In 1938 exploratory drilling near Bentheim struck natural gas. In early 1942 LINGEN 2 drilling near Dalum struck mineral oil in commercially viable amounts. From these beginnings the Rural Districts of Emsland and the Grafschaft Bentheim, together with the Dutch province of Drenthe, developed to become an important European region for the extraction of mineral oil and natural gas. The Oil & Natural Gas Museum documents this importance and shows its history and technology. It informs by means of objects, images and wall charts, amongst other things, about
- the origins of mineral oil and natural gas
- the search for and opening up of the deposits
- the extraction, transport and storage of mineral oil and natural gas
- the activities of the Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM)
- and numerous other related topics.