plant in Gustavsburg worldwide!

As if by a miracle, the gasworks was not attacked during World War II and thus remained undestroyed. In 1954, MAN built the gas boiler, which was visible from afar, next to the two older telescopic gas containers. City gas was produced from coal in the gasworks until 1968 , which was used to supply households and companies with energy not only in Augsburg, but even in Kaufbeuren .

From 1963 to 1978 a natural gas cracking plant was operated in which natural gas was converted into town gas. In 1978 Augsburg was completely converted from town gas to natural gas. Until 2001, the gas containers were used for high-end gas storage. The gas works, which belongs to Stadtwerke Augsburg, has been shut down since 2001.

The association Gaswerkfreunde Augsburg e.V., founded in 2005, takes care of the preservation of the historical heritage of the listed building ensemble and the clear communication of industrial history . V., who regularly offers factory tours and runs a small museum on the history of Augsburg's gas supply.

The gas boiler

The gas boiler, with a gas container frame in front (2007)

The Augsburg gas boiler is a disk gas container . Due to its height, it is just as dominant a landmark in the north of Augsburg as the Augsburg hotel tower in the south of the city center and the fourth tallest building in the city.

It has a storage volume of 100,000 cubic meters of gas at a constant (low) pressure of around 23 millibars. The 20-sided gas container is 84.1 meters high and has a diameter of 45 meters (circumference 140 m). In 1953 and 1954, the manufacturer MAN assembled around 1,800 iron sheets as shell elements by riveting. Each of these jacket plates is 810 mm high and 7 m wide, 20 of these around the circumference of the cylinder result in one shot of the container. Around 70,000 working hours were required for construction and around 60 people were employed.

As a special feature, the foundation of the actual gas tank was built elevated so that a large space is available underneath. This was previously used as a warehouse for the gas works. Today events and concerts take place there again and again.

A staircase with 392 steps leads around the outside elevator to the roof of the gas tank. In addition to the external elevator, there is an internal (rope) elevator in the center of the container to access the pane for maintenance and control purposes.

The weight of the disc including the sealing oil is 219 tons. In order to maintain the necessary gas pressure, the disc is covered with 1,820 concrete weights, so that it weighs 356 tons gross. After the shutdown, the pane was placed on the bottom of the container.

A 70 meter long Foucault pendulum has been installed inside the gas boiler since September 2008 . The sound installation Bach_10k was added in summer 2009 . 58 organ pipes reproduce Bach's C major prelude in the extremely slow rhythm of the pendulum, thus turning the entire gas container into a walk-in sound work of art.

In summer 2009 a viewing platform was opened for visitors on the gas boiler. The guided ascent offers visitors a 360 ° panoramic view of the greater Augsburg area. Since August 2010 it has also been possible to abseil from the gas boiler.

The other gas containers

In addition to the large disc gas container, two telescopic gas containers (bell containers ) from 1910 and 1913 have been preserved. These are located in water-filled vaulted basins patented by MAN , which can only be found here in Augsburg.

There is also the cover of the first disk gas container built by MAN in 1915 with a volume of 1600 m³ - the little brother of the gas boiler, so to speak.

Augsburg Gas Works Museum

The association Gaswerkfreunde Augsburg eV ( 48 ° 23 ′ 14.4 ″  N , 10 ° 51 ′ 55.5 ″  E ) has set up an exhibition room on the history of the Augsburg gas supply in the former electrical center. MAN diesel engines from 1918 and 1958 can also be seen. The “oil machine” from 1918 is also a listed building.

The museum can be visited on guided tours or by arrangement with the association.

guides

The association leads interested groups through the furnace house and through the gasworks buildings by arrangement. Free tours take place every third Sunday between April and October.

Since August 2009, the roof of the gas boiler has been secured with a fence so that it is safely accessible to visitors. Between April and October there are guided climbs every third Sunday if the weather is good.

Culture

In the past few years, the site of the gasworks has repeatedly been the location for various events, such as the Popcity music event in 2005 and 2006 or the Borderless Festival since 2011 .

In 2011, the city of Augsburg applied for the gasworks as a location for the Museum of Bavarian History, which is due to open in 2018.

The move of the Kulturpark West to the gasworks site is also being considered. Since 2008, there have been two live clubs and bars , the Abraxas cultural center , as well as various rentable rooms that can be used by artists as rehearsal rooms, studios, etc. on this area . Such a socio-cultural project has emerged over the years. Since the area of ​​the Kulturpark West can only be used for a limited period until mid-2017, the alternative use of the gasworks area from this point in time is currently being discussed. Several factors will influence the decision: possible contaminated sites in the soil and groundwater, noise protection, upgrading of the statics or the cost of renovation for cultural use.

In June 2014, the culture committee of the city of Augsburg also decided on the gasworks future workshop . Citizens can express their wishes and needs there in relation to the gas works area.

After two years of construction, the new brechtbühne venue opened in January 2019 in the furnace house of the gasworks.

Individual evidence

  1. The (former) small disk gas tank with 1,600 m³ , accessed on January 31, 2015
  2. Natural gas cracking plant for the production of town gas from natural gas
  3. Augsburger Allgemeine from July 20, 2011: An expensive treasure - in the middle of Augsburg , queried on August 4, 2011
  4. Application for the Museum of Bavarian History ( Memento of the original from November 5, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 2.8 MB), accessed on August 4, 2011 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.augsburg-tourismus.de
  5. Süddeutsche Zeitung of July 25th, 2011: Verkommenes Erbe ( Memento of the original of November 5th, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed on August 4, 2011 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.augsburg-tourismus.de
  6. Augsburger Allgemeine from July 17, 2013: Kulturpark West: Politics is driving the move forward , queried on November 12, 2014
  7. Augsburger Allgemeine of January 21, 2014: Can the Kulturpark bring the gasworks back to life? , accessed on November 12, 2014
  8. Zukunftswerkstatt Gaswerk ( Memento of the original from November 12, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed on November 12, 2014  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.augsburg.de
  9. StadtZeitung GmbH & Co KG: Premiere at the Gaswerk: Brechtbühne opened in the Ofenhaus. In: stadtzeitung.de. Retrieved December 6, 2019 .

Web links

Commons : Gasträger Augsburg  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 48 ° 23 '14 "  N , 10 ° 51' 57"  E