The optical marvel in the historic railroad water tower in MüGa Park provides a unique view of the region. The industrial monument also houses the museum on the prehistory of film. Here, visitors can learn in a playful way how the pictures learned to run.
Razor-sharp and in real time: guests gaze intently at the large projection table of the camera obscura, on which park landscapes, rows of houses and well-known sights of the Ruhr region appear as if from nowhere. For example, the Prosper Haniel and Rheinpreußen slag heaps and the gasometer in Oberhausen can be seen on the horizon.
"There is an opening at the top of the tower boiler. A tube sits on the opening. A mirror is attached to the tube. Beams of light hit the mirror from outside and flood into the dark room. They are projected onto a projection table and create an image. The tube can be rotated 360 degrees." The museum director explains clearly how the world's largest camera obscura works in the railroad water tower built in 1904 and what makes it unique. Let the optical magic begin.
An experience for all the senses
In addition to the Camera Obscura, the 25.5-metre-high industrial monument, which is located in the middle of Mühlheim's MüGa Park on the Ruhr Valley cycle path, also houses the Museum of the Prehistory of Film. Over 1100 exhibits from the Wuppertal collector KH.W. Steckelings are on display. Museum fans will come across shadow plays, kaleidoscopes, peep boxes, flip books, projection devices, optical toys and illuminated rotating rings with individual images. The exhibits, which are set up as experience stations, can be touched, tried out and explored. They allow visitors to experience film history with all their senses and demonstrate how images have become films over the years.
After a visit, day trippers can take a detour to nearby Broich Castle. After an idyllic walk through the park, travelers can discover the historical museum in the high castle of the impressive complex, where the Prussian Queen Luise spent four years of her youth. The origins of Broich Castle date back to 883 and 884 and it is the best-preserved late Carolingian fortress north of the Alps.
