Building the Church: New Perspectives for Sacred Spaces in Bochum
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Building the Church: Experience Future Ideas in Sacred Spaces
Where once services were held, an open space for reflection, encounter, and architectural visions is emerging. The exhibition Building the Church – Culture House Ruhr invites you to the Christ-König church in Bochum on November 21, 2026, combining the unique atmosphere of a former sacred building with questions about the future of church spaces.
Architecture Between History and Renewal
The focus is on master's theses by 30 architecture graduates from TU Dortmund. They develop ideas for new uses of five churches in Essen, Bochum, and Wattenscheid. Plans, models, and visualizations showcase how existing church spaces can become new places for art, movement, knowledge, encounter, and digitality.
Reimagining the Existing
The designs take space proportions, light, materiality, and the history of the buildings seriously. Proposed uses include studios under vaults, movement spaces in the nave, libraries, stages, baths, and walkable data centers. The exhibition makes visible how a responsible culture of renovation can preserve the character of a place while also addressing new societal tasks.
A Place for Dialogue and Spiritual Reflection
The Christ-König church has not been used for services since 1998 and has already served as an exhibition venue as well as the location for Manifesta 16 Ruhr. Its unique spatial effect creates an intense experience of faith in a broader sense: visitors encounter questions of memory, change, community, and the role of churches in a changing society.
Opening Hours and Admission
The exhibition is open on Saturday, November 21, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Admission is free. No registration or special participation requirements are indicated.
If you want to connect sacred architecture, the theology of space, urban development, and communal cultural spaces, you will find an inspiring religious and cultural experience here. The exhibition invites you to see churches not just as buildings of the past, but as possible spaces for the future.
