Schalke Mile

Old lustre, new problems and a prosperous future

Grey facades and empty shops: the Schalker Meile cannot deny the economic problems of the district. But if you look closely, you will recognise that the past, present and future are very close together here.

Auf der rechten Seite der nicht befestigten Straße stehen große Gründerzeithäuser mit Ladenlokalen im Erdgeschoß. Auf der linken Seite stehen einfache, eingeschoßige Häuser.

The König-Wilhelm-Straße

The section of road between Schalke Market and Schalke-Nord station used to be called König-Wilhelm-Straße. Around 1912, it was home to simple workers' accommodation (left) and town houses (right), as shown here.

Source: Sammlung Karlheinz Weichelt

Eine Hausfrau mit einem Kleinkind auf dem Arm und ein paar Kinder an einer Straßenecke in Schalke um 1900. Die Straße und der Bürgersteig sind nicht befestigt. Hinter ihnen ist ein mit einfachen Häusern dicht bebautes Wohnquartier zu erkennen.

Workers' flats behind Schalke railway station

This picture was taken on the corner of König-Wilhelm-Straße and Walzwerkstraße ("rolling mill street"). It shows the comparatively simple accommodation of the workers' families.

Source: Institut für Stadtgeschichte Gelsenkirchen

Eine Ansichtskarte der König-Wilhelm-Straße in Schalke um die Jahrhundertwende. Die Straße ist befestigt und gepflegt. Die Bürgersteige sind mit Bäumen bepflanzt.

Magnificent buildings

Other houses bear witness to the prosperity that industry and mining brought to Schalke. For example, the Engelsburg (right), which the mine manager August Unterberg had built just a few metres to the north in 1898. The building still stands on the site today.

Source: Sammlung Karlheinz Weichelt

Fans des FC Schalke 04 versuchen den UEFA-Pokal zu berühren. Die Schalker Mannschaft fährt mit ihm im Cabrio über die Schalker Meile.

Triumphant ride over the Schalker Mile

In 1997, the Schalke players took the UEFA Cup down the Schalke Mile. The street was packed with fans, all wanting to touch the trophy.

Source: Institut für Stadtgeschichte Gelsenkirchen

Olaf Thon steht mit dem UEFA-Pokal auf der Schalker Meile. Er ist umringt von Fans des FC Schalke 04.

Olaf Thon presents the trophy

Team captain Olaf Thon was also in the car and presented the trophy to the cheering fans on the Schalke Mile.

Source: Institut für Stadtgeschichte Gelsenkirchen

The Schalke Mile: That's 800 metres between the Berlin Bridge and Glückauf Stadium. Vacancies and grey facades dominate the picture. The northern part of Schalke is anything but economically well-off. However, the Engelsburg (“Angels Castle”) shows that this was not always the case: the magnificent building on the Schalke Mile makes it unmistakably clear that the heavy industry used to bring a lot of money to Schalke and the region. At Kurt-Schumacher-Straße no. 107 to 111 three giant outline figures remind us that the workers from mining and industry earned this former prosperity. Most of them have now left Schalke. Another big name also left: The FC Schalke 04 has moved north, leaving its namesake neighbourhood. Nevertheless, its fans still sing the praises of the legendary Schalke Market. Yet very few of them have ever set foot on Schalke soil, perhaps never having seen the Glückauf Stadium. This is exactly what the Schalke Mile project wants to change. Between the old pubs such as the Clubhouse "Bosch", various fan organisations have set up shop. Their aim is to bring people back to Schalke and revitalise the district.

Thanks to the various fan initiatives and projects, the Schalke Mile has been turned into the Blue Mile. Today it is an important meeting point for the Schalke fan scene. A special anchor point at Kurt-Schumacher-Straße 133 (originally König-Wilhelm-Straße 65) is the neighbourhood office of the project "Schalker Meile". It is the first address for people in Schalke who are committed to the neighbourhood - supporters, citizens as well as stakeholders. They all want to work together to turn economic development in a positive direction. Above all, the historical football value of the Schalke district is to be highlighted more. The Schalker Markt Foundation is also active here. Their aim is to preserve tradition, but also to shape the future of Schalke. A building at Kurt-Schumacher-Strasse 111 gives an indication of what this future could look like: The vertical planting of its facade is intended to improve the climate. The future in Schalke is certainly not grey, but it may even be green. Ideas such as a Schalke without the Berlin Bridge or a two-lane Kurt-Schumacher-Strasse are also being promoted here.

Auf einem blauen Schild steht in weißer Schrift "Schalker Meile - Die Meile der Tradition". Es ist an einer Straßenlaterne angebracht.

Bringing the people back to Schalke

The "Schalke Mile - The Mile of Tradition" project aims to bring more Schalke fans back into the neighbourhood - back to the places where the legend was born.

Source: Olivier Kruschinski

Auf einer Fassade sind die Umrisse eines Stahlarbeiters zu erkennen. Er trägt zum Schutz eine Schürze und Handschuhe. In den Händen hält er eine Gießkelle.

Remembering the hard work

Today, three giant outline figures on the houses at Kurt-Schumacher-Straße 107-111 are a reminder of the steelworkers who contributed to the city's prosperity.

Source: Olivier Kruschinski

Die Luftaufnahme zeigt die Schalker Meile im Stadtteil Schalke bei Nacht. Die Kurt-Schumacher-Straße ist in blaues Licht getaucht.

The "Blue Ribbon"

The "Blue Ribbon" light installation bathes 2.7 kilometres of Kurt-Schumacher-Strasse in blue light at night. It runs through Schalke from the Musiktheater im Revier to the Emscher. The project is an initiative of the Stiftung Schalker Markt.

Source: Olivier Kruschinski

Die beiden oberen Etagen der Engelsburg im Stadtteil Schalke sind gelb gestrichen. Sie ist übersät von Würfen mit Farbbeuteln übersät mit blauen Flecken.

The wrong colour

For several years, the Engelsburg was a point of dispute in the neighbourhood: the owner at the time had the façade painted yellow. Not the right colour in Schalke. Schalke fans responded to the choice of colour with paint bags - blue, of course.

Source: Olivier Kruschinski

Das Eingangstor an der Kampfbahn Glückauf wird in der Dämmerung von vier Strahlern blau beleuchtet. Auch die Tribüne im Hintergrund ist in blaues Licht getaucht.

A landmark returns

In 2020, a replica of the entrance portal to the Glückauf stadium was inaugurated in its original location. The project was realised by the Schalker Markt Foundation together with the Brost Foundation, the monument protection authority of the city of Gelsenkirchen and the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL).

Source: Stiftung Schalker Markt

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Locations

Glückauf Stadium