| Oberhausen | |
| CentrO-Park in Oberhausen | |
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Oberhausen
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| Coordinates | |
| Administration | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Admin. region | Düsseldorf |
| District | Urban district |
| Lord Mayor | Klaus Wehling (SPD) |
| Basic statistics | |
| Area | 77.04 km2 (29.75 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 78 m (256 ft) |
| Population | 212,945 (31 December 2010)[1] |
| - Density | 2,764 /km2 (7,159 /sq mi) |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Licence plate | OB |
| Postal codes | 46001-46149 |
| Area code | 0208 |
| Website | City of Oberhausen (de) |
Oberhausen (German pronunciation: [ˈoːbɐhaʊzən]) is a city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr Area, Germany, located between Duisburg (c. 12 km) and Essen (c. 13 km). The city hosts the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and its Gasometer Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage. It is also well known for the Centro, which is the biggest shopping mall in Germany. The city's Sea Life Centre was home to Paul the Octopus.
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Oberhausen was named for its 1847 railway station which had taken its name from the Castle Oberhausen (German: Schloss Oberhausen). The new borough was formed in 1862 following inflow of people for the local coal mines and steel mills. Awarded town rights in 1874, Oberhausen absorbed several neighbouring boroughs like Alstaden, parts of Styrum and Dümpten in 1910. After becoming a city in 1901, Oberhausen incorporated the towns of Sterkrade and Osterfeld in 1929. The Ruhrchemie AG synthetic oil plant ("Oberhausen-Holten" or "Sterkrade/Holten")[2] was a bombing target of the Oil Campaign of World War II, and the US Forces had reached the plant by April 4, 1945.
Oberhausen was largely focused on mining and steel production until the 1960s. The last coal mine closed in 1992 and the large Thyssen iron and steel mill closed in 1997 (over 50,000 jobs). The Altenberg zinc factory (German: Zinkfabrik Altenberg) closed in 1981, was taken over by the Rheinisches Industriemuseum (English: Rhineland Industry Museum) in 1984, and opened in 1997.[3]
In 1954 the city began hosting the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, and the 1982 Deutscher Filmpreis was awarded to a group that wrote the Oberhausen Manifesto.
The age breakdown of the population is 0-18, 18.2%; 18-64, 62.9%; >65, 18.9%; while the unemployment rate is 13.2% (January 2007) and the foreign population ratio is 12.4%.
Oberhausen performs chemical processing, mechanical engineering, and education. The "Neue Mitte Oberhausen" (English: New Central Oberhausen) at the former site of the Thyssen mill has light industry.
Oberhausen has 4 city centres, and Alt-Oberhausen, Sterkrade and Osterfeld are common town centres. The new city centre with its mall draws many people from more distant places as it also boasts a larger number of exceptional shops. Much of the city is composed of low- to medium-density residential areas, most of which date from the 1950s-1970s.
Oberhausen is well connected to the German motorway network.
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.
Nearby commercial airports are at Düsseldorf International Airport (28 km), Dortmund Airport (50 km) and Weeze Airport (60 km).
The Rhein-Herne Canal bisects the city, and the Ruhr is in the city's south-west (river navigation uses a shortcut canal to the south).
The city-owned company "STOAG" provides an extensive coverage of bus and tram services. It is part of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr transport association covering the whole Rhine-Ruhr area.
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.
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