Since June 21, Manifesta 16 Ruhr has been presenting exhibitions in twelve churches in Duisburg, Essen, Gelsenkirchen, and Bochum. Under the title “This is not a church,” the European biennial explores how vacant religious buildings can become spaces for new forms of public life, cultural production, and social participation. In doing so, it turns its attention to a region whose history is shaped by structural change, migration, and the loss of communal spaces.
Manifesta 16 Ruhr is bringing its project “This is not a church” to the Rhine-Ruhr region—an area undergoing structural change—as part of “Urban Visions.” Vacant churches serve as a starting point for reimagining social and cultural infrastructure, community, and memory.
The Ruhr region, a polycentric area shaped by industry, migration, and change, evolved from an agrarian area into one of Europe’s most densely industrialized landscapes. In the 20th and 21st centuries, it has undergone profound structural change. Its history is shaped by labor migration, social densification, and the formation of local communities. Their infrastructures—especially churches—have long served as central hubs of cohesion.
Manifesta 16, which opened on June 21 at four locations in twelve churches with over 100 artists, does not present a definitive thesis. Instead, it weaves a network of questions that brings into discussion the role of architecture, memory, and culture in the reinvention of urban public space. At the heart of the exhibition is the question of whether a new form of urban public space can emerge from the remnants of industrial and religious infrastructure.
12 Churches
Manifesta 16 Ruhr uses selected churches as exhibition venues and draws attention to their uncertain future. The focus is on questions regarding their current function. What possibilities exist for their use? What social value do they hold? How can these spaces be preserved while also being adapted to changing realities of life? And what contribution can they make toward a more just, pluralistic society?
The curatorial approach draws on the image of rubble: fragments of a bygone order from which something new emerges. The focus is on the buildings themselves—their materials, their hidden spaces, and the traces of time they bear. Artists draw on discarded elements—such as church pews, damaged windows, or silent organ pipes—and develop new forms of expression from them. Like the walls of the Gethsemane Church, their designs emerge from the relics of the past.
Churches become places for engaging with history. Works of art, archival materials, documentary films, and photographic installations come together to form a multifaceted portrayal of the Ruhr region and its inhabitants. Thematically, the spectrum ranges from the role of so-called “guest workers” in the region’s reconstruction, through the working conditions in the mining industry, to issues of structural change and the loss of public spaces. Forms of pop-cultural expression and the artisanal traditions of migrant communities, as well as the recent influx of Ukrainian refugees, are incorporated.
Churches as Anchors of Cultural Identity
In postwar Germany, churches function as places of social integration. They shape the value system and the ideological reorientation of West Germany following National Socialism. At the same time, they contribute to democratization and the reconstruction of community structures.
They took on practical tasks that state institutions were initially unable to perform: providing food and clothing, as well as supporting refugees and displaced persons. The parish community served as a central local network, extending its reach through organizations such as Caritas Germany and Diakonie Germany.
In a socially and morally destabilized situation, churches offered guidance and support. Religious practice initially experienced a resurgence, but since the 1960s, trends toward secularization have intensified. These trends arose from the interplay of structural and cultural changes. With the economic upswing and the expansion of the welfare state’s social safety nets, people’s existential dependence on religious institutions has diminished. At the same time, the expansion of education and science has led to a more rational and critical way of thinking.
Television, too, acted as a catalyst for social change in the 1960s. The ARD has been broadcasting since 1952; initially, only a few households owned a television set. By 1960, the figure had risen to about 10 to 15 percent of households; by the end of the 1960s, television had reached the majority of households.
Development of Church Construction in the Ruhr Region
After the end of the war, large parts of the Ruhr region lay in ruins. In cities like Essen, around 70 to 80 percent of the churches were damaged or destroyed; in Dortmund, over 60 percent. Overall, more than half of the existing churches were unusable.
The reconstruction, which continued into the 1970s, took place under conditions of scarce resources. At the same time, the requirements for church architecture were changing. Sacred spaces were increasingly conceived as multifunctional community centers. New liturgical concepts fundamentally influenced architectural design. In this sense, churches are built liturgy. Architects such as Rudolf Schwarz and Dominikus Böhm not only created new spaces but also shaped changing forms of religious practice.
Maria Schwarz recalls: “A great many churches were built in the 1950s. There were two fundamentally different reasons for this. On the one hand, the churches had been destroyed, and on the other, people were returning home (…) They wanted to be together.”
A faithful reconstruction of destroyed buildings is usually neither technically nor financially feasible. Material shortages, a lack of skilled labor, and limited resources necessitate pragmatic solutions. At the same time, postwar modernist architecture turned away from historicist forms and favored minimalist, functional designs. The Second Vatican Council brought about a fundamental reorientation of the liturgy. The constitution *Sacrosanctum Concilium* (1963) shifted the focus from the building itself to the assembled congregation. The space is organized around central liturgical sites such as the altar, the ambo, and the presider’s seat. Traditional, strictly axial structures are abandoned in favor of open, participatory layouts. The principle of “noble simplicity” leads to a reduction in furnishings and emphasizes clarity as well as communal action.
The Congregation as a Spatial Form
With the expansion of new residential developments, numerous parish churches emerge as centers of identity. Architectural historian Martin Bredenbeck refers to them as “slipper churches”—buildings that are conveniently accessible on foot.
Rubble is one of the most important building materials of the postwar period. In the Ruhr region, millions of cubic meters of material are sorted and cleared away. This physically demanding work was carried out by so-called “rubble women,” as well as former NSDAP members performing penal labor, the unemployed in exchange for food rations, and professional construction workers. Materials that could not be reused were processed into aggregates for concrete.
Reconstruction thus relies directly on the material remnants of the destructive past—a precursor to what is now understood as circular construction. Rubble bricks, reused building components, and simple structures characterize many of these buildings. At the same time, industrial materials such as concrete and steel are used, often in a minimalist, functional design language. The combination of reuse and new building materials leads to a hybrid construction practice that lies between improvisation and the beginnings of standardization.
The Gethsemane Church, for example, was built as part of the emergency church program on the foundations of a destroyed community center. A church-affiliated aid organization provided a prefabricated kit containing key structural elements made of wood and metal. The congregation erects the building themselves, using reused bricks from the rubble of the former community center.
These approaches anticipate Barbara Buser’s central principles of circular construction—namely, reuse, local resources, and adaptability. While Buser consciously designs and organizes circularity, in the reconstruction of the Ruhr region’s churches, it emerges organically from the situation.
Proximity, Transformation, and Curation
The artistic engagement with these churches is based on three conceptual aspects:
The concept of proximity —or closeness—should be understood not only in a spatial sense but also as a political and social condition. This is not about romanticizing neighborhoods, but rather about reclaiming a space for action that fosters identity in an era marked by alienation.
“Public space and the space for art are fundamental to free and regime-critical thinking in the countries on the eastern side of the Iron Curtain. Moreover, they contribute significantly to creating a new, different reality during and after political transformation. This edition of Manifesta focuses on an important region in a country that lies at the heart of the European Union and is currently facing radical changes.” (Anda Rottenberg and Krzysztof Kościuczuk, one of the curatorial duos)
Manifesta 16 Ruhr does not seek to elevate these former churches to the status of monuments. Rather, the focus is on how these buildings can be reimagined and transformed into open, participatory platforms: as places where civic engagement, intercultural dialogue, and collective creation take place. Interdisciplinary artistic practices are of crucial importance in this transformation process and go beyond simple exhibition models.
Curation as a form of geopolitical intervention points to the historical context of the biennial itself: from the optimistic mood following the end of the Cold War and the politics of European unification to the current era of multiple crises—ranging from climate change and disinformation to rising populism and a war of aggression on the European continent that violates international law. As Europe grapples with the fractures of its past and the uncertainties of the future, the Ruhr region—fragmented, diverse, and in a state of flux—offers a space for shifts in cultural perspective.
“First and foremost, this means enabling residents and young artists to engage with these valuable architectural works.” (Hedwig Fijen, Founding Director of Manifesta)
A recent study by the ifo Institute shows that Germany’s population will shrink by about 10 percent by 2070. A decline of about 5 percent is already expected by 2050 (to approximately 79 million). At the same time, the working-age population will decline by about 12 percent, while the number of retirees will rise by around 20 percent. Regional forecasts for the Ruhr region predict a population decline of about 3 to 7 percent by 2050.
These developments are increasing the pressure to repurpose existing infrastructure. The transformation of church spaces thus points, beyond their specific use, to a fundamental change in urban public life. Repurposed churches occupy a special position: they combine historical significance, spatial quality, and social openness, which makes them “fourth places.”
Fourth Places
Projections by the Evangelical Church in Germany and the German Bishops’ Conference estimate that the number of church members will halve from around 45 million in 2017 to approximately 22 to 23 million by 2060.
Nevertheless, the Institute for Contemporary Church Architecture and Religious Art at Philipps University of Marburg will close in 2022. Since 1966, it has conducted interdisciplinary research on contemporary church architecture and religious art. Its focus has been on the analysis of sacred architecture, the interplay between theology and aesthetics, and the transformation and use of church spaces. The goal was to scientifically document current developments and provide impetus for practice and discussion within the church and the public sphere. The closure is a result of the discontinuation of funding by the Evangelical Church in Germany and is understandable given limited resources, but it does not reflect actual needs.
Based on the concept of the “third place” developed by Ray Oldenburg, an American sociologist and urban researcher, the once clearly distinct spheres of home, work, and informal public life have shifted in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Technological developments, changing work patterns, and urbanization processes are increasingly eroding the clear categorization of places. The “Fourth Place” emerges from this shift: work, consumption, leisure, and communication overlap and converge in digitally networked spaces such as coworking spaces, cultural centers, or transit areas.
This also changes social practices. While the “Third Place” is characterized by informal, peer-to-peer encounters in local spaces, the “Fourth Place” is defined by situational, often media-mediated interaction; a sense of belonging becomes variable, and stable communities give way to temporary, project-based connections. The “Fourth Place” refers less to a clearly definable location than to a constellation of uses. The repurposed church is such a “Fourth Place”: a hybrid social and cultural urban space that is not geared toward consumption and therefore enables aimless lingering, retreat, and encounters.
12 churches, 4 teams, 100+ artists
Manifesta 16 Ruhr takes up this development, specifically repurposing churches as hybrid spaces and highlighting their social potential.
Today, we need initiatives like the Heilig-Geist-Kunstraum in Essen and Manifesta 16 Ruhr, which demonstrate that, in the context of structural change, church spaces can not only be preserved but also reconfigured as “fourth places” that actively contribute to redefining urban public life.
The perspectives, possibilities, and hopes that the curatorial teams—together with over 100 artists—will develop in the twelve churches will be on display from June 21 through October 4, 2026, in Duisburg, Essen, Gelsenkirchen, and Bochum.
Further information on Manifesta 16 Ruhr can be found here.
This is an abridged version of the article. The unabridged original version first appeared in Restauro 4/26. The issue can be ordered here: https://shop.georg.de/
