Germany - Oberhausen

Oberhausen, a German city in North Rhine-Westphalia, has a history closely intertwined with industrial development. Although settlements existed in the area since the Middle Ages, the city's real rise began in the 19th century with the boom of coal mining and the steel industry. The area where Oberhausen is located today had been agricultural for centuries, with small villages and farms. However, the discovery of huge coal reserves in the late 18th and early 19th centuries changed everything. The first mines, such as the "Gute Hoffnung", became pioneers of the industrial revolution in the Ruhr area. Thanks to industrial development, the population grew rapidly and the various settlements, such as Alt-Oberhausen, Osterfeld and Sterkrade, gradually merged. The city of Oberhausen was officially founded in 1862, named after the castle "Schloss Oberhausen", which today serves as a cultural center. In the 20th century, Oberhausen became one of the most important industrial centers of the Ruhr area. During the two world wars, the city suffered significant damage from bombing, but reconstruction began quickly. However, from the 1960s onwards, with the transformation of the industrial structure and the decline of the coal mining and steel industries, the city had to face significant economic challenges. Oberhausen successfully overcame the obstacles and took the lead in structural change. Old industrial areas were transformed and new economic sectors such as trade, services and tourism became dominant. A prominent example of this is CentrO, one of the largest shopping malls in Europe, which was built on a former industrial site.

Oberhausen, a city in the Ruhr area of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, does not have its own mint and has historically not played a significant role in German coinage.