Jahrhunderthalle Bochum

About the Jahrhunderthalle Bochum

Traffic warning: A40 closed near Bochum due to new bridge construction from 6 August

From 6 August 2024, the A40 Schlachthofbrücke will be rebuilt. The A40 will be fully closed for 15 weeks between the Bochum-West junction and the Bochum-Harpen junction. Visitors to the Ruhrtriennale must be prepared for increased congestion on the diversion routes.

The story of the Jahrhunderthalle Bochum begins in 1902, when the hall served as an exhibition hall for the Bochumer Verein für Bergbau und Gußstahlfabrikation (Bochum Association for Mining and Steel Casting) at an industrial and trade show in Düsseldorf, the “small world exhibition”. The monumental steel construction was transported from the Rhine to the Ruhr over the winter of 1902/1903 and assumed its function as a gas power station in the heart of the steelworks. The gas power station processed the blast furnace gas and supplied the plant and surrounding settlements with energy for over 60 years. 100 years after its construction in Bochum – on 30 April 2003 – the Jahrhunderthalle, which was extended by a functional porch and is now a listed building, was given a new purpose as an “assembly hall for art” (Gerard Mortier) during the opening of the second season of the Ruhrtriennale.

Introductions
Would you like to familiarise yourself with the content of the productions in the Jahrhunderthalle Bochum before the performance? Then come to the introductions on site! Personal introductory talks take place in the upper foyer of the Jahrhunderthalle one hour before the start of each performance.
In addition, audio introductions to many productions will be published from the start of the festival.