Fresh on the table
Area Oberhausen
Oberhausen is the gateway for exciting trails and journeys of discovery in the Lippe region. Here, in the north of the metropolitan area, visitors can expect to find old castles and fortresses alongside exciting urban development projects.
The town of Dorsten is one of the showplaces in the TWINS European networking project. A visit to theJewish Museum can be followed by a trip to the “Gahlenscher Coal Trail”. The towns of Bottrop and Gladbeck both contain unusual industrial performance venues on old coal mining sites and spoil tips. These will be used as attractive event venues during the European Capital of Culture year. Collieries, castles and thriving landscapes! You can only find such a mixture in the Ruhr Metropolis.
Industrial Heritage and Entertainment
Spectacular exhibitions in the Oberhausen Gasometer, and a deliberately popular approach to art, culture and industrial heritage have made Oberhausen one of the
leading centres of entertainment in the Ruhr Metropolis.
The 117 metre high Gasometer is the most unusual exhibition venue in Europe. During the industrial age it was built to store blast furnace gas from the nearby steelworks, but since 1994 it has functioned as a unique site for unforgettable sensual impressions. This is where “Fire and Flame”, the monumental show on the transformation of the Ruhr, was staged. Here Christo and Jeanne- Claude, and later Bill Viola, presented unique major installations. And in 2010 the Gasometer will once more become the showplace for an exhibition that will certainly be one of the most spectacular events during the capital of culture year.
Visitors can walk around the roof of the Gasometer, from which they can enjoy an incomparable panoramic view of the skyline of the Ruhr Metropolis. The building is situated right at the heart of the “Neue Mitte” urban entertainment centre, comprising the CentrO shopping mall, cinemas, event venues, discos, museums, hotels and fun parks, all of which offer an entertaining approach to art and culture. The new centre is a combined anchor point for all the cultures in the Ruhr. It attracts more than 20.000.000 foreign visitors a year, most of whom come from the Benelux states.
Oberhausen is the cradle of the Ruhr industry. The St. Antony Ironworks, the first in the Ruhr, began production in 1758. The site has now been excavated and made accessible to visitors once again. Right next door visitors can discover the oldest working-class housing settlement in the region, built in 1846. You can find out more about the dramatic history of heavy industry on the Ruhr in the Rhineland Industrial Museum whose headquarters are in Oberhausen.
The old city centre in Oberhausen was originally built in the 1920s as a garden city with outstanding red brick architectural buildings. It now contains the towns innovatory theatre company which will be involved in a major joint project in 2010 entitled “Odyssey Europe”. The nearby Ebert Bath is one of the mostreputed arts centres for the fringe scene.
It goes without saying that the renowned Oberhausen Short Film Days, the most famous international event in the town, will be a fixed part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations: in addition, the Ludwig Gallery in Oberhausen Mansion is not only a high-class venue for unusual art exhibitions but also an ideal starting point for the landmark trail in the Emscher landscape park.