Tag des offenen Denkmals

In the organizer's words:

Probably no other building in Bochum paints such a vivid picture of the history of this city: its brutal industrialization, its misery after the First World War, its slow rise to a city of culture and rapid decline to the "Gau capital". The foundation stone of the new Christuskirche, an icon of sacred architecture, was laid in 1958, the same year Hans Ehrenberg died.

This history gave rise to the idea for the Christuskirche: Jochen Gerz's Square of European Promise begins in the "Church of Cultures". On Open Monument Day, we will retell the story, which will be rich in images and stories:

Because "True Signs" - this is the theme of this year's Open Monument Day - True Signs is everyone who has given their name to the Square of European Promise and made a promise to Europe themselves: 14,726 names fill the square in the heart of the city.

The 1358 names laid in mosaic in the memorial hall in the tower are true signs and contemporary witnesses: they are the names of Bochum residents who fell in the First World War, and they silently tell us what they have to say.

A true sign and contemporary witness is Hans Ehrenberg, pastor at the Christuskirche and Pauluskirche, who stood up to the Nazis when they were cheered by almost everyone.

The bells in the tower, cast in 1958 by the Bochumer Verein, are also a true symbol. They ring only once a year: always on September 11 from 2:46 to 3:03 pm. They remind us of the victims of terror worldwide and that there is no God who demands human sacrifice.

" Guided tours at 13 / 15 / 17 h
" approx. 90 minutes each
" free of charge
" no registration required except for groups of 7 or more people
" suitable for children with disabilities
" barrier-free (except bell floor)
" Note: Climbing the stairs of the tower is not an excessive but nevertheless physical effort. The air in the tower can sometimes be stuffy. We advise anyone who suffers from breathing difficulties to bear this in mind.