Church in Essen to become home for art academy. Summer School for Political and Playful Education takes over from Corpus Christi.
In Essen, in the northern part of the city centre, the Church of St. Gertrud will become the new home of the University of Fine Arts. The Diocese of Essen has sold the church. The congregation is moving into the cathedral. Art is now being created in the church.
Essen city centre to become new home for the University of Fine Arts
The University of Fine Arts in Essen has been searching for a new location for a year and a half. Until now, the school has been based in the former Phoenix Ironworks in Kupferdreh. However, the city of Essen has purchased the site and will build a new comprehensive school there. The university therefore needs to relocate and had already considered several locations. But then Vice President Prof. Dr. Daniel Lorberg finally took a look at the Church of St. Gertrud. Actually, a church isn't really an option for the university: Church buildings usually don't have heating, they're listed buildings, and aren't really suitable, he explains in an interview with Radio Essen city reporter Anna Bartl. Things are a little different at St. Gertrud Church.
As early as the winter semester of 2025, the approximately 400 students of the University of Fine Arts will be studying and working in the former St. Gertrud Church. The then empty nave will become a studio for painters, photographers, and especially sculptors. The space has enormous ceiling heights, offering plenty of space in all directions. The church also houses a large parish hall, even with a stage. There are also many other smaller rooms that the university can use. The university also rents space in the building opposite for workshops and laboratories. This was formerly the site of the "Brecklinghaus" leather goods store.
Northern Essen city centre becomes a place for art and students
The City of Essen is very pleased with the new acquisition. The university, with its students from many different countries, will bring even more life to the northern city centre. Added to this are the new offerings for the community and the arts scene. Allbau is building the new registry office right around the corner at Weberplatz. Not far away at Kennedyplatz, the city is building the new central library. The new library is scheduled to be completed in the fall. A former discotheque on Rottstraße is also being converted into a new theater. All of this is causing many changes in the city center. Last year, 13 percent of the shops were vacant, a representative of Essen Marketing explained in response to an inquiry from Radio Essen. Many people won't notice this because many buildings are still being renovated. But once these renovations are completed, the city center will have a completely different look. The university will work together with the many other institutions in the city center, with the Church of the Holy Cross, with the theaters, and many others, thereby further strengthening democracy, explains Mayor Thomas Kufen in an interview with Radio Essen city reporter Anna Bartl.
Parish in Essen gives up church
In Essen, the parish of St Gertrud is moving to the cathedral and the Church of the Resurrection. The congregation has known for some time that its church is to be sold. The parish has also been getting smaller and smaller for several years. This is why the diocese of Essen is giving up more and more churches. The faithful celebrate the last Holy Mass with Ruhr Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck on 22 June. The church is thus desecrated. All sacred objects, such as the altar and candlesticks, are taken to the cathedral. There, the congregation has already found a new location in the newly renovated Altfrid Hall. The numerous social services offered by Caritas, such as the soup kitchen and the day centre for the homeless, the FamilyTABLE and the language courses, are also moving to other locations. The Essener Tafel food bank has also found a new location in the Old Catholic parish from 1 July. The soup kitchen, for example, is moving to the Kolping House on Steeler Straße. Cathedral provost and parish priest of St Gertrud, Dr Michael Dörnemann, is sad on the one hand because the parish is giving up the church, but also happy that an art college is now moving in, he explains in an interview with Radio Essen city reporter Anna Bartl.
The Church of St. Gertrud, or TRUDI as we affectionately call it, is a beautiful place and has always been a meeting place. "That's exactly what TRUDI should remain as the new heart of the Creative.Quartier City Essen.Nord, and thus shine far beyond Essen as a unique art, culture, and event venue in the best company," says Professor Dr. Daniel Lorberg, overall project manager for the Creative Campus and Vice President for University Development at the HBK Essen. He further explains that the church, which has always been carefully maintained, requires little modification to be used directly alongside the surrounding buildings as a university location and Creative Campus. "That's why we don't have to endure a long renovation phase before we get started," Lorberg continues.
Presumably starting in July 2025, there will be numerous opportunities to re-invent the space in creative ways. These include the participatory project DOPPELHAUS by artist Pau Holtkamp and the OPEN CALL SUMMER SCHOOL FOR POLITICAL AND PLAYFUL EDUCATION 2025 by Transurban as part of the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games. Current information on this and much more is available online at trudi.nrw.
The parish of St. Gertrud will bid farewell to its parish church in June: On Thursday, June 19, the blessing altar for the Corpus Christi procession will be erected in front of St. Gertrud for the last time. On Sunday, June 22, Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck, together with Father Dörnemann and the congregation, will celebrate the last Holy Mass in the church. This farewell marks a significant turning point in the history of the Parish of St. Gertrud and a new beginning for the cultural landscape of the City of Essen.
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