3 Essen, Chimneys of a former power plant in Gera, Germany

The 3 Essen were the three chimneys of the gas turbine power plant GTKW (the two thick ones) and the heating plant HW-Nord in Gera, built in 1976. At 225 metres, they were the tallest structures in Thuringia alongside the Jena combined heat and power plant. The thin chimney was usually the only one in operation, supplying steam to industry in northern Gera and district heating to Bieblach Ost.

The three chimneys belonged to a gas turbine power plant and heating plant built in Gera from 1976. During construction the heating plant was converted from oil to lignite by 1988, adding three and then five coal boilers. The chimneys, 225 m tall, were shut down in 1996 after a new combined-cycle plant opened, and demolished between 2008 and 2010.

The three chimneys became a kind of landmark for Gera, visible from the A4 motorway as a memorable feature of the skyline. A graphic depiction of the three chimneys is used as the logo of the textile brand 3ESSEN.

The three chimneys stood in the north of Gera and were visible from the A4 motorway as a landmark. They were shut down in 1996 and demolished between 2008 and 2010, so nothing of them remains to visit today; only the 3ESSEN textile logo still depicts them.

The three chimneys were 225 m tall, making them, together with the Jena combined heat and power plant, the tallest structure in Thuringia. Because of Gera's valley setting, this was the only one of three identical gas turbine plants to get such tall stacks. A graphic of the three chimneys is used as the logo of the textile brand 3ESSEN.