- CentrO
CentrO is part of a large commercial development in
Oberhausen , Germany, called the "Neue Mitte" or "new center". A large steel production plant used to occupy the site until the late 1980s. Besides the CentrO shopping mall the area today houses attractions such as a children'stheme park and a water-lined boulevard with restaurants and pubs.Planet Hollywood briefly occupied a space in the mall before the company went bankrupt and abruptly closed many stores, including the one in CentrO. The mall was based onMeadowhall , a large shopping centre inSheffield , England (both malls had the same developer). It is often claimed that CentrO is the largest shopping mall on the continent, but at approximately 70,000 m², it is not even the largest in the region. CentrO is however notable because it signifies the transformation of Oberhausen from an industry-based to a services-based economy and has become a role model for other German cities.The development was rather controversial, with neighbouring municipalities opposing the project, fearing a loss of sales in their
city center s. [Basten, Ludger: "Die Neue Mitte Oberhausen: Ein Großprojekt der Stadtentwicklung im Spannungsfeld von Politik und Planung"; Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel, 1998 (in German). ISBN 3-7643-5903-X]The
Gasometer , a 100-meter tall former gas storage container come museum, is open to the public and a short walk from CentrO.Getting to CentrO
CentrO is easily accessible by both road and public transport. By road, take the A42 and turn off at OB-Osterfeld/Neue Mitte, or follow the signs. CentrO is very well signposted. To get there by public transport from Oberhausen Hbf (Hauptbahnhof) go to Terminal 1 outside the Hbf and take ANY bus or tram to Neue Mitte.
GPSLatitude: 51°29'24.18"NLongitude: 6°52'43.96"E
References
External links
* [http://www.centro.de CentrO's Official site]
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