The figures of the gigantic shopping and leisure centre Westfield Centro, located in the ‘Neue Mitte’ of Oberhausen, speak their own language: More than 220 national and international shops, 190,000 m² of retail space divided over two floors and more than 20 catering establishments on the Centro Promenade have found their place on the 830,000 m² plot.
This makes the Westfield Centro Oberhausen the largest shopping and leisure centre in Europe and simultaneously the largest shopping centre in Germany. Moreover, it still has 14,000 parking spaces, which visitors can use free of charge. However, the shopping centre is also well connected to public transport and can be reached by bus and tram from Oberhausen central station in just a few minutes.
But the Westfield Centro is more like a shopping centre: And right around the corner is also Germany's largest freshwater and seawater aquarium, Sea Life Oberhausen. The Aquapark, a swimming pool whose spectacular design recalls the area's great tradition as a mining region, and the Legoland Discovery Centre invite families with children in particular to visit.
The Gasometer Oberhausen, landmark of the city and symbol of structural change, can also be easily reached on foot from the Westfield Centro. Built in 1929, the former gas warehouse of the cooking factory is one of the most extraordinary and, at 117 metres, tallest exhibition halls in Europe.
At the Ruhr Visitorcenter on the Centro grounds, visitors can obtain information about the entire Ruhr metropolis, as Oberhausen's central position makes it an ideal starting point for a tourist tour of the region with all its industrial-cultural attractions. The Centro site also originally had an industrial purpose. Only in 1992, the blast furnaces of Thyssen AG were demolished and in their place is the current leisure paradise Centro.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
