A New Life for Forgotten Spaces
In the heart of Germany’s former coal and steel belt, a cluster of modest brick churches that once sheltered the displaced workforce is undergoing a quiet renaissance.
Built in the aftermath of World War II, these so‑called ‘slipper churches’ were erected to provide spiritual comfort and practical space for the millions of workers who rebuilt the Ruhr’s shattered cities.
Today, twelve of the most emblematic structures are being opened to the public as venues for Manifesta 16, the European biennale that seeks to re‑imagine social infrastructure through art.
The initiative is not merely aesthetic; it is a deliberate attempt to stitch together the fragmented narratives of deindustrialisation, migration and environmental remediation that have defined the region for decades.
Architect Josep Bohigas, whose work often foregrounds the relationship between built form and community life, argues that neighborhoods, not monuments, should be the focus of regeneration.
In Duisburg’s Kulturkirche Liebfrauen, a former parish hall now hosts installations that reference the Vatican Pavilion of Expo 58, linking the city’s Catholic heritage with contemporary artistic practice.
St Marien in Essen adopts a bomb‑site aesthetic, letting the remnants of wartime destruction speak through sculptural interventions that echo the church’s disused state.
Meanwhile, the Markuskirche in Essen has been co‑opted by its own congregation, who have installed wooden benches and a children’s play area, turning the sanctuary into a lived‑in meeting place.
Curator Gürsoy Doğtaş has overseen projects that rename several churches after Turkish guest workers, foregrounding the contributions of a community that arrived in the 1960s to fill labour shortages.
Artists such as Abuzer Güler and Hanefi Yeter have contributed pieces to Thomaskirche in Gelsenkirchen, where the very walls bear the marks of local craftsmanship.
A basketball court set up inside Bochum’s St Ludgerus church, complete with a sensor that triggers the organ whenever a shot misses, illustrates the playful dialogue between sacred architecture and everyday leisure.
The biennale’s broader thesis is that diversity, given time and resources, can transform even the most derelict spaces into extraordinary cultural venues, a message that resonates far beyond the Ruhr.
Diversity as Infrastructure
The transformation of these churches is also a reminder that the Ruhr’s economic decline is not an immutable fate. By investing in cultural projects that celebrate both the region’s industrial heritage and the multicultural fabric forged by guest workers from Turkey, Poland and beyond, Manifesta 16 offers a template for other post‑industrial areas seeking renewal.