Oberhausen
| Oberhausen | |
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| Coat of arms | Location |
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| Administration | |
| Country | Germany |
|---|---|
| State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Admin. region | Düsseldorf |
| District | Urban district |
| Lord Mayor | Klaus Wehling (SPD) |
| Basic statistics | |
| Area | 77.04 km² (29.7 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 78 m (256 ft) |
| Population | 218,181 (30/12/2005)[1] |
| - Density | 2,832 /km² (7,335 /sq mi) |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Licence plate | OB |
| Postal codes | 46001-46149 |
| Area code | 0208 |
| Website | www.oberhausen.de |
Oberhausen (IPA: [ˈoːbɐhaʊzən]) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area, 35 km to the north of Düsseldorf on the banks of the river Emscher
Contents |
History
The area which is Oberhausen today belonged to a number of different dominions until 1862, when the new borough was formed following the development of coal mines and steel mills and the consequent inflow of people. It took the name from the train station (built in 1847), which in turn took its name from the residence of a local aristocrat called "Schloss Oberhausen".
Soon after Oberhausen was awarded town rights in 1874 and city rights in 1901 and absorbed several neighbouring boroughs during its growth in the late 19th century. In 1929 the towns of Sterkrade and Osterfeld were incorporated into Oberhausen, forming the city as it exists today.
Demographics
As of 2006 218.181 people live in the city.
- 0-18: 18.2%
- 18-64:62.9%
- 65 and over: 18.9%
The unemployment rate is quite high at 13.2% (January 2007), as is the foreign population ratio at 12.4%.
Industry
Like other Ruhr Area cities industry in Oberhausen was largely focused on mining and steel production until the 1960s. The heart of this industrial complex was the large Thyssen iron and steel mill. These industries declined in the second half of the 20th century, the last coal mine closed in 1992 and the steel mill was gradually run down until 1997. Over 50,000 jobs were lost during this process.
Today the city is in the process of marketing itself as a centre of retail and leisure. The old site of the steel mill was redeveloped as the "Neue Mitte Oberhausen" (New Central Oberhausen) with a large shopping mall (CentrO), a multi-purpose arena, an amusement park and a musical theatre as well as office buildings and light industry. Other major sectors include chemical processing, mechanical engineering and education.
Cityscape
Due to its history Oberhausen has 4 "city centres". Alt-Oberhausen, Sterkrade and Osterfeld are common town centres similar to those of other towns of the area and cater mainly for everyday needs. The new city centre with its mall draws many people from more distant places as it also boasts a larger number of exceptional shops.
The city lacks an architectural identity. Much of the city is composed of low- to medium-density residential areas, most of which date from the 1950s-1970s.
Transport
Road
Oberhausen is well connected to the German motorway network.
- A2 (E34) (Oberhausen - Dortmund - Bielefeld - Hanover - Magdeburg - Berlin)
- A3 (E35) (from Arnhem - Oberhausen - Cologne - Frankfurt - Würzburg - Nuremberg - Passau - to Linz)
- A40 (Ruhrschnellweg, Venlo - Duisburg - Essen - Dortmund)
- A42 (Emscherschnellweg, Kamp-Lintford - Oberhausen - Gelsenkirchen - Dortmund)
- A516 (Motorway Interchange Oberhausen to Oberhausen-Zentrum)
Rail
Oberhausen Hauptbahnhof is the main railway station in the city. Long-distance trains stop at the station (some even to Amsterdam and Basel) as well as regional and local services. There are stations at Holten, Sterkrade and Osterfeld, catering for regional and local travel.
Airports
The nearest commercial airports are Düsseldorf International Airport (about 30km), Dortmund Airport (about 50km) and Weeze Airport (about 60km).
Waterways
The Rhein-Herne Canal bisects the city. Additionally the Ruhr skirts the south-western part of the city, but navigation on the river bypasses this stretch via a shortcut canal to the south.
Public Transport
The city-owned company "STOAG" provides an extensive coverage of bus and tram services. It is part of the VRR transport association covering the whole Rhine-Ruhr-Area.
Local sights
- "Neue Mitte" with CentrO shopping mall, Sea Life aquarium, CentrO arena and CentrO.park, an amusement park.
- OLGA-Park, a landscaped garden in Osterfeld created for a horticultural show
- Gasometer, a huge gas holder converted into exhibition space. It's an anchor point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage
- "Rheinisches Industriemuseum" (Industrial Museum of the Rhineland) is located in an old zinc works.
Sport
With around 250 sports clubs Oberhausen has an active community. Local football club Rot-Weiss Oberhausen currently play in the second tier of the league.
Sister Cities
- Middlesbrough (United Kingdom), since 1974
- Zaporizhzhia (Ukraine), since 1986
- Freital (Saxony/Germany), since 1990
- Iglesias (Sardinia/Italy), since 2002- - Carbonia (Sardinia/Italy), since 2002
- Mersin (Turkey), since 2004
Gallery
See also
- CentrO
- International Short Film Festival Oberhausen
External links
- Ludwiggalerie in the Castle Oberhausen (de)
- City of Oberhausen (de)
- Gasometer (de)
References
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