Museums and Museum Buildings. Observations on Urbanity in the Ruhr Region – Lecture by Barbara Welzel and Wolfgang Sonne at Villa Hügel
As part of the exhibition “21 x 21. Die RuhrKunstMuseen auf dem Hügel” the Krupp Foundation invites you to a lecture titled “Museums and Museum Buildings. Observations on Urbanity in the Ruhr Region” on July 8 at 6:30 p.m. at Villa Hügel. The lecture, presented by Prof. Dr. Barbara Welzel and Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Sonne, explores the origins of the Ruhr area’s rich cultural tradition. It retraces exemplary museum histories, analyzes prominent museum buildings in terms of their architecture and urban location, and highlights the importance of these buildings for the identity of the cities.
The Ruhr region has the highest density of cultural institutions and buildings in the world. This is surprising given that the area lacks traditional residences with opera and art collection traditions. It is also unexpected because industrialization is primarily associated with factories and workers’ settlements. Yet it was precisely this industrialization that led to the emergence of an urban middle class in the growing cities, which in turn gave rise to cultural institutions such as theaters, concert halls, and museums. More than that: museums are integral to the European city – there is likely no large or small European city without one. This makes it all the more important to examine the urban placement of museums.
Barbara Welzel is Professor of Art History and Cultural Education at TU Dortmund and the academic director of Campus Stadt at Dortmunder U. Her research focuses on medieval urban culture, architectural heritage, and issues of cultural participation. Wolfgang Sonne is Professor of History and Theory of Architecture at TU Dortmund, academic director of the Architecture Archive of North Rhine-Westphalia, and deputy director of the German Institute of Urban Design. He has taught in Zurich and Glasgow, and has published numerous works on architectural and urban history.
Admission is free. Registration is required.