17th Wattenscheid Night of Culture

Culture under the Pithead Frame — The Wattenscheid Summer Night

The Wattenscheid Night of Culture has been the annual summer cultural highlight of the Bochum district of Wattenscheid since 2009. On Friday, July 10, 2026, four venues will open their doors for a night full of live music, literature, theatre, dance, and acrobatics — free admission.

The Four Venues 2026

• St. Gertrud's Provost Church — Wattenscheid's main Catholic church offers chamber music and sacred programs with impressive acoustics
• Gertrudiscenter Public Library — Literary readings, poetry slams, author discussions
• Old Protestant Church — Concerts, song programs, ecumenical contributions
• Grounds of the former Holland Colliery — the industrial culture hotspot with live music, dance, and acrobatics under the iconic pithead frame

Industrial Culture Meets High Culture

The Night of Culture is organized by the CentrumCultur of AWO Ruhr-Mitte in cooperation with Stadtmarketing Wattenscheid. Several libraries, music schools, circus groups, and cultural associations from Wattenscheid and all of Bochum participate in the program. The mix of sacred spaces, the library, and the colliery grounds makes the Night of Culture one of the most diverse cultural events in the Ruhr area.

Holland Colliery — Wattenscheid's Industrial Monument

The former Holland Colliery is one of Wattenscheid's most important industrial monuments — the shaft facility shaped the district until its closure in 1988. Today, the site is partly derelict industrial land, partly repurposed. During the Night of Culture, the pithead frame is illuminated, and music and dance are staged in the forecourt — an iconic Ruhr area atmosphere.

Free Admission — Kumpeltreff Beer Garden

The entire program is free. Food and drinks are available at the venues and in the adjacent Kumpeltreff Beer Garden. Sponsors include the "Soziale Stadt Wattenscheid-Mitte" program, the district council, Sparkasse Bochum, and local business associations.