Mord am Hellweg XII

Hellweg Region — historic trade route, crime fiction setting today

The Hellweg is an ancient trade route between the Rhine and the Weser, connecting the chain of towns from Duisburg via Essen, Bochum, Dortmund, Unna, Soest, Geseke, Erwitte to Paderborn. In the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, it runs as the eastern backbone of the Ruhr area and extends to eastern Westphalia. Mord am Hellweg thematically embraces this geography — the crime fiction festival takes place not in one location, but along this historic axis, in over a dozen Hellweg towns simultaneously.

XII Edition 2026 — 8 Weeks of Crime Fiction

The XII Mord am Hellweg 2026 runs from 19 September to 14 November — 57 festival days featuring around 100 events and over 200 authors and artists. This makes the festival the largest international crime fiction literature festival in Europe. Venues include the Stadthalle Unna, the Heinz-Hilpert-Theater Lünen, the Schauburg Dortmund, the Maximilianpark Hamm, the Stadthalle Soest, the Bürgerhaus Lippstadt, and smaller venues in Werl, Bergkamen, Kamen, Werne, and Schwerte.

Confirmed Guests 2026

Among the already confirmed authors are, according to the organizers: Sebastian Fitzek (thriller, Berlin), Val McDermid (Great Britain, Tony Hill series), Klaus-Peter Wolf (East Frisian crime novels), Andreas Gruber (Austria). Previous editions have featured stars like Simon Beckett, Anthony Horowitz, Viveca Sten, and actors such as Dietmar Bär — the spectrum ranges from Scandinavian crime fiction to British tradition and German cozy and psychological thrillers. The full lineup will be announced continuously throughout the summer of 2026.

"Mörderdämmerung" — The Festival Anthology

As with every edition, a dedicated festival anthology is published for the XII edition: "Mörderdämmerung", edited by Emons-Verlag and released at the end of August 2026. The anthology features original short crime stories by authors appearing at the festival — a tradition since 2002 that documents the festival literarily and keeps it present beyond the event period.

Advance Ticket Sales and Program Guide

Advance ticket sales began in February 2026 and are available through the cultural offices of the participating cities as well as the central festival portal. The printed program guide will be published in July 2026 in an edition of tens of thousands of copies and will be available in bookstores, libraries, and tourist information centers in the Hellweg region. The program is continuously updated online.

A Changing Festival Direction

With the XII edition, the festival sees a change in festival leadership — the long-time director Sigrun Krauß hands over to a new team at the Westfälisches Literaturbüro Unna. The XII edition thus also brings programmatic accents that will usher the festival into a new generation — while maintaining its size and ambition.