Ruhr Festival House: Art for Coal
Recklinghausen’s annual Ruhr Festival is the main cultural event of the city. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious theater festivals in Europe. Its roots go back to the cold winter of 1946-47. At that time, the Hamburg Theater’s actors moved to Recklinghausen as they couldn’t play in the unbearably cold and unheated halls. Here, they proposed to give several performances in exchange for coal, which was no problem in the Ruhr area then. The guest performances of the Hamburg Theater’s actors were called "Art for coal".
The local authorities liked the actors’ initiative. Recklinghausen’s Magistrate wanted to make it an annual event. Already in May, 1948, the city hosted the first theater festival. Goethe's “Faust” was the first performance staged. Since then, Recklinghausen Theatre Festival has opened on May 1, every year. It became international, attracting troupes from all over Europe to the city. Now the festival is visited by more than 80,000 people annually.
Since 2001, the festival has taken place in the new building. In that year, it was recognized as the best architectural project on Germany’s territory. This bright, seemingly transparent building has become one of Recklinghausen’s attractions. There First World War Monument is in front of the building entrance.
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