Building the Church: Architecture, Community, and Future in Bochum
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Building the Church: Rediscovering Spaces of Faith
Where once worship services were celebrated, a space opens for questions, encounters, and new visions for the future. The exhibition Building the Church – Cultural House Ruhr invites visitors to the Christ-King Church in Bochum to experience sacred architecture with an attentive eye on community, culture, and social change.
Architecture between Memory and Renewal
The focus is on the master's theses of 30 architecture graduates from TU Dortmund. For five churches in Essen, Bochum, and Wattenscheid, they develop ideas for new uses. Plans, models, and visualizations make visible how familiar church spaces can become new places for movement, art, knowledge, and encounters.
The Atmosphere of the Church Space Remains Tangible
The designs take room proportions, light incidence, materials, and the history of the respective buildings seriously. Studios under vaults, movement spaces in the nave, public baths, stages, libraries, and walk-in data centers showcase different paths of further development. The exhibition connects architectural expertise with a silent, almost spiritual experience of the place.
A Cultural Dialogue about the Future
The Christ-King Church has not been used for worship since 1998 and has previously been an exhibition and Manifesta site. Now it serves as a vivid example of how churches in the Ruhr area can maintain their identity while also taking on new social tasks. The concept follows the culture of renovation: Existing structures are not displaced but thought further.
Visit on Sunday in Bochum
The exhibition is open on Sunday, November 29, 2026, from 11 AM to 5 PM. Admission is free. Visitors can expect a focused faith experience in a broader sense: a religiously shaped atmosphere, sensual architecture, and an inspiring view of the future of communal spaces.
Conclusion: Building the Church – Cultural House Ruhr connects history, architecture, and social responsibility. Those who want to experience how former sacred spaces can become new places for culture and community will find stimulating perspectives and impressive models in the Christ-King Church in Bochum.
