Deutsches Bergbaumuseum Bochum

In 1930, Westfälische Berggewerkschaftskasse (regional miners’ union fund) and the City of Bochum decided to establish a “museum of the history of mining”. Its original site were the sheds of the former municipal slaughterhouse. Between 1935 and 1941, the renowned industrial architect Fritz Schupp directed the construction of the core of the museum as we see it today.
The museum is modelled upon features of industrial buildings - cubic structures with vertically rectangular windows and striking corners. However, the entrance also corresponded with the Nazis´ aesthetic preferences.
Today, Deutsches Bergbau Museum houses extensive collections of mining history, shown in various departments and temporary exhibitions and telling the history of mining worldwide.
A special attraction is the showcase pit, ca. 20m underground and in operation since 1936. On about 20,000 sq m and a gallery of 3km, the museum displays real conditions and the processes and technology used in a pit like this.
At 420,000 visitors p.a., the museum renamed “"Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum" in 1976 is one of the most visited educational institutions in Germany.
Above Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum, we find the former Dortmund pit Germania’s frame, also designed by Schupp. Visitors can use the pithead cage as a lift and view large parts of the Ruhr area from up high.

Author: Route Industriekultur/ Editorial baukunst-nrw
Last changed on 24.01.2024

Categories:
Architecture » Public Buildings » Cultural (cinemas, theatres, museums)