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The Recklinghausen Electricity Museum

In the 19th century the Emscher zone was still an idyllic rural landscape, despite the fact that the Cologne to Minden railway line was already running through the south of the area. In 1870 it linked Wanne with Münster. Regular coalmining activities began in 1860 at the Recklinghausen I colliery in Hochlarmark..

At the end of the 19th century electricity hardly played any role at all in the Emscher zone. Further south it had just been introduced into the Ruhrgebiet. In 1893 tramline operations started in Essen, where the trams were simply nicknamed "the electrics". Public electricity supplies in Westphalia began in December 1897 when the first municipal electricity works in Westphalia were connected to the grid in Dortmund.
The paths of coal and steel are closely connected with the production and transmission of electricity. In the 1920s alone the major steam power stations belonging to the "Vereinigten Elektrizitätswerke Westfalens" (VEW) were supplied with coal from their own collieries. The main purchasers of coal were the swiftly growing industrial works in the Ruhrgebiet. Ever more factories were switching over to electricity in the 1920s and winding engines, pit lighting, pit locomotives and blast furnace blowers at iron and steel plants were being driven by electricity. The resulting demand for electricity made it vital to provide blanket coverage. The electricity produced in several major steam power stations was first passed through transformer stations before being sent on to local grid stations.

Electrification has also left its mark on Recklinghausen. In 1928 an eye-catching building was erected on the southern border of the town, marking its boundary with Herne rather like town gate. Aesthetically attractive buildings bear witness to the irresistible rise of the Modern. The VEW transformer station in the south of Recklinghausen is a landmark at the entrance to the town. Its central location between Herne and Recklinghausen gives it an additional advantage. The external appearance of the building is also influenced by its location. Even at that time the area suffered from air pollution and a high level of atmospheric humidity due to its proximity to the Emscher. This made it absolutely vital to construct a building to protect the electrical equipment. In addition the Mayor of Recklinghausen wanted to have an impressive urban feature in the south of the town. Today visitors entering the town are greeted here by a combination of modern form and progressive function.

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