The Messe Essen is the

exhibition centre A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...

of the city of

Essen Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and D ...

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...

, Germany. It is located in the Rüttenscheid borough near the

Grugapark The Grugapark is a central park in the city of Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was first opened in 1929 as the first "Große Ruhrländische Gartenbau-Ausstellung". Adjacent to the Grugapark is the Grugahalle concert hall and the Mess ...

. It is the 9th largest exhibition centre in Germany.

History

Though there had been a trade exhibition in the

Saalbau Essen Saalbau Essen is a concert venue in Essen, Germany, the home of the Essen Philharmonic. The original building was completed in 1902, and destroyed during World War II on 26 July 1943. It was rebuilt between 1949 and 1954 and completely renov ...

in 1893, the first real trade fair of the city was the ''Gewerbeschau Essen'' on 21 April 1913 near the

Grugahalle The Grugahalle is a multi-purpose indoor arena located at the edge of the Botanischer Garten Grugapark in Essen, Germany. Opened on 25 October 1958, its seating capacity is about 7,700 people and about 10,000 for unseated events. The building w ...

. In 1921, an association was founded for the organization of the fairs. At the same time, Messehalle V was erected. Today, the Grugahalle stands on the foundation of this hall. In 1944, the Messe compound was destroyed by the allied bombings. Exhibitions were resumed in 1949. In 1971, the operating company of ''Gemeinnützige Ausstellungsgesellschaft mbH'' was renamed the ''Ausstellungs- und Messegesellschaft mbH Essen (AMGE)'', since 1982 it is called ''Messe Essen GmbH''. New halls were opened in 1983 and 1990. In 2000, Halle 3 went into operation. With a length of 230 meters, a width of 69 meters and a height of about 15 meters, it is considered as the longest free-spanning hall in Europe. From 26 to 28 July 2013 the

Star Wars Celebration The ''Star Wars'' Celebration is a fan gathering to celebrate the ''Star Wars'' franchise. It began in 1999, when Lucasfilm held the ''Star Wars'' Celebration in Denver, Colorado to celebrate the upcoming release of '' Star Wars: Episode I � ...

Europe II took place at the Messe Essen. More than 20,000 people from over 40 countries attended it. In 2014, the Essen citizens voted against plans for a complete reconstruction of the Messe Essen.Bürgerbegehren kippt geplanten Umbau der Messe Essen
/ref> Instead, it was then rebuilt to a smaller extent. Works are scheduled from 2016 to 2019 at a cost of around €88 million. The Messe Essen is connected to public traffic of

Stadtbahn Essen The Essen Stadtbahn (german: Stadtbahn Essen) is a light rail (Stadtbahn) network in Essen and the two neighbouring towns of Mülheim an der Ruhr and Gelsenkirchen in the German state of North Rhine Westphalia. It forms part of the Rhine-Ru ...

by the

Messe Ost/Gruga station Messe is a German word meaning trade fair; a German and a French word meaning mass (liturgy) and mass (music). Places Germany * Messe Erfurt, convention centre in Erfurt, Germany * Messe Frankfurt, convention centre operator in Frankfurt am Mai ...

and the Messe West/Süd/Gruga station, as well as Federal Motorway 52 and Federal highway 224.

External links

Official website

Sources

Essen Convention centres in Germany Trade fair venues Buildings and structures in Essen {{NorthRhineWestphalia-struct-stub