When it gets dark in the Visiodrom, the 33 high-performance projectors start up and the sound wall kicks in, guests are completely immersed in another world: in the listed Wuppertal gas boiler, geometric shapes, drawings and photos flicker across the 6,500 square meter projection surface during the exhibition shows.
Driving rhythms set in to accompany the storm of paintings, shapes and colors. Shadows and silhouettes then flash between the struts of the former disk gas tank. The steel colossus, which today stands for living industrial culture in the Heckinghausen district, offers an ideal space for an immersive experience in the immediate vicinity of the suspension railroad.
It was taken offline in 1997 after 45 years of operation, declared a monument in 1998 and finally renovated from 2015 to 2019. Since then, it has been home to Europe's largest 360-degree screen on five floors, a separate exhibition space and restaurant on the first floor, as well as a fitness studio on several mezzanine floors.
The cinema-like hall, which is 47 meters high and offers a unique experience space, has already hosted exhibition shows such as "Humans", a visually stunning homage to humanity with a presentation of peoples and tribes, and "Monet". From July 2022 to July 2023, the latter provided a comprehensive insight into the work of the French master with over 250 works on display and quickly became a much-noticed public favorite. Leonardo da Vinci has now moved into the gas holder since August 2023. Although only 17 works by the polymath are on display here, the presentation skillfully integrates them into the thematic context of the Renaissance. Anatomy, geometry, mathematics, architecture and the human being play a key role as central elements.
Guests who have seen the performance and quenched their thirst for knowledge on the lowest floor with the help of visual objects, exhibits and information texts should finally make a detour to the Skywalk at a height of 70 meters. You can reach the viewing platform either by elevator or on foot via the outside staircase. Once at the top, explorers can enjoy the real Wuppertal panorama or take a snapshot as they walk along the parapet. The camera easily captures urban canyons, hilltops and the calmly flowing Wupper at designated photo spots. In good weather, the view extends far across the idyllic landscape of the Bergisch city-triangle.
