Gasholders or gasometers, large-scale structures of industrial heritage, can still be found in many places, such as Pforzheim or Leipzig, where these former gas or storage tanks served to supply cities with city gas or for storage, although today they often have completely different uses.

Whether in Dresden for the exhibition of Yadegar Assisi's 360° images on the subject of the Amazon rainforest, or elsewhere as pure remnants of Gründerzeit industrial heritage, they were once used as urban storage facilities for gas, tobacco, wool, spices, or fabrics.

A Brief Excursion into the History of Town Gas for Gasometers

But let's stay in Dresden for now, as the "Amazonia" exhibition brought us here once again, and so it was hardly surprising to take a closer look at the local gasometers. The first two gasholders in Dresden were built between 1887 and 1891 by the master builder Theodor Friedrich, and in 1909 a third gasholder was constructed by Hans Erlwein.

Known at the time as town gas or illuminating gas, this gas was a widely used fuel gas from the mid-19th century onwards, mostly produced by municipal authorities through coal gasification.

Town gas was used to illuminate streets and homes, and also to operate gas stoves and gas-fired instantaneous water heaters. Town gas was a mixture of various gases. The exact composition varied depending on the gasworks and production process, the type of gas scrubbing, and also the coal used.

Unfortunately, inhaling town gas often led to so-called carbon monoxide poisoning and thus to numerous deaths, including through suicidal abuse ("turning on the gas tap").

Because of the perceived "gentle" toxicity of carbon monoxide, this method was used in approximately 20% of suicides. Today, natural gas is available in public gas networks as a combustible gas with relatively low technical complexity, making coal gasification for town gas production unnecessary.

Town gas is no longer produced in Germany. However, in countries with large coal deposits and without large natural gas deposits (e.g., China), it is still used in households. With natural gas, suicides by inhalation poisoning are almost impossible.

Architect Hans Erlwein - Functionality, Clarity, Simplicity, Structural Structure

With the construction of Gasholder III, architect Hans Erlwein created an imposing structure that met the high demands of Dresden, a city of art, and its functionality. Since the gasometers is clearly visible in the immediate vicinity of the city centre, Erlwein attempted to soften the impact of the large building mass on the cityscape by adopting the form of typical Baroque town houses and the small-scale roofscape. The considerable dimensions of his construction, as well as the first use of iron-reinforced concrete, were an absolute novelty for the time (consider that the ancient Romans had already built concrete structures 2,000 years ago, a technique that was subsequently forgotten for hundreds of years!).

In the almost ten years of his tenure as Dresden's city planning commissioner, he oversaw the construction of approximately 150 buildings that significantly shaped the modern cityscape. “Functionality, clarity, simplicity, structure of the building and its integration into the surroundings” as well as reference to the local building tradition characterized his designs, with which he overcame the historicism of previous years.

Construction began in 1907 under the direction of city planning inspector and architect Hans Erlwein. The architectural challenge lay in structuring the tank so that its dimensions and surfaces would be harmonious from all angles. Erlwein's solution: relocating the stairs into five stair towers, so that three stair towers were always visible from every angle. Within a year, the barrier water basin was excavated, the substructure was built, and the superstructure and roof structure were assembled. In 1908, the bell-shaped gas tank was installed, with a capacity of 110,000 m³ of town gas, and subsequently the gas tank was put into operation.

In 1916, factory buildings were added based on designs by Hans Poelzig. Later, a metal gas tank was added (disc gas tank in 1958). Gas production was discontinued in 1973, and the first gas tank was dismantled in 1974.

From Industrial Building to Representative Exhibition Hall in Gasometers

Remaining from the gasworks complex today are the representative gate system with the gatehouse, the massive brick walling of the round gasholder from 1879, and the equally round reinforced concrete structure of the gasholder from 1909. The older building was constructed over a base floor with plastered ashlar, and the coupled arched windows on the first and second floors are covered by high blind arches.

The former Dresden Gasholder has been the second permanent exhibition venue for Yadegar Asisi's panoramic artworks since 2006 and has since been considered an insider tip among Dresden museums. It was completely converted for the panoramic exhibition and demonstrates how industrial monuments can be used sustainably in the present. The imposing structure was built from sandstone in 1880 and, as one of three gasometers on the site in Dresden-Reick, supplied the rapidly growing city of Dresden with town gas.

The imposing reinforced concrete structure of the third gasholder consists of a cylindrical, shell-like body rising over six stories, which appears to be held up by five cubic stair towers. The old Erlwein gasholder III can now only be seen as a ruin opposite the exhibition building, although it is almost as tall as the tower of the Frauenkirche, albeit without a cross.

A visit to the Dresden gasholder therefore offers much more than just a view of one of Yadegar Asisi's panoramas. But check it out once you are coming to Dresden.

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