Grugapark/Grugahalle

The Grugapark was originally built for the Große Ruhrländische Gartenbau-Austellung (Great Garden Exhibition of the Ruhr area) in 1929. Covering some 70 hectares, it is one of the largest inner-city parks in Europe. The 28 m Gruga tower with the tulip has been the park’s emblem since the very beginning. At that time the tower accommodated one of the first radio relay stations in Germany. Some of the park’s main attractions are the Hundertwasser house, the botanical garden, the free flight aviary for birds and numerous sculptures (by Josef Enseling, Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore etc.). At the main entrance visitors can see the Gruga hall – the first winged hall in the world, built in 1958. Its silhouette resembles a butterfly with short wings – a design by the architects E.F. Brockmann and G. Lichtenhahn which made optimum use of the base area of the exhibition hall’s existing foundations.