Stand on the concourse of the Stadtbahn station beneath Bochum City Hall and you will see daylight falling through light-wells into a ceiling that needs no pillars, with a bridge for line 306 crossing the concourse. It is an ordinary piece of city infrastructure, and it is a good introduction to a place where the industrial past and everyday life sit close together.
Bochum suits travellers who are interested in mining history, railways, industrial architecture and art collections rather than in a checklist of grand monuments. The city spreads across rolling hills between the Ruhr and Emscher rivers, and its sights are scattered, so a little planning pays off.
This guide covers the museums, buildings and public art named in the source material, with practical notes on when to go and what to combine. Pick up the "Blaue Linie" flyers or the Route der Industriekultur guide at the tourist office at Huestraße 9 if you want the official highlight routes in printed form.
Top things to do in Bochum
1. German Mining Museum (Deutsches Bergbau-Museum)
This is one of the best mining museums of its kind worldwide, and whatever you want to know about mining you can learn here. The site was never used for actual mining, but an extensive replica mine has been constructed underground for visitors, and the headframe of a nearby mine was transported here to serve as a landmark.
Allow a generous block of time, since the underground replica is the heart of the visit. It opens Tuesday to Friday 8:30-17:00 and Saturday, Sunday and holidays 10:00-17:00.
2. Railway Museum and Station Dahlhausen (Eisenbahnmuseum Bochum)
For lovers of old steam engines, this is one of the largest railway museums in Germany, housed in Dahlhausen at Dr.-C.-Otto-Straße 191. It is about a ten-minute walk from Bochum-Dahlhausen railway station, reachable by S3 S-Bahn train from Essen or tram 318 from central Bochum.
From March until mid-November it opens Tuesday to Friday and Sunday 10:00-17:00. On summer Sundays there are heritage train trips on the railway line to Hattingen and then over an otherwise-closed line to Wengern, 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.
3. Zeche Hannover (The Hannover Colliery)
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 draw at the industrial museum during the summer months, and 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.
It sits at the city's border with Herne at Günnigfelder Straße 251. Opening is April to November: Friday and Saturday 14:00-18:00, Sunday and holidays 11:00-18:00, and admission is free. Bus 368 runs from Bochum Hbf in the direction of Herne Wanne-Eickel, or bus 390 from Bochum-Wattenscheid Höntrop S-Bahn station in the direction of Herne Bf.
4. Planetarium Bochum
The dome seats 300 people, and the programme is a good wet-weather or evening option near the Stadtpark. The main entrance is at the end of the Lorenz-Rebbert-Allee, a short cul-de-sac off Castroper Straße that leads into Kurfürstenstraße, which marks the southern edge of the city park.
Buy your ticket half an hour before the show starts. The planetarium does not have its own parking, so use the parking along Lorenz-Rebbert-Allee, Kurfürstenstraße or Castroper Straße. Regular admission excluding music shows is €8.50 for adults and €5.50 for children, students and people with disabilities.
5. Haus Kemnade
This is a moated castle on the banks of the Ruhr at An der Kemnade 10 in Hattingen, with today's building established in Renaissance style in the 17th century on older walls. Two collections are housed here: the Musical-Instruments Collection Hans and Hede Grumbt, a considerable collection of music instruments and the clarinets of Johan van Kalker, and the Ostasiatika-Collection Ehrich, with Japanese belt-buckles and items from the collections of the seven Japanese fortune-lords.
Both collections share the same address and telephone number, so plan them as one stop. The castle lies outside the city centre, so check how you will reach it before setting out.
6. Schlossruine Weitmar und Sylvesterkapelle
The ruins of a 16th-century manor house are preserved in a glass cube in Schlosspark Weitmar, alongside the ruins of an 11th-century chapel. Trams 308 and 318 stop at Schloss Weitmar / MUT.
Combine this with Situation Kunst, which occupies buildings in the park of Haus Weitmar, and with the Weitmarer Holz woods nearby if you want to extend the walk.
7. Situation Kunst (Situation Art)
Buildings in the park of Haus Weitmar hold a permanent exhibition 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 others, plus an Africa and Asia room.
It opens Wednesday and Friday 14:00-18:00 and Saturday and Sunday 12:00-18:00 at Nevelstr. 29c. Pair it with the Schlossruine Weitmar und Sylvesterkapelle in the same park.
8. Art Museum
The collection at Kortumstraße 147 focuses on Middle-European and Eastern-European Avant-Garde, German Expressionism, Surrealism, Informal and Cobra. It is a central, easily reached stop if your interests lean towards twentieth-century painting.
Because it sits on Kortumstraße, it fits naturally into a city-centre wander rather than a separate trip out of town.
9. City Hall (Rathaus)
Opened in 1931 and planned by architect Prof. Karl Roth, the layout is strictly symmetrical and the façade is plain. The hall divides the atrium in two parts, where fountains made of travertine and bronze are situated: on the left hand the fountain of beauty, on the right hand the fountain of happiness, both designed by Professor Vogel from Berlin.
When visiting city hall, consider having a look at the Stadtbahn station as well. The south platform is quite impressive: a self-supporting concourse ceiling with no pillars, light-wells that let daylight underground, and a bridge for line 306 crossing the concourse.
10. Bismarck-Tower
Built in honour of Otto von Bismarck, who was an honorary citizen of Bochum, and opened on 16 October 1910. From the top you have an excellent view downtown, and admission is free.
Opening is seasonal: spring and summer Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-19:00, autumn Saturday and Sunday 11:00-17:00, and closed in winter. Check the season before you build a day around it.
11. Schlieker-House
In the former apartment and studio of the painter Hans-Jürgen Schlieker at Paracelsusweg 16, parts of his lifework are presented in the form of changing exhibitions. Schlieker (1924-2004) is among the few important German informal painters.
It opens Wednesday and Sunday 15:00-18:00, so it works best as a late-afternoon stop.
12. Museum of historic medical tools
This small museum occupies the Malakowturm at Markstraße 258a, in the tower of the former Mine Julius-Philipp from 1875. It is a compact stop for anyone following the industrial heritage of the area.
Because it is a single tower rather than a full museum complex, treat it as one element of a wider route through the southern parts of the city.
13. Art collection of the Ruhr-University
At Universitätsstraße 150, modern art meets classic art. The focus of the collection is the portrait-ensemble of Greek and Roman emperors and the collection of antique Greek vases from the 9th to 4th century BC.
It sits on the university campus, so allow time for the journey and check the campus layout before you go.
14. Art in public spaces
Several works are scattered through the city and can be seen without buying a ticket. On the left side of the main station there is a sculpture called "Terminal" by Richard Sierra, made of four steel plates with a height of 12 m. At Massenberg boulevard there is the Memorial of the herdsman, showing Fritz Kortebusch, the last herdsman of the town, who in 1870 guided the citizens' cattle for the last time to the "Vöde", today's municipal park. The Josiade fountain at Husemann square shows a scene from the examination of Hieronymus Jobs, main character of the "Jobsiade", a comical poem by Carl Armold Kortum. There is also "The Envolvement of the City", a sculpture by Professor Karl Henning Seemann at Schützenbahn street, and a collection of sculptures inside the municipal park.
Two further works carry historical weight. The bell in front of the city hall reminds of the improvement of steel-casting in Bochum and was built in 1867 for the world exhibition in Paris. The so-called stumbling stones are little brass plates in the pavement carrying the names of Jewish citizens arrested and murdered during the period of National Socialist dictatorship. Near them stands the cenotaph for the victims of the mine disaster at "Vereinigte Präsident" in 1936, created by Wilhelm Wulff; despite the strict guidelines for artworks during the National-Socialist dictatorship, only parts of the sculpture follow those guidelines, and the legend avoids typical National Socialist terms.
15. Telefonmuseum
At Karl-Lange-Straße 17, this small museum opens Tuesday 10:00-16:00 or by prior request, and admission is free. Outside opening hours you can contact Hans Dahr, Dieter Nowoczyn or Gerhard Strelow.
Because access depends on arrangements, contact the museum before making a special journey.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at the German Mining Museum (Deutsches Bergbau-Museum), which opens at 8:30 on weekdays, and give the underground replica mine the time it deserves. If you are visiting at the weekend, it opens at 10:00 instead.
Afternoon: Move into the centre to see City Hall (Rathaus) and its two atrium fountains, then look at the Stadtbahn station beneath it with its pillar-free concourse ceiling and light-wells. From there, walk the central streets for the Art Museum on Kortumstraße and pick up the public art along the way, including the "Terminal" sculpture by Richard Sierra on the left side of the main station and the Josiade fountain at Husemann square.
Evening: Finish at Planetarium Bochum near the Stadtpark, buying your ticket half an hour before the show starts. If you are visiting in spring or summer and prefer an outdoor end to the day, check whether Bismarck-Tower is open instead, since it stays open until 19:00 in those seasons and gives an excellent view downtown.
Frequently asked questions
When is the German Mining Museum open?
Tuesday to Friday 8:30-17:00, and Saturday, Sunday and holidays 10:00-17:00.
How do I reach the Railway Museum and Station Dahlhausen?
It is about a ten-minute walk from Bochum-Dahlhausen railway station, which is served by the S3 S-Bahn train from Essen, or you can take tram 318 from central Bochum.
Do I need to book planetarium tickets in advance?
It is recommended to buy the ticket half an hour before the show starts. Note that the planetarium does not have its own parking, so use the parking along Lorenz-Rebbert-Allee, Kurfürstenstraße or Castroper Straße.
Where can I get official guides to the city's highlights?
Flyers explaining the highlights of Bochum, named "Blaue Linie", are available at the tourist office at Huestraße 9 or on the web, and a monthly calendar of events is available there too. The guide Route der Industriekultur can be downloaded as a PDF or picked up as a physical version along most stops of the trail.
Start with the museums that interest you most, check the seasonal opening times before you travel, and build your days around the routes that connect them.