Gaskessel Stuttgart

The Gaskessel by the numbers

At 102.5 meters tall, about 336 feet, and 69 meters across, roughly 226 feet, the gasholder in Gaisburg is the second unmistakable object on the Stuttgart skyline. It held 300,000 cubic meters of gas, somewhere around 10.6 million cubic feet. Technically it is a waterless piston gasholder: a sealing disc inside the drum rides up and down depending on how much gas is stored, so the structure keeps its shape while the volume changes.

The holder standing there now was put up by MAN in 1949 as a rebuild of the original from 1928 and 1929, which an air raid destroyed in February 1944. It was formally taken out of service on August 31, 2021, and has stood since then as a monument to Stuttgart's industrial history.

Where to get the best view of it

The holder stands on the grounds of the former Gaisburg gasworks in Stuttgart-Ost, not far from the Neckar river. You can photograph it well from the street at a distance, but the site itself is an operating industrial property and is not open to the public.

The good angles are from the high ground around it: the Uhlandshöhe and the Gänsheide to the east, the vineyards toward Rotenberg, and the lookout points above the valley. If you are photographing the Stuttgart skyline, the TV tower and the Gaskessel are the two fixed points that make the frame read as this city and no other.

Frequently asked questions about Gaskessel Stuttgart