Landmark of Bochum - the headframe at the German Mining Museum

Bochum is a city in the Ruhr area of the state North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. This former mining town of 363,000 people (2021) is known for its university, which is one of the largest in Germany.

Understand

Bochum is part of the Ruhr Area (Ruhrgebiet), the centre of heavy industry in Germany. Its history is linked closely to that of the region. In 1850, Bochum was a small town of about 4500 inhabitants, its population increased in 1900 to 100 000, and in 1935 to 300 000. During World War II, its centre was nearly completely destroyed, which gave city planners an opportunity to test out their theory of the "automotive city" and build what were then considered to be modern buildings. With the end of the coal boom in the 1960s, a structural transformation began. Bochum got the first university of the Ruhr Area, which was opened in 1965. Today it is one of the largest universities of the country with about 35 000 students and excellent reputation. Also in the 1960s, the Opel car production plant became productive and offered jobs for miners who had lost their jobs in mining. Mining and steel production came to an end in the 1980s.

Today Bochum is a modern city with a job focus in the service sector.

Bochum is on the border between the flat Münsterland in the north and the highlands of Bergisches Land in the south. Therefore, the northern part of Bochum is quite flat, the highest hill is the Tippelsberg. The southern limits of Bochum touch the Ruhr valley with lake Kemnade.

In the 19th century, industrialization began in the valley of Ruhr and moved in the following years northwards. The valley of Ruhr is a recreation area for the population. The Ruhr is the water reservoir for the region, therefore the rules for keeping the water clean are quite strict. Swimming is forbidden in the Kemnade, while swimming in the Ruhr is permitted but not recommended because of the strong flow. Pleasure boats are allowed everywhere.

Like most cities in the Ruhr Area, the southern quarters are of high standard and are quite expansive while factories will be found mainly in the northern quarters.

View onto the city from top of Tippelsberg

Get in

By plane

The nearest international airport is Düsseldorf, about 50 km from Bochum. From Düsseldorf airport, you can get to Bochum by train S1 towards Dortmund or with some regional trains.

Regional airports nearby are Dortmund, Münster or Weeze.

By train

Bochum is served by DB trains and by Flixtrain.

Intercity

1 Bochum Main Station (Hauptbahnhof) is on the main line through the Ruhr Area, and is served by InterCity and ICE trains to all parts of Germany. Services include (2009):

• ICE train to Hannover - Berlin, every hour
• ICE train to Cologne - Frankfurt - Stuttgart - Munich, every two hours
• IC train to Münster - Osnabrück - Bremen - Hamburg, every two hours
• IC train to Kassel - Erfurt - Halle - Berlin, every two hours

There are also daily trains to Magdeburg - Leipzig and to Mannheim - Freiburg - Basel - Chur.

Regional trains

This is a list of regional trains. Most leave hourly.

• RE 1 NRW-Express Aachen - Hamm
• RE 6 Westfalen-Express Düsseldorf - Minden
• RE 11 Rhein-Hellweg-Express Düsseldorf - Paderborn
• RE 16 Ruhr-Sieg-Express Essen - Siegen/Iserlohn
• RE 40 Ruhr-Lenne-Bahn Essen - Hagen
• RE 41 Vest-Ruhr-Express Bochum - Haltern am See
• RE 46 Glückauf-Bahn Bochum - Gelsenkirchen

Commuter train

• S 1 Dortmund - Düsseldorf/Solingen, leaves every 15 minutes.

By car

Bochum is at the intersection of highway A40 (east/west) and A43 (north/south), with A448 (east/west) branching off A40 west of the city centre, forming the southern part of the highway loop around central Bochum, intersecting with A43 before continuing eastwards to A45 at Dortmund. The entire Ruhr Area is sprawling and decentralised and thus quite car-oriented, which also explains the heavily congested rush hour traffic. "Avoid the peak times at all costs" is not just some obvious hint, A40 is jokingly known locally as Ruhrschleichweg or Ruhr crawling way. Additionally, Bochum is covered extensively by a low-emission zone (Umweltzone), requiring many vehicles, including foreign ones, to have an appropriate sticker. This does not apply to through-traffic on the Autobahn.

By bus

See also: Intercity buses in Germany

• 2 Intercity bus station.  The Intercity bus stop is on Wittener Straße, under the railway bridge to the left of the train station.

Get around

Public transport is arranged by "Bochum-Gelsenkirchener Straßenbahn AG" (BOGESTRA). It is a member of the transport association Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr VRR, which cares for fares and adequate connections between its members and S-Bahn and regional trains. So with the same ticket, you may use the bus, underground, tram, S-Bahn and regional Express within Bochum and within the rest of the Ruhr Area, depending on the price category (A, B, C or D) you have selected. Since 2019, only accessible low-floor vehicles operate, although at many stops wheelchair users will need the fold-out ramps operated by the driver to board, as many stops are merely signs on the side of the street. Stops are announced and shown on digital screens.

You will find customer service offices in the main subway station, and in the Bogestra Administration Building at Universitätsstraße 58.

Tickets

There are 4 price levels: for travelling within one city you need level A, for a ride to the next neighbour city pricing level B is needed, if you transit 3 tickets use level C and level D is for rides to any location within the area of VRR.

You can obtain tickets from the customer offices of Bogestra, from the ticket-machines at underground stations and major interchange stops, from bus drivers and tram drivers (only outside the tunnel sections) and from designated kiosks, as well from the official Mutti routeplanning and ticketing app available for download for free.

Do not forget to stamp your paper ticket before you enter a vehicle or underground platform. The orange or red stamp boxes are located at the entrance of the platforms.

Stadtbahn and tram

• Stadtbahn (part-way between a tram and a proper U-Bahn) Line U35 leads from Bochum-Querenburg via Ruhr University, Bochum Main Station, Bochum-Riemke, Herne Station to Herne Strünkede.

The ordinary trams also run underground within the city centre. All lines except 309 intersect at Bochum Main Station (Bochum Hbf).

• Linie 302 leads from Bochum Langendreer / O-Werk via Bochum Hbf, Wattenscheid and Gelsenkirchen Main Station to Gelsenkirchen-Buer.
• Linie 305 leads from Bochum-Langendreer via Bochum Hbf to Wattenscheid-Höntröp.
• Linie 306 leads from Bochum Hbf to Wanne-Eickel Main Station in Herne.
• Linie 308 leads from Bochum-Gerthe via Bochum Hbf to Hattingen.
• Linie 309 leads from Bochum-Langendreer to Witten-Heven via Witten. (Does not travel through central Bochum!)
• Linie 310 leads from Witten via Bochum Hbf to Wattenscheid-Höntrop.
• Linie 316 leads from Heinrichstraße via Ruhrstadion and Bochum Hbf to Wanne-Eickel, during school holidays only to Hordeler Straße.
• Linie 318 leads from Bochum-Gerthe via Bochum Hbf to Bochum-Dahlhausen.

VRR Night-Express

"Night-Express" buses, trams and trains travel on weekends and on holidays once per hour to the suburbs, having a scheduled transfer at the Main Station.

Regional transport

Regional trains may be used with tickets of VRR within the VRR area. For a catalogue of regional trains refer to item 'Train' above.

Tip: A ride with RB46 offers views onto 'the old Ruhr', a view onto industry and suburbs that look like they did 50 years ago.

By taxi

Going by taxi is quite expensive. Basic charge is €4.50 and charge per kilometer is €2.40 at daytime and €2.50 at nighttime (July 2023).

See

There are some flyers explaining the highlights of Bochum published by the marketing office. They are named "Blaue Linie" (blue line) and are available at the tourist office at Huestraße 9 or on the web. A monthly calendar of events is also available there. You can also get the guide Route der Industriekultur (Industrial Heritage Trail), which can be downloaded as a PDF file.

Museums

Technology and history

• 1 German Mining Museum (Deutsches Bergbau-Museum), Am Bergbaumuseum 28. Tu-F 8:30-17:00; Sa Su and holidays 10:00-17:00. One of the leaders of its kind worldwide. Whatever you want to know about mining, here you can experience it. The site was never used for actual mining, but a replica mine has been constructed underground for visitors.  
• 2 Railway Museum and Station Dahlhausen (Eisenbahnmuseum Bochum), Dahlhausen, Dr.-C.-Otto-Straße 191 (Ten minutes walk from Bochum-Dahlhausen railway station (S3 S-Bahn train from Essen, or tram 318 from central Bochum).), ☏ +49 234 492516. From March till mid-November: Tu-F and Su 10:00-17:00. For lovers of old steam engines, one of the largest railway museums in Germany. There are also heritage train trips on the railway line to Hattingen and then over an otherwise-closed line to Wengern on summer Sundays, once a month with a steam locomotive, once a month with a diesel loco, and once a month using a diesel railbus dating from the 1930s.  
• Zeche Hannover (The Hannover Colliery), Günnigfelder Straße 251 (at the city's border with Herne. Bus # 368 from Bochum Hbf in the direction of Herne Wanne-Eickel or from Herne Wanne-Eickel Hbf. in the direction of Ruhrpark - alight Hannoverstraße; Bus # 390 from Herne Bf in the direction of Bochum Dahlhausen or from and Bochum-Wattenscheid Höntrop S-Bahn station in the direction of Herne Bf - alight Röhlinghauser Straße), ☏ +49 234 6100-874, zeche-hannover@lwl.org. Apr-Nov: F Sa 14:00-18:00, Su Holidays 11:00-18:00. For some years now culture, not coal, has been produced at the Hannover Colliery. Temporary exhibitions and events – from major steam festivals to “boules” tournaments – are a huge attraction at the industrial museum during the summer months. At the “Kids Colliery”, children can play at being miners in a mock colliery. The steam-powered winding-engine is operated at events, but with compressed air instead of steam. Free. (updated Mar 2017)
• Planetarium Bochum, Castroper Str. 67 (near the Stadtpark, the main entrance is at the end of the Lorenz-Rebbert-Allee from the Castroper street; the Lorenz-Rebbert-Allee is a short cul-de-sac. It leads into Kurfürstenstraße, which marks the southern edge of the city park), ☏ +49 234-51606-0, info@planetarium-bochum.de. The dome seats 300 people. It is recommended to buy the ticket half an hour before the show starts. The planetarium does not have its own parking. There is parking along the Lorenz-Rebbert-Allee, Kurfürstenstraße or Castroper Straße. Adults €8.50; children, students, people with disabilities €5.50 (regular admission, excluding music shows). (updated Mar 2017)
• Museum of local history "Helf's Farm", In den Höfen 37. 
• Museum of historic medical tools, Malakowturm, Markstraße 258a. In the Malokos-Tower of former Mine Julius-Philipp from 1875. 
• Schulmuseum (School Museum), Cruismannstraße 2, ☏ +49 234-9530795, +49 234-9101440. Visits and guided tours should be coordinated with the museum director Peter Schneller. 
• Telefonmuseum, Karl-Lange-Straße 17, ☏ +49 234 51660 1970. Tu 10:00-16:00 or by prior request. Outside of opening hours you can contact: Hans Dahr +49 234- 284199; Dieter Nowoczyn +49 234-260680; Gerhard Strelow +49 234-854466. free. 

Art

• 3 Art Museum, Kortumstraße 147. Focus of the collection is Middle-European and East-European Avant-Garde, German Expressionism, Surrealism, Informal and Cobra. (updated Sep 2021)
• Art collection of the Ruhr-University, Universitätsstraße 150. Modern art meets classic art. Focus of the collection is the portrait-ensemble of Greek and Roman emperors made by marble and bronze and the collection of antique Greek vases of the 9th to 4th century BC. 
• Schlieker-House, Paracelsusweg 16. W Su 15:00-18:00. In the former apartment and studio of the painter Hans-Jürgen Schlieker parts of his lifework are presented in form of changing exhibitions. Schlieker (1924-2004) is among the few important German informal painters. 
• Situation Kunst (Situation Art), Nevelstr. 29c, ☏ +49 234-2988901, fax: +49 234-2988902. W F 14:00-18:00, Sa Su 12:00-18:00. Buildings in Park of "Haus Weitmar" in Bochum with a permanent exhibition important Arts of presence. Arts of Gianni Colombo, Dan Flavin, Gotthard Graupner, Norbert Kricke, Lee Ufan, François Morellet, Maria Nordman, David Rabinowitch, Arnulf Rainer, Dirk Reinartz, Ad Reinhardt, Robert Ryman, Richard Serra, Jan J. Schoonhoven and additionally the Afrika- and Asia-Room. 
• Musical-Instruments Collection Hans and Hede Grumbt, An der Kemnade 10, Hattingen, ☏ +49 2324 30268. Considerable collection of music instruments and the collection of clarinets of Johan van Kalker. 
• Ostasiatika-Collection Ehrich, An der Kemnade 10, Hattingen, ☏ +49 2324 30268. Beautiful Japanese belt-buckles and items from the collections of the seven Japanese fortune-lords are among the many objects shown here. 

Art in public spaces

• Left side of main station there is the sculpture called "Terminal" by Richard Sierra. It consists of four steel-plates with a height of 12 m. In spite of their weight the visitor becomes a vision of lightness in a different way on every side.
• Memorial of the herdsman at Massenberg-Boulevard: shown is the historical person "Fritz Kortebusch", the last herdsman of the town. In 1870, he guided the cattle of the citizens the last time to the "Vöde", a grassland outside the town limits, which is today the municipal park.
• Josiade-fountain at Husemann-Square. Shown is a scene of the examination of Hieronymus Jobs, the main character of the "Jobsiade", a comical poem of the poet Carl Armold Kortum.
• "The Envolvement of the City", sculpture of Professor Karl Henning Seemann at Schützenbahn street
• Collection of sculptures inside the municipal park.
• The bell in front of the city hall reminds of the improvement of steel-casting in Bochum. The bell was built in 1867 for the world exhibition in Paris.
• So called stumbling stones, little brass plates in the pavement with the names of Jewish citizens arrested and murdered during the period of National-Socialist dictatorship.
• Cenotaph for the victims of the mine disaster at "Vereinigte Präsident" in 1936. The sculpture was created by Wilhelm Wulff. In spite of the strict guidelines for artworks during the National-Socialist dictatorship, only parts of the sculpture follow those guidelines. Also the legend avoids typical National-Socialist terms.

Buildings, production halls, monuments

Administration, residential buildings, monuments

• 4 City Hall. Opened in 1931. The plans were made by the architect Prof. Karl Roth. The layout is stricly symmetric, the façade is plain. The hall divides the atrium in two parts, where fountains made by travertine and bronze are situated:on the left hand is the fountain of beauty, on the right hand the fountain of happiness. They were designed by Professor Vogel from Berlin.  

City Hall

• • While standing before the city hall, have a look into the Stadtbahn station too. The south platform is quite impressive: self-supporting ceiling of the concourse: no pillars, light-wells lead daylight underground, and a bridge for line 306 crosses the concourse.
• The old Amtshaus des Landkreises Bochum-Nord (Administrative House) at Brückstraße has a façade in style of Westphalian Renaissance. It was built in 1884. Such façades rich in contrast made by red brickstones and white freestone are often fount at moated castles. The little shop beside the stairs was originally made for the coach of the bailiff.
• Bismarck-Tower. Spring/summer Tu-Su 10:00-19:00; autumn Sa Su from 11:00-17:00; winter closed. Built in honour of Otto von Bismarck (who was honorary citizen) and opened on 16 October 1910. From the top you have an excellent view downtown. Free. (updated Mar 2017)

Castles and palaces

• Schlossruine Weitmar und Sylvesterkapelle (Ruins of Weitmar Castle and New Year's Eve Chapel), Schlosspark Weitmar, Hattingerstraße. The ruins of a 16th-century manor house are preserved in a glass cube. There are also the ruins of an 11th-century chapel. (updated Mar 2017)
• 5 Haus Kemnade, An der Kemnade 10, Hattingen, ☏ +49 2324 30268. Moated castle on the banks of the Ruhr. Today's building was established in Renaissance style in the 17th century on the walls of a former medieval castle. Haus Kemnade is a popular destination. It houeses the collection Grumbt (a collection of musical instruments), the Ostasiatika collection and the "Trasure Room Kemnade", a collection around money arranged by the penny bank Bochum. Within the castle there is a restaurant.  
• 6 Castle Blankenstein. Situated on municipal area of Hattingen is owned by Bochum. Here in 1324 Earl Engelbert II granted town privileges to Bochum. Only the main tower is left and some walls. Within the walls there is an pub. From top of the tower you have an excellent view onto the valley of Ruhr and onto the historic chapel of Stiepel.  

Industrial heritage

• Station Dahlhausen refer to Museum
• Mine Hannover - Malakow-Tower refer to Museum
• 7 Jahrhunderthalle (Hall of the Century), Gahlensche Straße 15. Inside Westpark. Built in 1902 for the trade-fair in Düsseldorfer and later used as a machinery hall of the steel-plant Bochumer Vereins. Notable is the filigree construction of the bearing. The hall was reconstructed to an unusual stage for theatre and show events. There are guided tours through the building, make an appointment with the marketing office (refer links).  

Miner's Settlement, Dahlhauser Heide

• Dahlhauser Heide Miners' settlement (from Bochum Hbf by bus 368 to "Hordeler Heide"). Built in the beginning of the 20th century for the workers of the Hannover mine. It was reconstructed and the outfit brought to today's standard. A walk there is recommended. Between 1850 and 1900 the population of Bochum increased from about 4500 to 100,000 by immigration. In order to avoid slums, companies began to erect settlements, supermarkets and hospitals for their employees aside their grounds. This social act by companies prevented ghettos and poverty. The living conditions in those settlements was above the standard of that times. Often built in the style of a garden city they are preferred quarters today. Within Bochum, the best known settlement is "Dahlhauser Heide". (updated Mar 2017)
• Beside the Am Rübenkamp settlement, there are 3 houses in original outfit. They show daily life of miners. They are under control of the Mine Hannover industrial museum.
• In the district of Wattenscheid at Alter Markt square, there are still some houses left from times before industrialisation. They give an impression how most towns at the Ruhr looked like 100 years ago.

Houses of worship

• 8 Propsteikirche St. Peter und Paul, Untere Marktstraße. The oldest church in Bochum. Its root is a wooden chapel probably donated by Charlemagne. In the eleventh century, the chapel was replaced by a stone church. It burned down during the big fire in the city in 1517, and was rebuilt as a hall church in a late Gothic style, except the Romanic chancel, which had resisted the fire. The arch was implemented in 1536, the steeple was finished after 1547. The Romanic chancel was replaced by a chancel in neo-Gothic stype between 1872 and 1874. Today, the church houses some artworks like the Romanic font, the neo-Gothic graved altar, the "Bladenhorst crux" in the high altar, the Ittenbach-Madonna, the feretory of St. Perpetua and Felicitas and, last not least, the oak crying group dated from 1420. (updated Mar 2017)
• Pauluskirche, Pariser Str. 4-6. The oldest Protestant church in Bochum. After the Reformation, Protestants and Catholics used the same church, but not always in harmony. Therefore the Protestant community built in 1655 a separate house of worship, a Renaissance hall church with wooden roof. During the following centuries several refurbishments were executed: in 1902/1903 the church got neo-Gothic windows. After an air raid in 1943 the church burned down to ground. In 1949/1950 it was rebuilt in style of a medieval village church. Beside the church stands the “Mourning Mother”, a memorial by sculptor Gerhard Marcks to the victims of war. She is waiting for someone, obviously in vain. (updated Mar 2017)
• Christuskirche, Platz des europäischen Versprechens. When this Protestent church was completed in 1879, it was considered among the prettiest churches in Europe. In 1931 the entry hall inside the steeple was extended to a cenotaph for those killed in action during World War I. In 1943 the church was demolished by bombs nearly completely: only the steeple survived. After the war they built a new, modern church nave and combined it with the new-Gothic steeple as a memorial. Now in front of the steeple is the "Place of the European Promise". Between 2007 and 2015 stone plaques were installed with the names of citizens willing to give a promise to Europe's future. The plaques are intended to contrast to the cenotaph to the entrance hall, which underlines the hostility towards the former rivals of Germany. (updated Mar 2017)
• Propsteikirche St. Gertrud von Brabant (Gertrudis-Church), Auf der Kirchenburg 2 (in the old center of Wattenscheid). Today's building, a new-Gothic church, was built between 1868 and 1872. During the times of the Carolingian Dynasty (8th-9th century), there was there an armed church, which was followed by several sacral buildings. The baptistry inside the Gertrudis-Churchis dated from times about the year 1000. It is borne by four lions. It is considered to be one of the oldest baptistries in Germany. According to legends, the devil should have taken up a huge rock to throw it against the monastery of Werden, which was a thorn in his flesh since long. On his way he met a monk who traveled from Wattenscheid to this monastery. Thinking quickly, the monk raised his crucifix. The devil threw away the rock and disappeared blaspheming. Ludgerus, the abbott of Werden monastery, was ordered to bring the devil's rock into the monastery and form it into a baptistry, with images and 4 bearing lions. Full of gratitude for the saving of the monastery, he donated the baptistry to the church of Wattenscheid - and there it is still standing inside the Gertrudis-Church. (updated Mar 2017)
• Chapel Bochum-Stiepel, Brockhauser Straße 72a, ☏ +49 234 791337. A first hall-type church is dated to 1008. Between 1130 and 1170 it was replaced by a Romanesque basilica and extended in the 15th century. Worth seeing are the wall paintings inside and the historic graveyard. 
• 9 Zisterzienserkloster, Am Varenhold 9, ☏ +49 234 777050. The monastery in Bochum-Stiepel was built in 1988 and is under supervision of the Abbott​ of Heiligenkreuz in Austria. An event is the claustal Christmas market where they sell artworks from Senegal.  
• 10 Synagogue, Erich-Mendel-Platz 1, ☏ +49 234 4175600. 69 years after the Pogrom Night of 9 November 1938, when nearly all Jewish synagogues were destroyed in Germany, Bochum got a new synagogue. It was realised according to plans of the Cologne architect Peter Schmitz. He offered a clear and plain concept. Schmitz designed an ensemble of three separated structures which are linked together by a common bodyshell. (updated Mar 2017)

Parks and lakes

Westpark. Bathing the feet in a former cooling pool

• The Botanic Garden, opposite of the Ruhr, University offers plants from allover the world, a warmhouse (humid) and a cactus house (dry). Entry admission free.
• Chinese Garden (part of the Botanic Garden). The only one in south Chinese style in Germany. Entry admission free. (updated Jul 2022)
• River Ruhr and 11 Lake Kemnade are at the southern limits of Bochum. The lake offers walking- and biking-tracks, a boat rental, boat trips and some leisure equipments. The course around the lake has a length of about 10 km. On weekends and on holy days, the area is often crowded. The paths beside river Ruhr are excellent for jogging or biking. Also there are guided canoe-tours on the river.
• Zoo Bochum. A small zoo inside the municipal park. Worth seeing is the aquarium and fossil house. The entrance is at Bergstraße. 
• Municipal Park Wattenscheid. With aviary. free. (updated Feb 2017)
• Geological Garten. At Querenburger Straße next to the school-center. It is a former quarry which had been extended with paths and information boards. Excellent suitable for a little walk and if you want with some information about the geological structure of Bochum. 
• Lake Uemmingen, small lake nearby the district of Langendreer. The path around the lake has an extension of about 2 km. You will find a playing ground for children, a halfpipe for skaters, a training ground for inliners and a beer garden. Sometimes you will find there guys with model ships.
• Municipal Park at the northern end of Kortumstraße with Bismarck-Tower and zoo, very old trees, 2 ponds, rosarium
• West-Park, situated at Alleestraße about 1 km beyond the city hall. It is not a park with pretty flowers and arranged nature. His charm is his history as a ground of the steel mill "Bochumer Verein". After the buildings had been pulled down nature has recaptured the area. Still left is the surface of the ground, some walls, waterponds and the Hall of the Century. All this was integrated in the newly created park which offers also some grassland and much space. Joggers like the area. At his northern end begins the Ore-Route, a 10 km walking and biking trail without street crossings.
• Forrest Weitmarer, a small, but the biggest one inside of Bochum, forest nearby the districts of Weitmar and Sundern.
• Kortumpark is on Wittener-Str. next to the main station. It is a very old park with graves of some famous citizens which offers a good view onto the city at some locations.
• Gysenberg Park, leisure park between Bochum und Herne. You will find there a bath, leisure equipments, a little zoo, playing grounds for children and a small forest.
• Mont Tippelsberg is the highest hill at the northern limits of Bochum. According to a legend, long time ago the giant Tipulus settled down there, and when he removed the soil from his boots, the Tippelsberg formed. A visit of Tippelsberg is highly recommended, the view from top onto the middle part of the Ruhr Area being excellent. Information boards advise of the landmarks around.
• Mutten-Valley. At Witten. It offers many relicts from the beginning of the mining period: mouth of galleries, machines, models of old mines. It is very impressive seeing it. 
• Castle Hardenstein nearby, an about 15 minutes walk aside river Ruhr. According to legends gnome Goldemar have lived there 700 years ago.
• Industrial Heritage Trail. Recommended sites of the industrial heritage. 

Do

Events

Steam-Festival

• Jumble Sale. In front of the city hall every third Saturday per month 
• Steam-Festival. Presentation of old, steam-powered street-vehicles, about every second year on the ground of Mine Hannover in Bochum-Hordel 
• FIDENA. Marionette Theatre 
• Bochum Maiabend. Festival with medieval roots at last weekend in April. 

Bochum Total

• Bochum Total. Rock music festival, one of the largest and most important admission-free music festivals in Germany. It starts every year at first Thursday after school ends in summer and lasts for four days in the city. 
• Fiege Kino Open Air cinema outside in the yard of Fiege Brewery next to main station.
• Sparkassen Giro please refer to the Sport section
• Bochum7up in Bochum Lagendreer - festival in suburb 7, that began when "7" was used as a postal code was valid
• Uemminger-Summertime. At lake Ümmingen 
• Kemnader See in Flammen
• Kemnader See- und Hafenfest
• Extraschicht. The night of industrial heritage at June, refer also section "Culture". 
• Open Flair. One weekend at September, Raree Show, admission free 
• Bochum Kulinarisch. In August chefs of Bochum and area conjure up delicacies of their cuisine for low budget to taste. 
• Bochumer Musiksommer. Music-Summer, a weekend full of music from Classic to Rock at Massenberg Boulevard free. 
• Ruhr International Festival of World Culture

• Piano-Festival-Ruhr. 
• Bochumer wine-market during September
• Oktober-market
• Bochum's Christmas. Including medieval Christmas market around Paulus-church, craftsmanship and the sound of historical instruments 
• Ruhrtriennale. Classical theatre in industrial ambiente in and all around Bochum 

Bars

Inside Bermuda3eck

• The Bermuda3eck (Bermude-Triangle) is the trendy district in Bochum and at the Ruhr as well. About 75 bars, restaurants, cafes and bistros are located here. They offer 10,000 seats, in summertime 3,000 of them open air. The Bermuda-Triangle is located around the Engelbert-Square.

Theatre and musicals

• Comödie Bochum. 
• Schauspielhaus. Bochum 
• Varieté et cetera. Herner-Straße 299 
• Prinzregenttheater. Prinz-Regent-Straße 50-60 
• Theater Thealozzi. Pestalozzistraße 21 
• Theater Thespis. Baaker Mulde 3 
• Theater Zauberkasten. Lothringer Straße 36 
• TheaterTotal. Hunscheidtstraße 154 
• (in German) Constantin Musik Theater. Widume Straße 6 
• 1 Starlight Express, Stadionring 24, ☏ +49 1805-2001 (minimum €0.14/minute charge). While the musical only enjoyed moderate success in its native Anglosphere and it is by far not the best known work by Andrew Lloyd Webber among English-speakers, Germans have somehow taken a liking to it, which is even odder considering that Musical is not generally a well-regarded or popular art form in Germany compared to opera or theater. The Bochum production alone has amassed 16 million admissions during its three decade run. The venue was purpose built in the 1980s for this musical. €55-141. (updated Feb 2017)
• Bochumer Symphoniker. 
• Freilichtbühne Wattenscheidt. 

Bathing and wellness

• Stadtbad swimming pool on Massenberg Boulevard: sauna, massage, water gymnastics
• Sauna, fitness and massage in the Meditheme at Ruhrpark (ehem. Aquadrom)
• Nordwestbad, ☏ +49 234 524718. Hallenfreibad Hofstede, Stettiner Str. 1-3, 
• 2 Freizeitbad Heveney, ☏ +49 2302 56263. Indoor and outdoor pool (in neighbouring Witten), large sauna area, heated outside pool usable in winter  
• Hallenfreibad Höntrop, Am Südpark 1, Tel +49 2327 73167
• Hallenfreibad Langendreer, Eschweg 50, Tel +49 234 287547
• Hallenfreibad Linden, Brannenweg 10, Tel +49 234 494257
• Hallenbad Querenburg,

Sunbathing

• Municipal Park, grassy area below the park's restaurant - they do not like but accept it
• Westpark, situated at Alleestraße near downtown, much space, admission free, see item Parks also
• Lake Kemnade, northwest bank at the hillside, sun position adverse in the afternoon, admission free
• Grassy Area at the Ruhr in Dahlhausen, clean, much space, admission free. Not recommended is the area at lake Uemmingen, much dirt by ducks and swans.

Sport

Vonovia Ruhrstadion

• Football: VfL Bochum play soccer in Bundesliga, Germany's top tier. Their home ground Vonovia-Ruhrstadion (capacity 28,600) is on Castroper-Straße 2 km northeast of town centre, take the tram towards Schürbankstraße.
• Mountain biking: There is a training ground in Bochum-Weitmar at An der Holtbrügge, admission free.
• Inline skating: use the bitumized road (shared with cyclists, separated from walkers) around lake Kemnade, ~ 11 km, or the towpath beside river Ruhr

Cycling and jogging

• 

  The "Erzbahnschwinge", a suspension bridge of the Ore-Route

  The Ore-Route (Erzbahntrasse) is a 10-km walking, jogging and cycle trail starting at West-Park and ending at canal-harbour Grimberg in Gelsenkirchen with connection to the Emscher-Trail. It has no street-crossing (except one with a small farm-track), highways, roads, rivers and railways are crossed by bridges, some of them quite impressive. It is one of the best routes within the Ruhr Area. Many sections of the route are situated on a 15-meter-high ridge, so you have a fine view onto settlements, pithead-towers, industry grounds, rock-dumps but also onto parks, fields, forests - for short onto the typical surroundings of the Ruhr.
• The Kray-Wanner-Route deverges from the Ore-Route about 6 km behind the starting point and leads westwards to world heritage site Zollverein. Unfortunately, it has 4 street crossings. It passes rock-dump Rhein-Elbe which is between the district of Wattenscheid and the city of Gelsenkirchen. You should climb up, it is quite easy on well constructed paths and the view from top is excellent.
• Ruhr-Trail. The Ruhrtal-Radweg, a cycle route, leads from the river's source to its mouth into river Rhine at Duisburg. Its total length is 230 km. 
• Emscher-Trail. Emscher Radweg, is a cycle-route beside river Emscher or Rhein-Herne-canal. It leads across the region with most heavy industry, so you pass by factories and harbours, many of them closed down. It makes a strange but interesting ambiance. 

Learn

Ruhr-Universität, view onto the Forum and the Engineering Buildings

• 1 The Ruhr-University (RUB), Universitätsstraße 150, ☏ +49 234 32-201. RUB has an excellent international reputation.  
• University of Applied Science, Lennershofstraße 140, ☏ +49 234 32-202, fax: +49 234 32-14312. 
• Technical University of Applied Science Georg Agricola for resources, energy and environment, Herner Straße 45. 
• Evangelische Fachhochschule Rheinland-Westfalen-Lippe, Immanuel-Kant-Str. 18-20, ☏ +49 234-36901-0, fax: +49 234-36901-100. 
• Drama School Bochum Study Course Drama Bochum of Folkwang-Hochschule Essen, Lohring 20

Buy

Kortumstraße

The main shopping-streets in Bochum downtown are Kortumstraße and Huestraße.

• Kortumstraße, main pedestrian street, runs north-south trough centre.
• Huestraße, starts directly opposite the entrance of Bochum Main Station, here you'll also find the tourist information.
• Massenberg Boulevard
• City-Point/Drehscheibe complex, small shopping centre oriented horizontally due to small footprint, daily needs for small budget, grocery store, directly accessible indoors from underground subway station.
• 1 Ruhr Park, Am Einkaufszentrum 1, 44791 Bochum (A40 Exit 39 Bochum-Werne, Public transport: "Ruhr Park" 339, 364, 366, 379, "Ruhr Park/UCI" 358, 368, 395, NE2, "Brücke Ruhr Park" 336,339), ☏ +49 234 5 792 792. M-F 10:00 - 20:00. Large shopping centre in the east of Bochum, mostly outdoors, all the usual stores, indoor food court, large multiplex cinema, free parking. (updated Jul 2023)

Souvenirs

Beside the standard articles like beer glasses and t-shirts, available at the ticket shop at Huestraße, a pitlamp is a good tip.

Eat

Cuisine

The cuisine of Bochum is the cuisine of the Ruhr. That was a Westphalian cuisine with strong East-Prussian and Rhenish impact. That means good and solid meals with much fat. Eaten was much cabbage, meat of rabbit, goat, pork and sometimes pigeons. The cuisine has changed and is still changing. On one hand, people do not have to labour so hard any more, but, on the other hand, people have more money to spend. Also are the immigrants. They brought their own cuisine with them. Today there is Turkish, Polish, sometimes Russian and most of all Mediterranean influence.

• To Bochum belongs "The Original" of butcher "Dönnighaus". That is a light sausage. It is well known even outside Bochum's limits and is the basis of a real good curried Sausage. Every visitor should taste it. You can get it all over the city at snack bars.
• One long weekend in summer there is Bochum kulinarisch. Chefs from and around Bochum conjure up delicacies of their cuisine for low budget to taste. It takes place at Massenberg Boulevard, ask at the tourist office for the exact date.
• September to February, blue mussels will be offered which are treated as a delicacy.
• During May, there are Dutch "Matjes". These are salted herrings but with gentle taste.
• Also during May is the period of asparagus. It exists as white and green one, mainly from France (first) and Germany. The German white asparagus is the best one.
• Many Turkish and Arabic shops offer little sweets made from puff pastry, almonds, coconut flakes, honey and a lot of sugar (the Turkish name is tatle´). The Turkish ones are extremely sweet. The Arabic ones are similar to the European taste. They are both worth a try.

Street food

• 1 Bratwursthaus, Kortumstraße 18 ("Bermuda3Eck/Musikforum" 308/318, "Südring" 350,365,SB37). Su-Th 11:00-24:00, F Sa 11:00-04:00. Dishes with German sausages, a regional classic. Classic currywurst menu from €6. (updated Feb 2023)

Budget

All these are in the city centre:

• 2 Neuland Küche.Bar.Bühne, Rottstraße 15. A former corner pub that has turned into a meeting place for artists and students. Rustic decor, vegan dishes. (updated Feb 2023)
• 3 BÖCKELS Beste, Bochum Hbf, Kurt-Schumacher-Platz 13-15. German fast food (updated Feb 2023)
• 4 Erdapfel Bochum (Potato Bochum), Huestraße 6. German restaurant (updated Feb 2023)
• 5 Taubenschlag Gaststätte, Untere Marktstraße 7. German restaurant (updated Feb 2023)
• 6 Zur Altstadt, Brückstraße 20. German restaurant (updated Feb 2023)
• 7 Holzofen Pizzeria Volkan Özalp, Kortumstraße 20. (updated Feb 2023)
• 8 Mc Damascus, Kortumstraße 118. Syrian (updated Feb 2023)

Mid-range

• 9 Brauhaus Rietkötter, Große Beckstr. 7, ☏ +49 234 9266710. German restaurant (updated Feb 2023)
• 10 Avli, Luisenstr. 14 (im Luisenhof). Greek cuisine (updated Feb 2023)
• 11 Mutter Wittig, Bongardstr. 35, ☏ +49 234 12141. German restaurant (updated Feb 2023)
• 12 Side, Hattinger Str. 601 (5 km off the centre). Turkish cuisine (updated Feb 2023)
• 13 Strätlingshof, Altenbochumer Str. 64 (in Altenbochum (4 km from town)). Australian and international cuisine (updated Feb 2023)
• 14 Tapas Bar und Restaurant, Kortumstr. 3. Spanish cuisine (updated Feb 2023)
• 15 Una Mas, Hans-Böckler-Str. 34. Spanish cuisine (updated Feb 2023)

Splurge

• 16 Livingroom, Luisenstr. 9-13. new international cuisine (updated Feb 2023)
• 17 Zum Grünen Gaul, Alte Hattinger Str. 31. Modern European (updated Feb 2023)
• 18 Trattoria Momo, Stadionring 9. Italian (updated Feb 2023)
• 19 La Mesa Gastronomie, Bessemerstraße 30. Spanish (updated Feb 2023)
• 20 Sushi Takeshi, Theoderichstraße 27. Japanese (updated Feb 2023)

Drink

The Ruhr people drink beer. Of course, every restaurant has a wine card, but in pubs and during relaxed getting-together, they prefer beer. All beer in Germany and at the Ruhr as well is brewed according to the German purity law: only water, hop and malt. If you visit Bochum, you should taste one (or more) of the local products!

• There is only one big brewery left in Bochum: Fiege. You can get its beer everywhere but mainly in Fiege's Stammhaus.
• Fiege's Stammhaus, Bongardstraße 23, ☏ + 49 234 4174688. M-Sa 12:00-close, kitchen open until 21:00, closed Su and bank holidays (except during Christmas market). (updated Jul 2019)
  • Fiege Pils: the taste is comfortable bitter and hoppy, the colour is strong yellow.
  • Fiege Gründer: due to the original recipe, the taste is more smooth
  • Bläck Mäck: a dark beer with strong taste
  • Bockbier (only during May): a beer with double alcohol (7%)
• Brewing House Tauffenbach, Gerberstr. 19. This is the only place where you can get the very light and sweet Tauffenbach-Pils. 

Sleep

• 1 Jugendgästehaus Bermuda3Eck, Humboldtstraße 59-63 ("Bermuda3Eck/Musikforum" 308/318), ☏ +49 234 4175799-0. Check-in: 14:00-0:00, check-out: 10:00. Hostel at Bermuda3Eck entertainment district. from €45/person. 
• 2 ibis Bochum Zentrum, Universitätsstraße 3 (rear side of central station (Hbf)), ☏ +49 234 33311, H1440@accor.com. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Budget hotel directly at Bochum Central Station (Hauptbahnhof), dated but clean. 156 rooms, free Wi-Fi. single person from €60.00. (updated Jan 2024)
• 3 Hotel Schmerkötter, Auf dem Aspei 70 (near Ruhr University), ☏ +49 234 338440. Check-in: 12:00, check-out: 10:30. Small family owned hotel near the university. (updated Jan 2024)

Stay safe

The cities within the Ruhr area are among the safest in Germany. Since the Ruhr is until now not a tourist region, it is not in the focus of pickpockets. But it is a good idea to take the usual precautions. Don't leave you camera unattended, don't flash around a fat wallet. Since many citizens have a migration background, the acceptance of strangers is high and the possibility of encountering racism or other prejudices is low.

Cope

• Self-Service Laundromat, Nordring 71. Open M-Sa 06:00-23:00, at northern end of Kortumstraße, within walking distance to Bochum Rathaus. 5 kg from €4.50.

Go next

• Düsseldorf is a city on the river Rhine in western Germany and is the capital city of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
• Köln is a city on the Rhine River in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the fourth largest city in Germany with around one million residents.
• Münster is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region.
• Münsterland is mostly notable for its more than 100 castles and manors, resulting in its byname "Land of hundred castles".
• Sauerland is characterised by rolling hills and (low) mountain ranges, making Sauerland and the Rothaar Mountains one of Germany's northernmost skiing areas.
• Bergisches Land are dominated by woods, rivers and grasslands and a large number of artificial lakes. Its lush green setting has long been a popular day trip and short stay destination for the city dwellers of Bonn, Düsseldorf, Cologne and other large cities in the region.
• Solingen is world famous for its century-old tradition of making knives and swords.