Germany · City Guide

Oberhausen

Oberhausen is a city in the Ruhr region known for its remarkable industrial heritage transformation, home to the Gasometer Oberhausen — one of Europe's largest exhibition spaces inside a converted gas holder — the CentrO shopping and entertainment complex, one of the largest in Europe, and the Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord nearby showcasing the Ruhr's post-industrial regeneration. For visitors interested in industrial heritage and contemporary regeneration, Oberhausen provides a fascinating example of the Ruhr's transformation.

1 hotel
Explore Oberhausen
Home / Destinations / Germany / Oberhausen

Elect's take

"Oberhausen demonstrates the extraordinary transformation of Germany's former industrial heartland. The Gasometer is genuinely remarkable as an exhibition space, and the combination with the surrounding Ruhr regeneration projects creates a fascinating destination for those interested in industrial heritage and contemporary culture."

The Gasometer Oberhausen, a former gas holder 117 metres tall, has been converted into one of Europe's largest and most unusual exhibition spaces, hosting major art and culture exhibitions within its vast cylindrical interior. CentrO is one of Europe's largest shopping and leisure complexes, built on a former steelworks site. The wider Ruhr region's industrial heritage regeneration, including the Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord with its illuminated former blast furnaces, provides a remarkable example of post-industrial transformation. The Rhine-Herne Canal provides pleasant waterside walking and cycling routes through the regenerated industrial landscape. Essen, with the UNESCO listed Zollverein Coal Mine, is approximately 20 minutes away.

Best time to visit

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

How to get there

✈️
Airports
Düsseldorf (DUS)
🚆
Rail
Oberhausen Hauptbahnhof
🚗
Oberhausen is approximately 30 minutes from Düsseldorf by rail, with Düsseldorf Airport providing the main international gateway.

What to expect

🏗️

Gasometer Oberhausen

A converted gas holder now one of Europe's largest and most unusual exhibition spaces.

🛍️

CentrO

One of Europe's largest shopping and leisure complexes on a former steelworks site.

🏛️

Ruhr Industrial Heritage

Remarkable post-industrial regeneration projects throughout the wider Ruhr region.

🛶

Rhine-Herne Canal

Pleasant waterside walking and cycling through a regenerated industrial landscape.

🏛️

Zollverein Coal Mine

A UNESCO World Heritage industrial site in nearby Essen approximately 20 minutes away.

🎭

Contemporary Exhibitions

Major art and culture exhibitions hosted within the extraordinary Gasometer interior.


Planning a trip to Oberhausen?

Save your perfect escape

Bookmark hotels, experiences and offers from this page into your own personal escape planner.

No credit card required