A new park for one of Switzerland's last gasometers

The renovation work on the historic gasometer in Cham has now been completed. A public square with seating has been created around the structure.
 

Where industrial history was once written, a small park has now been created in the heart of Cham, inviting people to linger. Open spaces, natural plantings, and seating areas provide an additional place to relax, according to a press release from the municipality of Cham. The park is located near the insect paradise created last year on the disused railway land south of the Nestléstrasse.

The gasometer—one of the last in Switzerland—remains part of the site. An original gate from the former paper mill also serves as a reminder of the industrial past and the era of Papieri Cham, when Cham was heavily marked by manufacturing. The municipal council (Gemeinderat) is pleased to be able to offer the public "another piece of Cham with history, character, and a high quality of life," as mayor (Gemeindepräsident) Georges Helfenstein is quoted as saying in the press release.

In addition to the landscaping work, the gasometer has also been renovated in recent months. The restoration was commissioned by the WWZ company, the owner, and was carried out in accordance with the requirements of the historic preservation authorities (Denkmalpflege). The structure is listed in the inventory of protected monuments of the municipality of Cham, and is therefore under special protection.

Where there was once a meadow, a small park has now been created.      Photo: supplied
The gasometer from above.         Photo: Chamapedia (2019)
 

Great industrial historical significance
The first gasometer was built in 1872 by the Cham dairy, the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company. At that time, the dairy had to generate its own energy to power its production, and Anglo-Swiss therefore built its own gasworks. In order to store the gas produced, they constructed a gasometer east of the factory.

A second gasometer was added later, and Anglo-Swiss fed the surplus gas into Cham's public gas network until 1925. This meant that the streets of Cham could be illuminated at night. One of the two gasometers was dismantled in 1960; the second remained in operation up to 1990, when the natural gas network was inaugurated, and has been since decommissioned. The structure is of great industrial historical significance.

As part of the work, the multi-ton bell-shaped tank was excavated, refurbished, and recoated, and repairs were also carried out on the concrete cylinder.

According to a press release, the municipality of Cham (Einwohnergemeinde) will be granted usage rights, and will be responsible for the upkeep of the park.