Alien Impulses - Historical Buildings in the Ruhr
Children playing in front of the new Town Hall in Marl (mid-1960s) / Photo: Ivan Köves
Historical buildings and monuments recount the long history of the Ruhr, foreign influences, severages and continuities, immigration and exchange. Tours will be offered by the offices responsible for the preservation of such monuments.
There are around 10,000 historical buildings and monuments in the Ruhr, and they are looked after by the two competent offices of the Westphalia-Lippe and Rhineland Regional Councils and by subordinate preservation offices in the 53 cities, towns and municipalities. It is likely that more than half of these buildings date from the pre-industrial age. What stories can they tell us about foreign influences on art and architecture, beliefs and rulers, capital and technology? Over the long passage of time, what "alien impulses" moulded the landscape that is today known as the Ruhr? Organised by the monument preservation offices, this project will examine selected historical buildings and monuments. It seeks to explore the Ruhr's protected monuments from a historical perspective and illustrate that the arrival of heavy industry was preceded by numerous episodes of far-reaching upheaval that were experienced as a threat by contemporary witnesses.
Components of the project entitled "Alien Impulses - Historical Buildings in the Ruhr":
- The touring exhibition has yet to visit Cologne, followed by Münster, Duisburg, Castrop-Rauxel, Witten, Gelsenkirchen and Oberhausen. Events organised in cooperation with local partners will be held in each location.
- The "Alien Impulses" metal box with 80 portraits of buildings and monuments for use on the move is available from bookshops. It contains 80 cards with pictures and brief information about selected protected monuments, a detailed map and an accompanying booklet. The cards can be mixed and matched to create fascinating tours of the Ruhr. ISBN 978-3-8157-1193-4 / € 12.95
- The "Alien Impulses" accompanying book contains numerous articles and a catalogue of around 150 selected historical buildings and monuments. The book gives voice to the otherwise mute witnesses of a turbulent past, provides ideas for touring the region’s historical monuments and recounts the Ruhr's moving history way back into the pre-industrial age. ISBN 978-3-8157-1271-9 / € 19.95.
- The website at www.fremde-impulse.de offers a wealth of information on selected historical buildings and monuments and numerous alien impulses.
- There is also something for schoolchildren: as part of the "Denkmal aktiv" educational programme offered by the German Foundation for Monument Protection, the "Alien Impulses - Historical Buildings in the Ruhr" project takes place during the 2010/2011 school year.
March 28 - November 21, 2010
Inaugural event: March 28, 2010, LWL Industriemuseum Zeche Hannover, Bochum
Touring exhibition, various locations
Partners: Westphalia-Lippe Regional Council, LWL Preservation Office for Westphalia, LWL Museum of Industry, Rhineland Regional Council, LVR Preservation Office for the Rhineland, LVR Museum of Industry
You can find further information (in German) at:
www.fremde-impulse.de