Ruhr.2010 – Kulturhauptstadt Europas was the name of the campaign in Germany's

Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...

region that earned it recognition as a European Capital of Culture in 2010. This was the first time a region was considered, as

Essen Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Do ...

represented all 53 towns in the region in the application. Other cultural capitals were in the same year the Hungarian

Pécs Pécs ( , ; hr, Pečuh; german: Fünfkirchen, ; also known by other #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the countr ...

(Pécs2010) and

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

in Turkey, where similar campaigns were held.

Participating cities

The Ruhr.2010 campaign included the participation of all cities in the Ruhr area. Apart from Essen, which presented itself all year long, each of the other cities had one week to themselves in 2010, in which they became the reigning "Local Hero". The participating towns and cities were: :Alpen, Bergkamen,

Bochum Bochum ( , also , ; wep, Baukem) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 364,920 (2016), is the sixth largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) of the most populous German federal state of N ...

, Bönen,

Bottrop Bottrop () is a city in west-central Germany, on the Rhine–Herne Canal, in North Rhine-Westphalia. Located in the Ruhr industrial area, Bottrop adjoins Essen, Oberhausen, Gladbeck, and Dorsten. The city had been a coal-mining and rail cent ...

, Breckerfeld,

Castrop-Rauxel Castrop-Rauxel (), often simply referred to as Castrop by locals, is a former coal mining city in the eastern part of the Ruhr Area in Germany. Geography Castrop-Rauxel is located in Germany between Dortmund to the southeast, Bochum to the sou ...

, Datteln, Dinslaken,

Dorsten Dorsten (; Westphalian: ''Dössen'') is a town in the district of Recklinghausen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and has a population of about 75,000. Dorsten is situated on the western rim of Westphalia bordering the Rhineland. Its hist ...

Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...

Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in ...

, Ennepetal, Erkenschwick,

, Fröndenberg,

Gelsenkirchen Gelsenkirchen (, , ; wep, Gelsenkiärken) is the 25th most populous city of Germany and the 11th most populous in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia with 262,528 (2016) inhabitants. On the Emscher River (a tributary of the Rhine), it lies ...

, Gevelsberg,

Gladbeck Gladbeck () is a town in the district of Recklinghausen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Gladbeck is quite a young town, first recognised 21 July 1919 when it was given town rights. The town established itself around five farming villages, Br ...

Hagen Hagen () is the 41st-largest city in Germany. The municipality is located in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the south eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne and Volme (me ...

, Haltern am See, Hamm,

Hattingen Hattingen is a town in the northern part of the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. History Hattingen is located on the south bank of the River Ruhr in the south of the Ruhr region. The town was first mentioned in 1 ...

, Heiligenhaus, Herdecke, Herne, Herten, Holzwickede, Hünxe, Kamen, Kamp-Lintfort, Lünen, Marl, Moers,

Mülheim an der Ruhr Mülheim, officially Mülheim an der Ruhr () and also described as ''"City on the River"'', is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is located in the Ruhr Area between Duisburg, Essen, Oberhausen and Ratingen. It is home to many compa ...

, Neukirchen-Vluyn,

Oberhausen Oberhausen (, ) is a city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr Area, Germany, located between Duisburg and Essen ( ). The city hosts the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and its Gasometer Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Rout ...

Recklinghausen Recklinghausen (; Westphalian: ''Riäkelhusen'') is the northernmost city in the Ruhr-Area and the capital of the Recklinghausen district. It borders the rural Münsterland and is characterized by large fields and farms in the north and indust ...

, Rheinberg, Schermbeck, Schwelm, Schwerte, Selm, Sonsbeck, Sprockhövel, Unna, Voerde, Waltrop, Werne, Wesel, Wetter, Witten, Xanten

Team

The campaign team consisted of well-known personalities in the arts and political world: * Administrative directors of the Ruhr.2010 GmbH: **

Fritz Pleitgen Fritz Ferdinand Pleitgen (21 March 1938 – 15 September 2022) was a German television journalist and author. He was correspondent in Moscow, East Berlin and Washington. Pleitgen was a supporter of Willy Brandt's Ostpolitik. In 1988, Pleitgen b ...

: First administrative director **

Oliver Scheytt Oliver may refer to: Arts, entertainment and literature Books * ''Oliver the Western Engine'', volume 24 in ''The Railway Series'' by Rev. W. Awdry * '' Oliver Twist'', a novel by Charles Dickens Fictional characters * Ariadne Oliver ...

: Administrative director * Artistic directors: **

Karl-Heinz Petzinka Karl-Heinz Petzinka (born 7 January 1956) is a German architect, and Rector of the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. He is known for office buildings in Düsseldorf and Berlin. He converted historic industrial buildings, and was responsible for the se ...

: director for the theme "City of possibilities" ** Steven Sloane: director of "City of the Arts" ** Aslı Sevindim: director of "City of Cultures" ** Dieter Gorny: director "City of Creativity"

Literature

* Wolfgang Sykorra: ''Borbecker Halblang. Ein Schulprojekt der Kulturhauptstadt Europas Ruhr.2010.'' Essen: Edition Rainruhr 2011. * RUHR.2010 GmbH (Hrsg.): ''Kulturhauptstadt Europas RUHR.2010: Buch zwei''. Klartext Verlag, 2010, * Achim Nöllenheidt: ''RuhrKompakt: Der Kulturhauptstadt-Erlebnisführer''. Klartext Verlag, 2009, *Gudrun Norbisrath, Achim Nöllenheidt: ''Kultur an der Ruhr. Entdeckungsreise in die Kulturhauptstadt''. Klartext, Essen 2010, * Regionalverband Ruhr (Hrsg.): ''Unter freiem Himmel / Under the Open Sky''. Birkhäuser Verlag, 2010, * Regionalverband Ruhr (Hrsg.): ''Feldstudien/ Field studies''. Birkhäuser Verlag, 2010, * Gregor Gumpert, Ewald Tucai (Hrsg.): ''Ruhr.Buch: das Ruhrgebiet literarisch''. Dt. Taschenbuch-Verl., 2009,

External links

Official website (English)
Ruhr 2010 in Germany 21st century in North Rhine-Westphalia Cultural policies of the European Union {{Germany-stub