Culture Canal
Events designed to make waves
ExtraShift / Photo: Marie Köhler
Experience the diversity of the European Capital of Culture from the water. Some seventy kilometres in length, the Culture Canal flows right through the Emscher Landscape Park, the world’s largest urban park, uniting Duisburg, Oberhausen, Essen, Bottrop, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Recklinghausen, Castrop-Rauxel, Waltrop and Datteln.
At its heart is the Rhine-Herne Canal. Once the main artery for transporting coal, since its reopening in collaboration with various partners, it has become a popular cultural attraction for tourists. In addition to a well-developed network of cycle ways (with a dedicated guidebook on cultural attractions along the route), there is plenty to see and enjoy both on and around the water: new jetties for passenger boats, leisure venues and residential developments, artistically designed picnic spots, beach bars, canal-side footpaths and better opportunities for using the passenger boats to visit canal festivals. The "Culture Ships" are a treat in themselves, offering amazing views and great on-board entertainment: music, theatre, comedy, films and literature.
KanalGlühen (Glowing Canal): NON STOP CITY was a night-time boat trip during which passengers could enjoy a cityscape artistically transformed into an urban space full of glowing vitality. The "Children on the Canal" project offered youngsters new perspectives on where they live as they redesigned the canal during youth art camps. The OlgasRock open-air festival kicked off this year with a high-octane boat trip to bring the musicians to the festival venue. Here the canal became the stage and the people on its banks the concert-goers. The Ruhr's cinema culture is also taking to the canal on "cinema ships"; renowned locations used by the NRW Film Foundation are transforming the canal into a huge open-air cinema. The Culture Canal festival will culminate with a spectacular celebration on 26 September at Duisburg's inland port. Mobile concerts featuring the Duisburg Philharmonic, walk-around illuminated architectural structures and multi-media performances will place visitors and the area around the water in a new light. The closing event will be a project by sound artist Christof Schläger at the Wanne-Eickel Lock on 1 October. Ship's horns and dancing concrete pumps will come together to create a futuristic audio experience celebrating an unprecedented mix of industry, technology and art.
Following the spectacular opening of the Culture Canal in Recklinghausen's city port, the project has been enthralling onlookers again and again since March. "KanalGlühen", a thrilling series of night-time events designed to showcase the waterway in an entirely new light, was particularly popular. The artistic signage system known as "Pictures on the Canal", a permanent open-air exhibition, can be admired at 15 locations along the canal from Duisburg to Waltrop. During the first half of the Capital of Culture year, visitors were captivated by the compelling transformation of the Culture Canal into a Choir Canal, not to mention the "Culture Ships" taking part in the "ExtraSchicht" project.
March 14 - September 26, 2010 Culture Canal opening festival on March 20, 2010
KanalGlühen (Glowing Canal): NON STOP CITY April 23 and 24, May 7 and 8 and June 11 und 12, 2010
Partners: City of Herne in collaboration with the riparian towns, in cooperation with bodies including the General German Cycling Club (NRW), the Emscher Association, the Henrichenburg Ship Lift, LWL Industrial Museum, the Museum of Electricity and Life, the Ruhr Regional Association, Ruhr Tourismus GmbH, Unperfekthaus Essen, the Office of Water and Navigation Duisburg-Meiderich, the NRW Film Foundation
You can find further information (in German) at:
www.kulturkanal.net
Related topics:
Emscher Art 2010
!SING - DAY OF SONG