Oberhausen: Germany

Oberhausen: Germany
Oberhausen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area, 30 km to the north of Düsseldorf. Population: 220,033 (31.12.2003).
The city is a result of economic growth in the 19th century. It was but a rural area until about 1860, when coal mines were opened and the production of steel began to turn large areas of today’s city into a huge industrial complex. Several villages merged in 1862 to make up a new town. In 1929 the nearby towns of Sterkrade and Osterfeld were incorporated.
Oberhausen is a typical city of the Ruhr area, which was growing around industry.
Today the city tries to get a new standing. In the 1990s a huge shopping mall was built on an abandoned steel works site.
There is an art gallery and an international award festival for short films in Oberhausen.