Vondern Castle, the oldest workers’ settlement in the Ruhr area, the Gasometer – Oberhausen’s landmark and spectacular exhibition hall, the Ludwig Galerie Schloss Oberhausen, Europe’s largest shopping and leisure centre – CentrO, Germany’s largest SEA LIFE …
Oberhausen has a lot to offer: Historical buildings, witnesses of industrial culture and successful projects of structural change can be seen and experienced here. Take a look around on the following slides, perhaps you will feel like visiting them yourself.
Table of Contents
Popular Points of Interest in and near Oberhausen
6Vondern Castle Oberhausen
It is not known how long Vondern Castle – an important late gothic secular building in North Rhine-Westphalia – has existed. Probably more than a thousand years ago, a refuge with rampart and palisade fence was already standing here. Today’s buildings date from various eras, probably from the 13th century onwards, and still leave historians with some puzzles.
The gate building and the southern defensive wall were built in the 16th century at the latest and show with their strong walls and loopholes both the defensive purpose and late Gothic ornamental forms in cornices, windows and vaults. The main house was built in the late 17th century during the baroque period. An older façade was used as the rear wall. Today only a remnant of the original moats remains.
After Vondern Castle had almost fallen into ruin, the historical parts were secured with the combined forces of the federal government, the state, the city and a support group until 1995 and revived with a new use. Situated between the marshalling yard Osterfeld and the federal highway 42, it is not only an interesting historical witness but also a worthwhile destination for walkers and cyclists.
Guided tours of the castle by appointment, office hours at Vondern Castle: every Thursday, 6 to 7 pm in the manor house.
Related Website: www.burg-vondern.de
5Gasometer Oberhausen
The Oberhausen Gasometer, the largest disc-type gas holder in Europe, is an industrial monument located in Oberhausen, Germany. It was constructed between 1927 and 1929. Today it is an Anchor Point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage and serves as an exhibition hall.
The Oberhausen Gasometer today
The Gasometer Oberhausen is the tallest exhibition hall in Europe. The Gasometer, 117.5 metres high, is a landmark of the city of Oberhausen. As an imposing witness to the history of construction and technology it is an impressive reminder of heavy industry that characterised the Ruhr for more than a century. The Gasometer Oberhausen, with more than four million annual visitors, is one of the major Anchor Points of the European Route of Industrial Heritage.
Related Website: www.gasometer.de
4Ludwig Gallery Oberhausen Castle
Oberhausen Castle with its classicist architecture, situated on the Rhine-Herne Canal and the Federal Motorway 42, gave its name to the nearby railway station built in 1846 and thus to the later city. It was built between 1804 and 1818 according to the plans of the architect August Reinking for Maximilian Count von Westerholt-Gysenberg and acquired by the city in 1912. As one of the first new museums to be founded in the post-war period, the Städtische Galerie opened in 1947 in the Schloss Oberhausen manor house.
Related Website: www.ludwiggalerie.de
3CentrO Shopping Mall Oberhausen
On 119,000 square metres of net sales area CentrO visitors will find everything that makes a shopping heart beat faster. Seven different areas (market square, market path, main street, park avenue, gallery, colourful alley and the Coca-Cola Oasis) structure the shopping centre and help with orientation. Over 220 shops offer a comprehensive range of the latest textiles, shoes and accessories. Bunte Gasse is located on the ground floor at the entrance to the Coca-Cola Oasis. Over 20 kiosks offer a wide range of gift articles and handicrafts.
The Coca-Cola Oasis provides good entertainment and gastronomic variety in the shopping center. In a Mediterranean ambience, 1,200 guests can be seated and can choose from more than 20 different gastronomy providers. For visitors with cars, 14,000 free parking spaces are available. The public transport connection is just as convenient. The CentrO is serviced by public transport every 90 seconds during peak times and around the clock on weekends and public holidays.
2SEA LIFE Oberhausen
The SEA LIFE Oberhausen has been inspiring its visitors for fifteen years with ever new ideas and exhibitions about the colourful world of the seas. Located in the immediate vicinity of CentrO – one of the largest shopping centres in Europe – it is a wonderful opportunity for a day trip to Oberhausen. Experience the most diverse marine life in over 50 large aquariums on 4,000 square metres.
In just one day, you can experience the enormous and colourful diversity of the underwater world. The journey begins at the mountain springs of the Rhine, continues along the coasts of the North and Baltic Seas, through a tropical reef with sharks, rays and green sea turtles, into the jungle of the Amazon with its dangerous inhabitants, such as piranhas, predatory catfish and a electric eel. Outside you will also find lively otters and a sun terrace invites you to linger.
The highlight is a ten meter long acrylic glass tunnel that leads you through the 1.5 million liter tropical pool. Like a diver, you walk six metres below the water surface through a lovingly designed reef.
1LVR Industrial Museum Oberhausen
Steel and iron. Fire and flames over the Ruhr. Smoke and coke in the air, sweat, tobacco smoke and the schnapps after the shift at the booth. Chimney barons and red socks, cannons in chord and brilliant ideas:
Steel bells… Stainless steel. Seamless wheel tyres. Mannesmann tubes. The whole history of the world’s largest industrial area, its beginning, its rise, the heyday with millions of workers, thousands of chimneys.
The red dysentery. And the end, creeping first, then faster and faster – until the bridge of solidarity and the falling blast furnaces. The dramatic history of heavy industry in the Ruhr. Here it is told to touch and experience: in the old zinc factory Altenberg, right next to Oberhausen railway station.
The old brick halls of the zinc factory still smell of smoke, sweat and hard work – an ideal environment for the presentation of an epoch that has shaped the face of the Ruhr region and its history like no other.
Related Website: http://www.industriemuseum.lvr.de/
Insider travel tips for Oberhausen
Oberhausen is the best starting point for sightseeing, arts, and culture as well as diverse sports in the Ruhr area. From here, you can visit all cities in the area quickly and comfortably, by bus, train or car, as all the cities merge together. You can read about all the highlights on www.ruhr-tourismus.de
4 insider tipps, not just for Oberhausen:
- Emscher route from the source in Dortmund past Oberhausen to the confluence with the Rhine, featuring various highlights of industrial culture, the re-natured canal, water treatment plants and water works, water protection areas, and more. This route can be done by bike, traveling almost exclusively on comfortable cycling trails and not roads.
- There is an Eisenheimsiedlung not only in Oberhausen but also in the neighboring town, Duisburg. This settlement, Bergbausiedlung Neumühl, is even more beautiful, in our opinion, very quaint, and well-worth a visit.
- On the bike path with the ferry to Orsay and then to Rheinberg (or, if so inclined, to Xanten, the Roman city with archaeological park); it is very idyllic and beautiful on the left side of the Lower Rhine. This can also be done by car, of course.
- Essen Kettwig with its castle, Baldeneysee lake, and a detour to Villa Hügel. About 10 km distant.