Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [522]
Oberhausen is about 15km northwest of Essen. From the Hauptbahnhof, take any bus or tram going to Neue Mitte Oberhausen from platform 1. By car, exit Oberhausen-Zentrum off the A42 and follow the signs.
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Duisburg
0203 / pop 496,000
Duisburg, about 25km west of Essen, is home to Europe’s largest inland port whose immensity is best appreciated on a leisurely boat tour ( 713 9667; adult/child €11/6; Apr-Nov). Embarkation is at the Schwanentor, which is also the gateway to the Innenhafen Duisburg (inner harbour), now an increasingly dynamic urban quarter with restaurants, bars, clubs and museums set up in the old storage silos.
A highlight is the half-century of German art on display at the Museum Küppersmühle ( 3019 4811; www.museum-kueppersmuehle.de; Philosophen-weg 55; adult/concession €6/3, incl special exhibit €8/4; 2-6pm Wed, 11am-6pm Thu, Sat & Sun) in a mill storage building converted by Swiss Pritzker Prize–winning architects Herzog & de Meuron. From Baselitz to Kiefer to Richter, all the big names are showcased beneath the lofty ceilings, as are up to six international art exhibits annually.
More great art awaits at the Wilhelm-Lehmbruck-Museum ( 283 3294; www.lehmbruckmuseum.de; Friedrich-Wilhelm-Strasse 40; adult/concession €6/3; 11am-5pm Tue-Sat, 10am-6pm Sun), which presents a survey of 20th-century inter-national sculpture – think Giacometti, Calder, Ernst and Chillida. About 40 sculptures alone are planted throughout the lovely surrounding park. It’s all a five-minute walk from the Hauptbahnhof.
Duisburg’s other key sight is just a tram ride away: the Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord (Landscape Park Duisburg-Nord; 429 1942; www.landschaftspark.de; Emscherstrasse 71; admission free, activities vary; 24hr). Molten iron used to flow 24/7 from the fiery furnaces of this decommissioned iron works that’s now a unique performance space and an all-ages adventure playground. You can free-climb its ore bunkers, take a diving course in the former gas tank, climb to the top of the blast furnace, picnic in a flower garden and visit a petting zoo. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday a light installation by British artist Jonathan Park illuminates the complex after sundown.
There’s also a DJH hostel ( 417 90; www.duisburg-meiderich.jugendherberge.de; Losörter Strasse 133; dm/s/tw €23.70/39.50/61.60, incl linen & breakfast; ) on site, so you can stay the night if you want. To get to the park from Duisburg Hauptbahnhof, take tram 902 (direction Duisburg-Walsum) or 903 (direction Dinslaken) to Landschaftspark-Nord; from here it’s a seven-minute walk via Emscherstrasse.
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Bottrop
02041 / pop 118,000
About 13km north of Essen, Bottrop is the birthplace of Josef Albers (1888–1976), the Bauhaus artist famous for his explorations of colour and spatial relationships, squares in particular. With the Josef Albers Museum ( 297 16; Im Stadtgarten 20; admission free; 11am-5pm Tue-Sat, 10am-5pm Sun), the city honours its famous son, who fled the Nazis for the US in 1933 and later taught such notables as Robert Rauschenberg and John Cage. Presented in a starkly minimalist space are examples from Albers’ key series ‘Homage to the Square’ as well as early lithographs from the Bottrop period. Get there from Bottrop Hauptbahnhof by taking bus SB16 to Im Stadtgarten.
It seems that Bottrop breeds an affinity for geometric shapes, for its other major attraction is the Tetraeder (Tetrahedron; admission free; 24hr), one of the more striking stops on the Industrial Heritage Trail. This 60m-high installation made from steel pipes and open space graces the top of a former slag heap turned landscape park, complete with trees, trails and benches. You