Gelsenkirchen (Germany) is a city in the North Rhine-Westphalia state of Germany. It is located in the northern part of the Ruhr area. Its population of 262,528 make it the 25th largest city in Germany. In the early 20th century, Gelsenkirchen was the most important coal mining town in Europe.

Once dominated by large companies, the city’s economy is now characterised by a diversity of small-scale but robust companies. Currently, there is a demand for an expansion of the digital network in the city of Gelsenkirchen due to an acute need from local enterprises for fast and reliable networks to maintain their competitiveness on the market.

At the centre of Gelsenkirchen’s ambitions are its plans to digitally innovate and strengthen its educational institutions. The city developed the “the connected city" digital policy which aims to digitalise the city’s services and infrastructure with advanced digital tools. Gelsenkirchen has also launched a city learning initiative with UNESCO to promote and develop the competencies and skills its citizens need for the digital age.  

Gelsenkirchen was a participant city in the DCC. 

Check out the city’s full ICC journey

Read about the city’s progress during the Intelligent Cities Challenge (2020-22) through the city’s final deliverable here.