Bochum
Encyclopedia
Bochum (ˈboːxʊm) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia
, western Germany
. It is located in the Ruhr area
and is surrounded by the cities of Essen, Gelsenkirchen
, Herne
, Castrop-Rauxel
, Dortmund
, Witten
and Hattingen
.
Bochum dates from the 9th century, when Charlemagne
set up a royal court at the junction of two important trade routes. It was first officially mentioned in 1041 as Cofbuokheim in a document of the archbishops of Cologne. Originally, it may have meant "Brookhome" or "Bacheim" and later seems to have gained the notorious reputation of "Bookhorn" or "Horn Book". In 1321, Count Engelbert II von der Marck granted Bochum a town charter, but the town remained insignificant until the 19th century, when the coal
mining and steel
industries emerged in the Ruhr area, leading to the growth of the entire region. The population of Bochum increased from about 4,500 in 1850 to 100,000 in 1904. Bochum acquired city status, incorporating neighbouring towns and villages. Additional population gains came from immigration, primarily from Poland
.
After the war, the new state of North Rhine-Westphalia was established, consisting of the Rhineland and Westphalia. Bochum is located in that state.
In the postwar period, Bochum began developing as a cultural centre of the Ruhr area. Between 1960 and 1980, the coal mines all closed. Other industries, such as automotive
, compensated for the loss of jobs. The Opel Astra
is assembled at the Opel Bochum plant
; however, by 2009, the factory was in serious financial difficulties. In 1965, the Ruhr University
was opened, the first university
in the Ruhr area and the first to be founded in Germany since World War II
. Since the seventies, Bochum's industry has moved from heavy industry to the service sector.
In the course of a comprehensive community reform in 1975, Wattenscheid
, a formerly independent city, was integrated into the city of Bochum. A local referendum against the integration failed. In 2007, the new synagogue of the Jewish community of Bochum, Herne und Hattingen was opened. In 2008, Nokia
closed down its production plant, causing the loss of thousands of jobs, both at the plant and at local suppliers. 20,000 people showed up to protest against the closing. Within months, the Canadian high-tech company, Research in Motion
, announced plans to open a research facility, its first outside Canada, adding several hundred jobs.
On November 9, 1938, Kristallnacht
, the Jewish citizens of Bochum were attacked. The synagogue
was set on fire and there was rioting against Jewish citizens. The first Jews from Bochum were deported to Nazi concentration camps and many Jewish institutions and homes were destroyed. Some 500 Jewish citizens are known by name to have been killed in the Holocaust, including 19 who were younger than 16 years old. Joseph Klirsfeld was Bochum's rabbi at this time. He and his wife fled to Palestine. In December 1938, the Jewish elementary school teacher Else Hirsch
began organizing groups of children and adolescents to be sent to the Netherlands
and England
, sending ten groups in all. Many Jewish children and those from other persecuted groups were taken in by Dutch families and thereby saved from abduction or deportation and death.
Because the Ruhr region was an area of high residential density and a centre for the manufacture of weapons, it was a major target in the war. Women with young children, school children and the homeless fled or were evacuated to safer areas, leaving cities largely deserted to the arms industry, coal mines and steel plants and those unable to leave.
Bochum was first bombed heavily in May and June 1943. On May 13, 1943, the city hall was hit, destroying the top floor, and leaving the next two floors in flames. On November 4, 1944, in an attack involving 700 British bombers, the steel plant, Bochumer Verein, was hit. One of the largest steel plants in Germany, more than 10,000 high-explosive and 130,000 incendiary bombs were stored there, setting off a conflagration that destroyed the surrounding neighbourhoods. An aerial photo shows the devastation.
The town centre of Bochum was a strategic target
during the Oil Campaign
. In 150 air raids on Bochum, over 1,300 bombs were dropped on Bochum and Gelsenkirchen
. By the end of the war, 38% of Bochum had been decimated. 70,000 citizens were homeless and at least 4,095 dead. Of Bochum's more than 90,000 homes, only 25,000 remained for the 170,000 citizens who survived the war, many by fleeing to other areas. Most of the remaining buildings were damaged, many with only one usable room. Only 1,000 houses in Bochum remained undamaged after the war. Only two of 122 schools remained unscathed; others were totally destroyed. Hunger was rampant. A resident of neighbouring Essen
was quoted on April 23, 1945 as saying, "Today, I used up my last potato... it will be a difficult time till the new [autumn] potatoes are ready to be picked – if they're not stolen."
The Allied ground advance into Germany reached Bochum in April 1945. Encountering desultory resistance, the US 79th Infantry Division captured the city on 10 April 1945.
After the war, Bochum was occupied by the British, who established two camps to house people displaced by the war
. The majority of them were former Polish Zwangsarbeiter, forced labourers
, many of them from the Bochumer Verein.
More than sixty years after the war, bombs continue to be found in the region, usually by construction workers. One found in October 2008 in Bochum town centre led to the evacuation of 400 and involved hundreds of emergency workers. A month earlier, a buried bomb exploded in neighbouring Hattingen
, injuring 17 people.
has thousands of plants from all over the world. Among others there is a tropical garden, a cactus garden, and a Chinese garden
designed in the southern Chinese style, the only one of its kind in Germany.
The Geological Garden was the first of its kind in Germany. The nearly 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) park is the site of an old coal mine, the Zeche Friederika, which operated from 1750 to 1907. In 1962, the property came under environmental protection and a decade later was turned into a geological garden.
Other scenic areas include the West Park, Lake Kemnade, Lake Ümmingen and the municipal forest, Weitmarer Holz.
, and about 20 smaller theatres and stages. The musical Starlight Express, which opened in 1988, is the longest-running musical in Germany.
, A 43
and A 44
autobahns. In addition, Bochum has a ring road, built to expressway standards, consisting of four segments; the Donezk, Oviedo, Nordhausen and Sheffield-Ring roads. It serves as a three-quarter loop around central Bochum and begins and ends at Autobahn A40. Ruhr University Bochum is also served by an expressway running from the Nordhausen-Ring to Autobahn A43. Until 2012, a new interchange (Dreieck Bochum-West) between the Donezk-Ring and Autobahn A40 is being constructed within tight parameters due to the existence of a nearby factory.
Apart from the autobahns and expressways, there is also a small ring road around the center of Bochum, where most roads radiating out of Bochum begin. Most main roads in Bochum are multi-lane roads with traffic lights. Bochum is also served by the Bundesstraße 51
and Bundesstraße 226. B51 runs to Herne and Hattingen, and B226 runs to Gelsenkirchen and Witten.
situated on the line from Duisburg
to Dortmund
, connecting the city to the long-distance network of Deutsche Bahn
as well as to the S-Bahn
network of Rhine-Ruhr
.
, a joint venture handling transportation between the cities of Bochum and Gelsenkirchen. There is a single underground Stadtbahn
line connecting the University of Bochum to Herne
, and several lines, partially underground, connecting to Gelsenkirchen and Witten
. Public transport in the city is priced according to the fare system of the VRR
transport association.
n ("general schools") and 14 special schools.
In addition, there are 11 preparatory (British: grammar) schools ("Gymnasien"), 5 comprehensive school
s ("Gesamtschulen"), 8 Realschule
n and 2 private Waldorf schools.
"Gymnasien" – preparatory schools (British: grammar school):
"Gesamtschulen" – comprehensive school
s:
Realschule
n – high schools:
Waldorf schools:
are: Sheffield
, United Kingdom
, since 1950 Oviedo
, Spain
, since 1980 Donetsk
, Ukraine
, since 1987 Nordhausen
, Germany
, since 1990 Xuzhou
, People's Republic of China
, since 1994
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
, western Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is located in the Ruhr area
Ruhr Area
The Ruhr, by German-speaking geographers and historians more accurately called Ruhr district or Ruhr region , is an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With 4435 km² and a population of some 5.2 million , it is the largest urban agglomeration in Germany...
and is surrounded by the cities of Essen, Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the Ruhr area. Its population in 2006 was c. 267,000....
, Herne
Herne, Germany
Herne is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area directly between the cities of Bochum and Gelsenkirchen.- History :Like most other cities in the region Herne was a tiny village until the 19th century...
, Castrop-Rauxel
Castrop-Rauxel
-Geography:Castrop-Rauxel is between Dortmund to the east, Bochum , Herne , and to the north, Recklinghausen, Datteln and Waltrop.- Urban Area :The urban area of Castrop-Rauxel has an total expanse of...
, Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
, Witten
Witten
Witten is a university city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the home of the Witten/Herdecke University, the first private university in Germany.-Bordering municipalities:* Bochum* Dortmund* Herdecke* Wetter * Sprockhoevel* Hattingen...
and Hattingen
Hattingen
Hattingen is a German town located in northern part of the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:Hattingen is located on the south bank of the River Ruhr in the south of the Ruhr region. The town was first mentioned in 1396, when the Duke of Mark granted permission to build...
.
History
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
set up a royal court at the junction of two important trade routes. It was first officially mentioned in 1041 as Cofbuokheim in a document of the archbishops of Cologne. Originally, it may have meant "Brookhome" or "Bacheim" and later seems to have gained the notorious reputation of "Bookhorn" or "Horn Book". In 1321, Count Engelbert II von der Marck granted Bochum a town charter, but the town remained insignificant until the 19th century, when the coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
mining and steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
industries emerged in the Ruhr area, leading to the growth of the entire region. The population of Bochum increased from about 4,500 in 1850 to 100,000 in 1904. Bochum acquired city status, incorporating neighbouring towns and villages. Additional population gains came from immigration, primarily from Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
After the war, the new state of North Rhine-Westphalia was established, consisting of the Rhineland and Westphalia. Bochum is located in that state.
In the postwar period, Bochum began developing as a cultural centre of the Ruhr area. Between 1960 and 1980, the coal mines all closed. Other industries, such as automotive
Automotive industry
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
, compensated for the loss of jobs. The Opel Astra
Opel Astra
The Opel Astra is a small family car engineered and manufactured by the German automaker Opel since 1991.It is branded as Vauxhall Astra in the United Kingdom, the Buick Excelle XT in China and the Chevrolet Astra/Vectra in Latin America...
is assembled at the Opel Bochum plant
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
; however, by 2009, the factory was in serious financial difficulties. In 1965, the Ruhr University
Ruhr University
Ruhr University Bochum , located on the southern hills of central Ruhr area Bochum, was founded in 1962 as the first new public university in Germany since World War II...
was opened, the first university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in the Ruhr area and the first to be founded in Germany since World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Since the seventies, Bochum's industry has moved from heavy industry to the service sector.
In the course of a comprehensive community reform in 1975, Wattenscheid
Wattenscheid
Wattenscheid was once a separate town in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany. In 1975 it became part of Bochum. It has a population of about 80,000 citizens. It is a part of the Ruhr area. Some famous firms have their headquarters in Wattenscheid e.g...
, a formerly independent city, was integrated into the city of Bochum. A local referendum against the integration failed. In 2007, the new synagogue of the Jewish community of Bochum, Herne und Hattingen was opened. In 2008, Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
closed down its production plant, causing the loss of thousands of jobs, both at the plant and at local suppliers. 20,000 people showed up to protest against the closing. Within months, the Canadian high-tech company, Research in Motion
Research In Motion
Research In Motion Limited or RIM is a Canadian multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada that designs, manufactures and markets wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market...
, announced plans to open a research facility, its first outside Canada, adding several hundred jobs.
The Nazi era and World War II
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, and also Reichskristallnacht, Pogromnacht, and Novemberpogrome, was a pogrom or series of attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria on 9–10 November 1938.Jewish homes were ransacked, as were shops, towns and...
, the Jewish citizens of Bochum were attacked. The synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
was set on fire and there was rioting against Jewish citizens. The first Jews from Bochum were deported to Nazi concentration camps and many Jewish institutions and homes were destroyed. Some 500 Jewish citizens are known by name to have been killed in the Holocaust, including 19 who were younger than 16 years old. Joseph Klirsfeld was Bochum's rabbi at this time. He and his wife fled to Palestine. In December 1938, the Jewish elementary school teacher Else Hirsch
Else Hirsch
Else Hirsch was a Jewish teacher in Bochum, Germany and a member of the German Resistance against the Third Reich. She organized transports of Jewish children to the Netherlands and England, saving them from Nazi deportation to concentration camps and death...
began organizing groups of children and adolescents to be sent to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, sending ten groups in all. Many Jewish children and those from other persecuted groups were taken in by Dutch families and thereby saved from abduction or deportation and death.
Because the Ruhr region was an area of high residential density and a centre for the manufacture of weapons, it was a major target in the war. Women with young children, school children and the homeless fled or were evacuated to safer areas, leaving cities largely deserted to the arms industry, coal mines and steel plants and those unable to leave.
Bochum was first bombed heavily in May and June 1943. On May 13, 1943, the city hall was hit, destroying the top floor, and leaving the next two floors in flames. On November 4, 1944, in an attack involving 700 British bombers, the steel plant, Bochumer Verein, was hit. One of the largest steel plants in Germany, more than 10,000 high-explosive and 130,000 incendiary bombs were stored there, setting off a conflagration that destroyed the surrounding neighbourhoods. An aerial photo shows the devastation.
The town centre of Bochum was a strategic target
Strategic bombing during World War II
Strategic bombing during World War II is a term which refers to all aerial bombardment of a strategic nature between 1939 and 1945 involving any nations engaged in World War II...
during the Oil Campaign
Oil Campaign of World War II
The Allied Oil Campaign of World War II was directed at facilities supplying Nazi Germany with petroleum, oil, and lubrication products...
. In 150 air raids on Bochum, over 1,300 bombs were dropped on Bochum and Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the Ruhr area. Its population in 2006 was c. 267,000....
. By the end of the war, 38% of Bochum had been decimated. 70,000 citizens were homeless and at least 4,095 dead. Of Bochum's more than 90,000 homes, only 25,000 remained for the 170,000 citizens who survived the war, many by fleeing to other areas. Most of the remaining buildings were damaged, many with only one usable room. Only 1,000 houses in Bochum remained undamaged after the war. Only two of 122 schools remained unscathed; others were totally destroyed. Hunger was rampant. A resident of neighbouring Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
was quoted on April 23, 1945 as saying, "Today, I used up my last potato... it will be a difficult time till the new [autumn] potatoes are ready to be picked – if they're not stolen."
The Allied ground advance into Germany reached Bochum in April 1945. Encountering desultory resistance, the US 79th Infantry Division captured the city on 10 April 1945.
After the war, Bochum was occupied by the British, who established two camps to house people displaced by the war
Displaced person
A displaced person is a person who has been forced to leave his or her native place, a phenomenon known as forced migration.- Origin of term :...
. The majority of them were former Polish Zwangsarbeiter, forced labourers
Forced labor in Germany during World War II
The use of forced labour in Nazi Germany and throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II took place on an unprecedented scale. It was a vital part of the German economic exploitation of conquered territories. It also contributed to the mass extermination of populations in German-occupied...
, many of them from the Bochumer Verein.
More than sixty years after the war, bombs continue to be found in the region, usually by construction workers. One found in October 2008 in Bochum town centre led to the evacuation of 400 and involved hundreds of emergency workers. A month earlier, a buried bomb exploded in neighbouring Hattingen
Hattingen
Hattingen is a German town located in northern part of the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:Hattingen is located on the south bank of the River Ruhr in the south of the Ruhr region. The town was first mentioned in 1396, when the Duke of Mark granted permission to build...
, injuring 17 people.
Architecture
- Bochum City Hall was built from 1927–1931 and was designed by architect Karl Roth as a modern office building, but in the Renaissance style, reflecting the industrial era's middle class, inventions and discoveries. There were statues of bronze and stone, and in the city council chambers, a bell tower. The ornate décor gave the Nazis an excuse to hound the then-mayor, who was of Jewish descent, driving him to suicide in 1933. Most of the bronze statues were melted down for the war effort and the stone carvings were damaged by the war, save for some small lion's heads over the entrance. Also left undamaged are two themed courtyard fountains made by August Vogel, the "Fountain of Beauty" and the "Fountain of Happiness", as well as Augusto Vasaris' florentine main entrance, which displays the motto, In Labore Honos (In labour lies honour). In 1951, a set of 28 chimes was installed, manufactured in Bochum. Known for their clarity of tone, they are the first cast steel chimes in the world. In front of the city hall is a large bell that was made by the Bochum "Verein für Bergbau und Gusstahlfabrikation AG", (Association for Mining and Cast Steel Manufacturing). Displayed at the 1867 Paris World's Fair, it has a diameter of 3.13 metres (10.27 ft) and weighs 15,000 kg (16.53 US tons). It was damaged during World War II and can no longer be rung.
- Altes Brauhaus Rietkötter, the Old Rietkötter Brewing House is one of the oldest houses in Bochum, dating from 1630. Originally a private home, it became a brewery in 1777. After nearly being torn down after the war, it now has preservation status and today houses a restaurant, where they still brew their own beer.
- The Kaufhaus Kortum department store dates from 1913 and was built as one of the nearly 20 regional stores owned by Alsberg Bros. (Gebr. Alsberg, AG) of Cologne. During the Nazi era, these stores were taken away from their Jewish owners and put into non-Jewish hands. Today, the "Kaufhaus Kortum" building has preservation status and houses an electronics store.
- The Friedrich Lueg Haus was built in 1924-1925 as the first high-rise building in Bochum. Contracted by the Lueg Company, the seven-story building was designed by the architect Emil Pohle. It suffered a fire during a bombing raid in 1944 and was renovated after the war. Today, the upper floors are small offices and internet companies. The seven-theater Bochum Union Cinema rents the ground floor, showing a variety of domestic and international films.
- Mutter Wittig is a baroque-style building in the town centre, originally opened as a bakery and inn in 1870. Damaged in World War II, its façade is protected by preservation status. It houses a restaurant and its windows are decorated with displays of old Bochum.
- Sparkasse Bochum (Bochum Savings Bank) is a town landmark designed by the architect Wilhelm Kreis. It opened in 1928 and was emblematic of the modern era. It was heavily damaged during the war, but was afterwards restored to its former appearance.
- The Schlegel Tower is the only remaining structure of the once-important Schlegel brewery, which closed in 1980.
- The Jahrhunderthalle (Hall of the Century), is the former gas and power station of a steel mill built at the turn of the 20th century. With the closing of the mill, the plant was renovated and turned into a three-hall concert and event site with an industrial ambiance.
- Dahlhauser Heide is an example of social welfare provided by wealthy German industrialists for their workers. Built in the early 1900s by the Krupp family for their coal mine workers, the modest and tastefully designed two-family houses were to enable self-sufficiency by providing gardens and a stall for a cow. The estate, which has the appearance of a small, rural town, gained preservation status in the 1970s.
- Blankenstein CastleBurg BlankensteinBurg Blankenstein is a castle located on the south side of the river Ruhr in Hattingen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.Beginning in 1227, the castle was built over the course of 200 years by the Counts of the Mark...
was built in the 13th century by Count Adolf I of the Mark. Though located in HattingenHattingenHattingen is a German town located in northern part of the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:Hattingen is located on the south bank of the River Ruhr in the south of the Ruhr region. The town was first mentioned in 1396, when the Duke of Mark granted permission to build...
, it is owned by Bochum and has a significant history. On June 8, 1321, Count Engelbert II of the MarkEngelbert II of the MarkEngelbert II of the Mark was Count of the Mark and through marriage, Count of Arenberg.- Family :He was the son and heir of Count Eberhard II and his wife, Irmgard of Berg. On January 25, 1299, he married Mechtilde von Arenberg , daughter of Johann of Arenberg and Katharina of Jülich...
granted Bochum its town charter there. Today, only the gate and one tower remain. - Haus Kemnade is a moated castle with centuries of history. Though missing documents mean its earliest dates of construction are unknown, it is first referred to in 1393. Other parts of the castle were built during the Renaissance and baroque periods. The castle's location on the bank of the Ruhr river changed when the flood of 1486 receded and left it on the opposite side, cutting it off from the neighbouring village. The castle remained in private hands till 1921, when it was deeded to the city of Bochum. In 1961, a museum of local history was installed, including a large collection of 16th to 20th century musical instruments. A collection of East Asian objects is also now located there, as well as a satellite of the Bochum Museum and an art exhibition space. There is also a restaurant on site. Behind the castle is a timber-framed farmhouse from 1800, now a museum exhibiting farm life from the past.
Religious architecture
- Propsteikirche St. Peter und Paul, is the oldest church in Bochum, built between 785-800 by CharlemagneCharlemagneCharlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
. It was rebuilt in the 11th century, but was severely damaged by fire in 1517. In 1547, it was again rebuilt, this time in the late Gothic style. The 68-metre (223 ft) high bell tower is one of the landmarks of Bochum. The interior includes a baptismal font from 1175, the reliquary shrine of St. Perpetua and her slave Felicitas, and a high altar with a crucifix from 1352. - Pauluskirche, is the main Protestant church of the city. After the ReformationProtestant ReformationThe Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
, both Catholics and Lutherans shared the Propsteikirche, often contentiously. In 1655, the Lutherans began to build their own church with the help of donations from Holland, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, CourlandCourlandCourland is one of the historical and cultural regions of Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland.- Geography and climate :...
and DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. The church was heavily damaged in a bombing raid on June 12, 1943 and was later rebuilt after the war. Next to the church is a monument to peace. A statue of an old woman searching for a loved one, it is also a memorial to the November 4, 1944 bombing raid on Bochum. Hans EhrenbergHans EhrenbergHans Philipp Ehrenberg was a German theologian. One of the co-founders of the Confessing Church, he was forced to emigrate to England because of his Jewish ancestry and his opposition to National Socialism....
served as minister here, until he was arrested and sent to SachsenhausenSachsenhausen concentration campSachsenhausen or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May, 1945. After World War II, when Oranienburg was in the Soviet Occupation Zone, the structure was used as an NKVD...
by the Nazis. - The Christuskirche, built in the neo-Gothic style, opened in 1879 and was among the most beautiful churches in Europe. In 1931, the room in the steeple was extended to a cenotaphCenotaphA cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
for those killed in World War I. During an air raid in 1943, the church was destroyed, except for the steeple. After the war, the ruins were integrated into a new, modern structure and the steeple became a memorial dedicated to peace and understanding among nations.
- The neo-Gothic Marienkirche, built between 1868–1872, was heavily damaged in World War II (see photo above), but was rebuilt after the war. It is now closed and scheduled for demolition. The stained glass windows have been removed and it has fallen victim to vandalism.
- Stiepeler Dorfkirche is over 1000 years old and was commemorated by a stamp in 2008. A small church consisting of one room was built by Countess Imma von StiepelStiepelStiepel is a southern district of the City of Bochum in the Ruhr area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is on the Ruhr River, which is its border to the neighbouring cities of Hattingen and Witten. Stiepel used to be a municipality in the rural district of Bochum, but was integrated into...
. Between 1130 and 1170, the old church was replaced by a Romanesque basilica. Today, the steeple and transept remain. Between 1150 and 1200, the interior walls and ceiling were decorated with a number of Romanesque paintings. - The new synagoge, which opened in 2007, consists of a white cube and stands in contrast to the round shape of the planetarium next door. The façade shows overall a variation on the Solomon's Seal achieved by relocated brickstones. The interior is graced with a gold-coloured canopy.
Parks and Gardens
Bochum has a municipal zoo, a large municipal park and a number of other gardens and parks. The Ruhr University Botanical GardensBotanischer Garten der Ruhr-Universität Bochum
The Botanischer Garten der Ruhr-Universität Bochum , also known as the Botanischer Garten Bochum, is a botanical garden maintained by the Ruhr University Bochum. It is located at Universitätsstraße 150, Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and open daily without charge.The garden was founded in...
has thousands of plants from all over the world. Among others there is a tropical garden, a cactus garden, and a Chinese garden
Chinese garden
The Chinese garden, also known as a Chinese classical garden, is a style of landscape garden which has evolved for more than three thousand years, and which is inspired by Chinese literature, Chinese painting and Chinese philosophy...
designed in the southern Chinese style, the only one of its kind in Germany.
The Geological Garden was the first of its kind in Germany. The nearly 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) park is the site of an old coal mine, the Zeche Friederika, which operated from 1750 to 1907. In 1962, the property came under environmental protection and a decade later was turned into a geological garden.
Other scenic areas include the West Park, Lake Kemnade, Lake Ümmingen and the municipal forest, Weitmarer Holz.
Leisure and Entertainment
Bochum is a cultural centre of the Ruhr region. There is a municipal theatre, the Schauspielhaus BochumSchauspielhaus Bochum
The Schauspielhaus Bochum is one of the largest and most notable theatres in Germany. It is located in the city of Bochum....
, and about 20 smaller theatres and stages. The musical Starlight Express, which opened in 1988, is the longest-running musical in Germany.
Annual Events
- Jumble Sale – on the third Saturday of the month, in front of city hall
- April/May: Maiabendfest – local festival, hundreds of years old
- May: Steam Festival (every other year)
- June events:
-
- Rubissimo, Ruhr University's summer festival
- Kemnade International
- Extraschicht - Night of Industrial Heritage (many locations oll over the Ruhr area)
- June/July: VfL for Fun – summer festival for Bochum's football (soccer) team, VfL Bochum 1848
- July: Bochum Total (Rock Music Festival) - starts on the first weekend after school lets out
- July or August: Bochum kulinarisch – culinary treats from various cuisines, held the last weekend of summer vacation
- August: Bochumer Musiksommer, Bochum's Summer of Music
- September: Open Flair - international cabaret and street theater
- October: Oktobermarkt – October Market
- October/November: Bochumer Bachtage - music of composer Johann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
- October/November: Ruhrgebiets-Antiquariatstag - used and antique book sale
- November: Children's and Teenagers' Theatre
- December: Weihnachtsmarkt – Christmas Market - month-long open air market spread over the heart of downtown Bochum, includes performance stages
Museums
- The Bergbaumuseum is a museum about mining technology, complete with pithead tower.
- Railway Museum and Station Dahlhausen in the borough of DahlhausenDahlhausenDahlhausen is a South-Western district of the city of Bochum in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It borders to Essen and Hattingen. A large part of the border of Dahlhausen is formed by the river Ruhr. South of the Ruhr is the district of Burgaltendorf of the city of Essen.Dahlhausen houses the...
. Dr.-C.-Otto-Straße 191 - Zeiss Planetarium
- At the city's border with HerneHerne, GermanyHerne is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area directly between the cities of Bochum and Gelsenkirchen.- History :Like most other cities in the region Herne was a tiny village until the 19th century...
-(Röhlinghausen), is the former mine Zeche Hannover with the Malakow Tower and engine hall. There is a steam-powered winding engine, which is operated at events. - Zeche Knirps ("Small Boy Mine") located on the ground of Mine Hannover. It gives children the opportunity to experience the processes in a mine.
- Museum of local history Helf's Farm, Address: In den Höfen 37
- Farmhouse Museum located on the grounds of moated Kemnade Castle
- Museum of historic medical tools in the Malokos-Tower of former Mine Julius-Philipp from 1875. Address: Malakowturm, Markstraße 258a, 44799 Bochum
- School Museum, Cruismannstraße 2, 44807 Bochum
- Telefonmuseum, Karl-Lange-Str. 17
Art Galleries
- Museum of Art The collection's focus is central and eastearn European avant garde art, German expressionism, surrealism and outsider art. Kortumstraße 147, Bochum
- Ruhr University art collection Modern art meets the classical. Marble and bronze portraits of Greek and Roman emperors, collection of antique Greek vases from the 9th to 4th century, B.C. Universitätsstraße 150, Bochum
- Schlieker House In the former apartment and studio of German painter Hans-Jürgen SchliekerHans-Jürgen SchliekerHans-Jürgen Schlieker was a German abstract painter, grouped in importance with Hans Hartung, Bernard Schultze and Emil Schumacher.- Biography :...
(1924–2004); changing exhibitions. Hours: Wed. & Sun. 3:00 - 6:00 pm. Paracelsusweg 16, 44801 Bochum - Situation Kunst (Situation Art) Located at "Haus Weitmar" park. Indoor permanent exhibition with works by Gianni Colombo, Dan FlavinDan FlavinDan Flavin was an American minimalist artist famous for creating sculptural objects and installations from commercially available fluorescent light fixtures.-Early life and career:...
, Gotthard Graupner, Norbert KrickeNorbert KrickeNorbert Kricke was a German sculptor.Born in Düsseldorf, Kricke was a student of Richard Scheibe and Hans Uhlmann at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Berlin. He started creating abstract sculptures from 1947, using wires and other materials associated with industry, such as steel, glass and...
, Lee UfanLee UfanLee Ufan is a Korean artist and academic, honored by the government of Japan for having "Contributed to the development ofcontemporary art in Japan."-Career:...
, François MorelletFrançois MorelletFrançois Morellet is a contemporary French painter, engraver, sculptor and light artist. His early work prefigured Minimal art and Conceptual art, and he has played an important role in geometrical abstraction over the past half century.-Career:After a short period of figurative/representational...
, Maria Nordman, David Rabinowitch, Arnulf RainerArnulf RainerArnulf Rainer , is an Austrian painter and is internationally renowned for his abstract informal art.In his early years, Rainer was influenced by Surrealism...
, Dirk Reinartz, Ad ReinhardtAd ReinhardtAdolph Frederick Reinhardt was an Abstract painter active in New York beginning in the 1930s and continuing through the 1960s. He was a member of the American Abstract Artists and was a part of the movement centered around the Betty Parsons Gallery that became known as Abstract Expressionism...
, Robert RymanRobert RymanRobert Ryman is an American painter identified with the movements of monochrome painting, minimalism, and conceptual art. He is best known for abstract, white-on-white paintings. He lives and works in New York.-Early life and career:...
, Richard SerraRichard SerraRichard Serra is an American minimalist sculptor and video artist known for working with large-scale assemblies of sheet metal. Serra was involved in the Process Art Movement.-Early life and education:...
, Jan J. Schoonhoven; also the Africa and Asia Room. Hours: Wed 2:00-6:00 pm, Fri 2:00-6:00 pm, Sat 12:00-6:00 pm, Sun 12:00-6:00 pm. Nevelstraße 29c, 44795 Bochum. Tel.: +49 (0)234-298-8901, Fax: +49 (0)234-298-8902 - Musical Instrument Collection, Hans and Hede Grumbt. Large collection of musical instruments, also the clarinet collection of Johan van Kalker. An der Kemnade 10, 45527 Hattingen, Tel.: +49 (0)2324-302-68
- Ostasiatika Collection Ehrich. Kurt Ehrich's east Asian collection of Japanese netsuke, belt buckles, a display of the seven "lucky gods" and other additional objects. An der Kemnade 10, 45527 Hattingen, Tel: (0)2324-302-68
Art in public spaces
- Richard Serra's sculpture, "Terminal" is located in the town centre, near the central station. It consists of four 12-meter (over 39 feet) tall steel plates.
- Ulrich Rückriem's sculpture, "Ohne Titel" (titled "Untitled"), is at the intersection of Kortumstrasse and Huestrasse. (It is currently in storage because of construction.)
- Memorial of the herdsman at Massenberg-Boulevard: shown is the historical person "Fritz Kortebusch", the last herdsman of the town. In 1870 he guided the cattle of the citizens for the last time to the "Vöde", a grassland outside the town limits, which is today the municipal park.
- Engelbert fountain at Kortumstrasse, in memory of Earl Engelbert II, who granted a town charter to Bochum in 1321-1324.
- Jobsiade-fountain at Husemann-Square. Shown is a scene of the examination of Hieronymus Jobs, the main character of the "Jobsiade", a comical poem of the poet Carl Armold Kortum.
- "The envolvement of the City", sculpture of Professor Karl Henning Seemann at Schützenbahn street.
- Collection of sculptures inside the municipal park.
- The bell in front of the city hall serves as a reminder of the improvement of steel-casting in Bochum. The bell was built in 1867 for the Paris World's Fair.
- StolpersteineStolpersteineStolperstein is the German word for "stumbling block", "obstacle", or "something in the way". The artist Gunter Demnig has given this word a new meaning, that of a small, cobblestone-sized memorial for a single victim of Nazism...
, (literally, "stumbling stones") are small, cobblestone-sized, brass commemorative plaques which are set in sidewalks all over Europe, marking the homes or work places of Jews and others who were arrested and murdered during the Nazi era. There are 38 stolpersteine in Bochum. - Cenotaph for the victims of the mine disaster at "Vereinigte Präsident" in 1936. The sculpture was created by Wilhelm Wulff. Strict guidelines for artwork were in effect during the Nazi dictatorship, yet the sculpture follows only a few of them. The inscription also avoids typical Nazi phraseology.
Sports
- The soccerFootball (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club VfL BochumVfL BochumVerein für Leibesübungen Bochum 1848 Fußballgemeinschaft, commonly referred to as simply VfL Bochum, is a German association football club based in the city of Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia.-Founding to World War II:...
plays in the second Division (2. BundesligaFußball-BundesligaThe Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
) in the 2010-2011 season. - Sparkassen Giro - annual Cycle Racing.
Economy
- OpelOpelAdam Opel AG, generally shortened to Opel, is a German automobile company founded by Adam Opel in 1862. Opel has been building automobiles since 1899, and became an Aktiengesellschaft in 1929...
Car Production Plant - Bochum has its own brewery, Moritz Fiege, which produces pilsner, a low-alcohol pilsner, light-colored beers, and dark-colored beer.
- RIMResearch In MotionResearch In Motion Limited or RIM is a Canadian multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada that designs, manufactures and markets wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market...
, manufacturer of the BlackBerryBlackBerryBlackBerry is a line of mobile email and smartphone devices developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion since 1999.BlackBerry devices are smartphones, designed to function as personal digital assistants, portable media players, internet browsers, gaming devices, and much more...
, has a research and development site in Bochum. - GLS bankGLS bankThe GLS Bank is a German bank that was founded in 1974 as an anthroposophical initiative. It was the first bank in Germany that operated with an ethical philosophy. According to GLS Bank, its focus is on cultural, social and ecological initiatives, initiated by people, and not anonymous interests...
Roads
Bochum is connected to the Autobahn network by the A 40Bundesautobahn 40
, is one of the most frequented Autobahns in Germany. It crosses the Dutch-German border as a continuation of the Dutch A67, crossing the Rhine, leading through the Ruhr valley toward Bochum, then becomes B 1 at the Kreuz Dortmund-West and eventually merges into the A 44 near...
, A 43
Bundesautobahn 43
is an autobahn in western Germany, connecting Münster via Recklinghausen to Wuppertal. It is an important bypass for traffic coming from the A 1 wanting to go to the western Ruhr valley and wanting to avoid tailbacks at the Kamener Kreuz near Dortmund....
and A 44
Bundesautobahn 44
is a German Autobahn. It consists of three main-parts and a few smaller parts. It begins in Aachen at the German-Belgian border and ends near Kassel. Before the German unification it was an unimportant provincial-motorway but after this event it became an integral part of the German highway-system...
autobahns. In addition, Bochum has a ring road, built to expressway standards, consisting of four segments; the Donezk, Oviedo, Nordhausen and Sheffield-Ring roads. It serves as a three-quarter loop around central Bochum and begins and ends at Autobahn A40. Ruhr University Bochum is also served by an expressway running from the Nordhausen-Ring to Autobahn A43. Until 2012, a new interchange (Dreieck Bochum-West) between the Donezk-Ring and Autobahn A40 is being constructed within tight parameters due to the existence of a nearby factory.
Apart from the autobahns and expressways, there is also a small ring road around the center of Bochum, where most roads radiating out of Bochum begin. Most main roads in Bochum are multi-lane roads with traffic lights. Bochum is also served by the Bundesstraße 51
Bundesstraße 51
The Bundesstraße 51 runs from Bremen in south-west direction though Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, and ends at the French border in the town Kleinblittersdorf.See also:*Transport in Germany...
and Bundesstraße 226. B51 runs to Herne and Hattingen, and B226 runs to Gelsenkirchen and Witten.
Railways
Bochum has a central stationBochum Hauptbahnhof
is the Hauptbahnhof for the city of Bochum in western Germany. In its current incarnation, it was built from 1955 to 1957 and is one of the most notable 1950s railway stations in Germany....
situated on the line from Duisburg
Duisburg
- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
to Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
, connecting the city to the long-distance network of Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
as well as to the S-Bahn
S-Bahn
S-Bahn refers to an often combined city center and suburban railway system metro in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Denmark...
network of Rhine-Ruhr
Rhine-Ruhr
The Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region is the largest metropolitan region in Germany with about 10,100,000 inhabitants. It is of polycentric nature and the only megacity in Germany. It covers an area of 7,110 square kilometers and lies entirely within the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia...
.
Bus, Tram, Underground
Local service is supplied by BOGESTRABOGESTRA
The Bochum-Gelsenkirchener Straßenbahnen AG is a public transport operator in the Ruhr area, most notably in the cities of Bochum, Gelsenkirchen and Herne, and is integrated in the Rhine-Ruhr Stadtbahn network.-See also:* List of rapid transit systems...
, a joint venture handling transportation between the cities of Bochum and Gelsenkirchen. There is a single underground Stadtbahn
Stadtbahn
A ' is a tramway or light railway that includes segments built to rapid transit standards, usually as part of a process of conversion to a metro railway, mainly by the building of tunnels in the central city area....
line connecting the University of Bochum to Herne
Herne, Germany
Herne is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area directly between the cities of Bochum and Gelsenkirchen.- History :Like most other cities in the region Herne was a tiny village until the 19th century...
, and several lines, partially underground, connecting to Gelsenkirchen and Witten
Witten
Witten is a university city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the home of the Witten/Herdecke University, the first private university in Germany.-Bordering municipalities:* Bochum* Dortmund* Herdecke* Wetter * Sprockhoevel* Hattingen...
. Public transport in the city is priced according to the fare system of the VRR
Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr
The Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr is the public transport association covering the area of the Rhine-Ruhr megalopolis in Germany...
transport association.
Higher education
- Ruhr UniversityRuhr UniversityRuhr University Bochum , located on the southern hills of central Ruhr area Bochum, was founded in 1962 as the first new public university in Germany since World War II...
founded 1965 - Hochschule Bochum - Bochum University of Applied Sciences (formerly Fachhochschule Bochum)
- TFH Georg Agricola
- Evangelische FH Rheinland-Westfalen-Lippe
- Schauspielschule Bochum
- Fachhochschule des Bundes der Sozialversicherung, Abteilung Knappschaft-Bahn-See
Elementary and secondary schools
There are 61 primary schools, 9 HauptschuleHauptschule
A Hauptschule is a secondary school in Germany and Austria, starting after 4 years of elementary schooling, which offers Lower Secondary Education according to the International Standard Classification of Education...
n ("general schools") and 14 special schools.
In addition, there are 11 preparatory (British: grammar) schools ("Gymnasien"), 5 comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
s ("Gesamtschulen"), 8 Realschule
Realschule
The Realschule is a type of secondary school in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia , Denmark , Sweden , Hungary and in the Russian Empire .-History:The Realschule was an outgrowth of the rationalism and empiricism of the seventeenth and...
n and 2 private Waldorf schools.
"Gymnasien" – preparatory schools (British: grammar school):
- Goethe-Schule Bochum
- Graf-Engelbert-SchuleGraf-Engelbert-SchuleGraf-Engelbert School is an urban high school for boys and girls in Bochum, Germany. Near the center of the city and the tree-lined Königsallee, it is located on Else-Hirsch-Straße...
- Heinrich-von-Kleist-Schule
- Hellweg-Schule
- Hildegardis-SchuleHildegardis-Schule BochumThe Hildegardis-Schule is a 150-year old secondary school in the city of Bochum, Germany.- History :The school was founded in 1860 by a young Bochum teacher, Henriette von Noël, as a private school for girls. An extension was built in 1901 and in 1916, the school was named after naturalist,...
- Lessing-Schule
- Märkische Schule
- Neues Gymnasium Bochum (temporary name of new school formed by merging the former Albert-Einstein-SchuleAlbert Einstein SchoolAlbert Einstein School was a Gymnasium for boys and girls from grades 5-13 in Bochum, Germany. It had about 900 students. Just south of downtown Bochum, the school was in the Wiemelhausen section of town and shared a campus with the Hans Böckler Realschule. The school had an emphasis in natural...
and Gymnasium am OstringGymnasium am OstringThe Gymnasium am Ostring was the oldest gymnasium in Bochum. It was founded in 1860 and closed after the 2009-2010 school year.The school was located in downtown Bochum, near the main train station....
) - Schiller-Schule
- Theodor-Körner-Schule
"Gesamtschulen" – comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
s:
- Erich Kästner-Gesamtschule Schule
- Heinrich-Böll-Gesamtschule
- Maria Sibylla Merian-Gesamtschule
- Willy-Brandt-Gesamtschule
- Matthias-Claudius-Schulen
Realschule
Realschule
The Realschule is a type of secondary school in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia , Denmark , Sweden , Hungary and in the Russian Empire .-History:The Realschule was an outgrowth of the rationalism and empiricism of the seventeenth and...
n – high schools:
- Anne-Frank-Schule
- Annette-von-Droste-Hülshoff-Schule
- Franz-Dinnendahl-Schule
- Hans-Böckler-Schule
- Helene-Lange-Schule
- Hugo-Schultz-Schule
- Pestalozzi-Schule
- Realschule Höntrop
- Freie-Schule Bochum (with elementary school)
Waldorf schools:
- Rudolf Steiner Schule Bochum
- Widar Schule Wattenscheid
Twin towns (sister cities)
Bochum's twin townsTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
are: Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, since 1950 Oviedo
Oviedo
Oviedo is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain. It is also the name of the municipality that contains the city....
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, since 1980 Donetsk
Donetsk
Donetsk , is a large city in eastern Ukraine on the Kalmius river. Administratively, it is a center of Donetsk Oblast, while historically, it is the unofficial capital and largest city of the economic and cultural Donets Basin region...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, since 1987 Nordhausen
Nordhausen
Nordhausen is a town at the southern edge of the Harz Mountains, in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Nordhausen...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, since 1990 Xuzhou
Xuzhou
Xuzhou , otherwise known as Pengcheng in ancient times, is a major city in and the fourth largest prefecture-level city of Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China...
, People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, since 1994
Notable residents
- Konrad RaiserKonrad RaiserKonrad Raiser is a former General Secretary of the World Council of Churches .Born in Magdeburg, Germany on 25 January 1938, Konrad Raiser studied spent his childhood in Schwerin, Göttingen and Bad Godesberg...
(b.1938), former General Secetary of the World Council of ChurchesWorld Council of ChurchesThe World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...
, taught theology in Bochum - Wolfgang ClementWolfgang ClementWolfgang Clement is a German politician. Clement was a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany . He was Premier of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia from 1998 to 2002 and Federal Minister of Economics and Labour from 2002 to 2005.Wolfgang Clement is an Honorary Member of the...
(b. 1940), former Minister of Economy and Labor - Hans EhrenbergHans EhrenbergHans Philipp Ehrenberg was a German theologian. One of the co-founders of the Confessing Church, he was forced to emigrate to England because of his Jewish ancestry and his opposition to National Socialism....
(1883–1958), theologian, Nazi critic, and co-founder of the Confessing ChurchConfessing ChurchThe Confessing Church was a Protestant schismatic church in Nazi Germany that arose in opposition to government-sponsored efforts to nazify the German Protestant church.-Demographics:... - Manfred EigenManfred EigenManfred Eigen is a German biophysical chemist who won the 1967 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for work on measuring fast chemical reactions.-Career:...
(b. 1927), 1967 Nobel PrizeNobel PrizeThe Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
winner in chemistry - Tommy FinkeTommy FinkeTommy Finke is a singer-songwriter of Indie, German rock and pop music, and a composer of electronic and computer music.- Bio :...
(b. 1981), songwriter and composer - Frank GoosenFrank GoosenFrank Goosen is a German cabaret artist and author.- Biography :Goosen was born in Bochum, Germany. He went to school and university in Bochum, majoring in history, German and literature and politics at Ruhr University Bochum and finishing in 1992 with a Magister degree.Afterward, he founded a...
(b. 1966), cabaret artist and author, wrote Learning to Lie - Herbert GrönemeyerHerbert GrönemeyerHerbert Grönemeyer is a German musician and actor, popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. He starred as war correspondent Lieutenant Werner in Wolfgang Petersen's movie Das Boot, but later concentrated on his musical career...
(b. 1956), actor, singer, songwriter, who became famous with the song "Bochum" - Else HirschElse HirschElse Hirsch was a Jewish teacher in Bochum, Germany and a member of the German Resistance against the Third Reich. She organized transports of Jewish children to the Netherlands and England, saving them from Nazi deportation to concentration camps and death...
(1889–1943), Jewish teacher who organized 10 KindertransportKindertransportKindertransport is the name given to the rescue mission that took place nine months prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. The United Kingdom took in nearly 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from Nazi Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Free City of Danzig...
s to England and Holland - Alfred KellerAlfred KellerAlfred Keller was a general in the German Luftwaffe during the Second World War. Born in Bochum, Province of Westphalia, his career in the Imperial German Armed Forces begun in 1897, when he became a cadet in a military school, he retired after the Second World War as one of the most decorated...
(1882–1974), general in the LuftwaffeLuftwaffeLuftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
during the Second World War - Norbert LammertNorbert LammertNorbert Lammert is a German politician . He has been the President of the Bundestag, the German parliament, since 2005.-Early Life:...
(b. 1948), president (Speaker) of the BundestagBundestagThe Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
(German parliament) - Andrei OstermanAndrei OstermanCount Andrey Ivanovich Osterman was a German-born Russian statesman who came to prominence under Tsar Peter I of Russia and served until the accession of the Tsesarevna Elizabeth. His foreign policy was based upon the Austrian alliance...
(1686–1747), Bochum-born Russian statesman - Otto SchilyOtto SchilyOtto Georg Schily was Federal Minister of the Interior of Germany from 1998 to 2005, in the cabinet of former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder. He is a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany .-Biography:...
(b. 1932), former Minister of the Interior - Hans-Jürgen SchliekerHans-Jürgen SchliekerHans-Jürgen Schlieker was a German abstract painter, grouped in importance with Hans Hartung, Bernard Schultze and Emil Schumacher.- Biography :...
(1924–2004), painter - André Tanneberger (b. 1973), also known as "ATB", electronic music producer, began his career in WattenscheidWattenscheidWattenscheid was once a separate town in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany. In 1975 it became part of Bochum. It has a population of about 80,000 citizens. It is a part of the Ruhr area. Some famous firms have their headquarters in Wattenscheid e.g...
- Mark WarneckeMark WarneckeMark Warnecke is a German former breaststroke swimmer who, at age 35, won the world title in the 50 m breaststroke at the 2005 World Aquatics Championships in Montreal, Canada. That made him the oldest swimming world champion since 1971...
(b. 1970), breaststroke swimmer, won the world title at the age of 35 - Thomas KönerThomas KönerThomas Köner is a multimedia artist whose main interest lies in combining visual and auditory experiences. He's been noted for his use of low frequencies...
(b. 1965), multimedia artist
See also
- Bochum-HammeBochum-HammeBochum-Hamme is a part of the city of Bochum in the Ruhr area inNorth Rhine-Westphalia Germany. Up to the 19th century Westphalian was spoken here. Bochum-Hamme is a district in the working class North of Bochum. Bochum-Hamme includes in it South Goldhamme, which borders to the former town of...
- BermudadreieckBermudadreieckThe Bermudadreieck in the center of Bochum is the designation for an area with a high density of bars and restaurants. It is located between Südring and Konrad-Adenauer-Platz...
- HafkenscheidHafkenscheidHafkenscheid is a family name that originated in the 17th century. Hafkenscheid comes from the words "Hafke" and "Scheid" . The family has taken its name from the former Havkenscheid castle in the hamlet of the same name near Bochum, Westphalia...
- Harpen-RosenbergHarpen-RosenbergHarpen-Rosenberg is a statistical area of the city of Bochum in the Ruhr area in Germany. Up to the 19th century Westphalian was spoken here. Harpen-Rosenberg is a statistical area in the working class North of Bochum. The large shopping center Ruhrpark, which includes a particularly large...
- HordelHordelHordel is a borough of the city of Bochum in the Ruhr area in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is situated in the North West of Bochum. It borders to Röhlinghausen, which now is a borough of Herne....
- International Cycling Video FestivalInternational Cycling Video FestivalThe International Cycling Film Festival is a not-for-profit film festival held annually in the Ruhr Area, Germany. Its mission is to strengthen international cooperation in the areas of cycling, cycling films and cycling culture. The festival promotes interaction between movie makers and cyclists...
- Starlight ExpressStarlight ExpressStarlight Express is a rock musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber , Richard Stilgoe and Arlene Phillips , with later revisions by Don Black and David Yazbek . The story follows a child's dream in which his toy train set comes to life; famously the actors perform wearing roller skates...