Bochum – a Ruhr city shaped by coal and culture

Nowadays, Bochum is the party city and cultural hub for an entire region. From mining to stage entertainment – the city which once had more collieries than anywhere else in the Ruhr region now has the most theatres. Bochum is a buzzing destination that offers new and exciting perspectives. Although not overly beautiful, it does have a lot of character and a charm all of its own.

No one is denying that Bochum was once a city of smoking chimneys and glowing blast furnaces. In fact, the locals are rather proud of the fact. The German Mining Museum, the largest of its kind in the world, serves as a reminder of this time. Every year, more than 400,000 visitors to the museum descend underground and then travel to the top of the winding tower, which offers fabulous views over Bochum and the Ruhr region at a height of 63 metres. In the 1960s, however, the first signs of a crisis in the industry arrived. All of a sudden, coal mining became yesterday's news. The entire region was forced to reinvent itself, almost overnight, and Bochum led the way, focusing on culture and education. The newly established Ruhr University quickly joined the best in the land, and the Bochum Schauspielhaus became one of Germany's most innovative and radical theatres under artistic directors such as Peter Zadek, Claus Peymann and Leander Haußmann.

Major international events such as the Ruhr Triennale, the Ruhr Piano Festival and the Ruhr Theatre Festival make the region one of the best for culture and the arts in all of Europe. After the Ruhr region's year as the European Capital of Culture in 2010, this new identity became a hallmark of the city. The slogan 'change through culture – culture through change' is borne out by old industrial sites that now serve as cultural venues for discerning audiences. But high culture is not the be-all and end-all, as demonstrated by the success of the musical Starlight Express. Since 1988 an incredible 12 million people have been entertained by this stage spectacular. A laid-back student scene, attractive museums, high-calibre galleries and Bochum Total, one of Europe's biggest rock and pop festivals, are all aspects of a city that visitors may not expect. High time then to be pleasantly surprised by Bochum. Highlights Stargazing in Bochum: the Zeiss Planetarium The Zeiss Planetarium in Bochum opened in 1964 and quickly established itself as one of the world's most modern facilities. A central projector beams an image of the night sky beneath the domed roof so that visitors are given a realistic impression of the heavens. The corridor that surrounds the circular projector room contains permanent and temporary exhibitions. In May 2010 the attraction reopened after four months of refurbishment, and is now the world's first planetarium with a velvet full-dome projection facility. An idyll in the industrial Ruhr: Dahlhauser Heide in Bochum The Dahlhauser Heide miners village was built between 1906 and 1915 as a model housing estate for workers at the nearby Hannover colliery. Conceived as a garden town by the Krupp family's chief architect Robert Schmoll, it is one of the prettiest places to live in the Ruhr region and is known locally as the cabbage patch colony. Most houses in the Dahlhauser Heide were build along the same lines, with a living room and kitchen on the ground floor and a staircase leading to two bedrooms upstairs. Each semi-detached house had a garden so people could grow their own food. A triumph of form and function: the Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum A light-filled triumph of steel and glass, the Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum is an early example of a purely functional industrial building. Now fully converted, it has come to represent a successful transition from the traditional to the modern – a landmark of the new Ruhr region. Outside, the historical exterior has been enhanced with new architectural elements, while the state-of-the-art events technology inside offers a wealth of options. Three halls of varying size can be used for banquets, presentations and concerts, and everything from major plays to minor experiments. Beer and currywurst in Bochum's Bermuda Triangle The Bermuda Triangle in the heart of Bochum is the Ruhr region's largest and best-known district for restaurants and – more importantly – pubs. It begins around 200 metres east of the main train station and is the southern extension of the pedestrian area in the city centre. Besides the countless tiny bars, many of which squeeze in a beer garden as well, there are around 30 restaurants to suit all budgets and tastes. Beer is the beverage of choice, of course, but cocktails are available too! Incidentally, the currywurst in Bochum is just as good as in Berlin, and plays an essential part in any evening in the Bermuda triangle.