Bochum
179042
221189865
2008-06-23T12:56:30Z
81.245.115.21
{{Infobox German Location
|Art = City
|image_photo = Bergbaumuseum.jpg
|imagesize =
|image_caption = The [[German mining museum]] in Bochum.
|Wappen = Stadtwappen der kreisfreien Stadt Bochum.png
|Wappengröße =
|lat_deg = 51 | lat_min = 31 | lat_sec = 0
|lon_deg = 07 | lon_min = 28 | lon_sec = 0
|Karte =
|Lageplan =
|Lageplanbeschreibung =
|Bundesland = North Rhine-Westphalia
|Regierungsbezirk = Arnsberg
|Kreis = urban district
|Höhe =
|Fläche = 145.4
|area_metro =
|Einwohner = 376586
|pop_metro =
|Stand = 2006-10-31
|pop_ref =
|PLZ = 44701-44894
|PLZ-alt =
|Vorwahl = 0234, 02327
|Kfz = BO
|Website = [http://www.bochum.de/ www.bochum.de]
|Bürgermeister = Ottile Scholz
|Partei = SPD
}}'''Bochum''' ({{IPA2|ˈboːχʊm}}) is a city in [[North Rhine-Westphalia]], [[Germany]]. It is located in the [[Ruhr area]] between the cities of [[Essen, Germany|Essen]], [[Gelsenkirchen]], [[Herne]], [[Recklinghausen]], [[Dortmund]], [[Witten]] and [[Hattingen]].
==History==
The foundations of Bochum were started in the 9th century when [[Charlemagne]] set up a royal court at the junction of two important trade routes and it was first officially mentioned in 1041 by the name Cofbuokheim in a document of the archbishops of Cologne. Originaly it may have meant "Brookhome" or "Bacheim" later it seems to have gained the notorius reputation of "Bookhorn" or "Horn" "Book". In 1321 Count [[Engelbert II, Count of Mark|Engelbert II von der Marck]] granted Bochum a town charter, but the town remained insignificant until the 19th century, when [[coal]] mining and [[steel]] industry emerged in the Ruhr area, leading to the growth of the entire region. The population of Bochum increased tenfold between 1850 and 1890 while part of the [[Prussia]]n [[Province of Westphalia]].
[[Image:Bochum Ansicht 1840.jpg|left|220px|View of Bochum in 1840.|thumb]]
[[Image:Bergbaumuseum Bochum Pano.jpg|left|220px|Bochum 2007|thumb]]
In [[World War II]] the city was heavily bombed by British and American bombers. Nearly the whole inner circle of the city was destroyed and many thousands of citizens were killed. Bochum became part of the new state of North Rhine-Westphalia after the war.
Between 1960 and 1980, all the mines were closed. Other industries, such as [[automobile industry|car making]], compensated for the loss of jobs. The [[Opel Astra]] is assembled by [[General Motors]] at their [[factory|plant]] here. In 1965 the [[Ruhr University]] was opened, the first [[university]] in the Ruhr area and the first to be founded in Germany since [[World War II]].
In the course of a comprehensive community reform in 1975, [[Wattenscheid]], a formerly independent city, was integrated into the urban area of Bochum. An exerted local referendum against the integration failed.
In 2008 Nokia planned on closing down its production plant. The plans met heavy opposition and 20,000 people showed up for the protests.
==Main sights==
{{Expand-section|date=June 2008}}
[[Image:Bochum Probsteikirche.jpg|right|100px|Propsteikirche St. Peter and Paul|thumb]]
[[Image:Bochum Pauluskirche 080209 051 00.jpg|right|100px|Pauluskirche|thumb]]
[[Image:Bochum 070608 095 00.jpg|right|150px|City Hall|thumb]]
Main sights include:
*The Town Hall
*''Propsteikirche St. Peter und Paul'', the most ancient church of the city, built in 785-800 by [[Charlemagne]]. It was rebuilt in the 11th century but had to be reconstructed starting from 1547, after a fire in 1517, in late-Gothic style. The 68 m-high bell tower is one of the landmarks of Bochum. the interior include an 1175 baptismal font, the relic shrine of St. [[Perpetua]] and her slave Felicitas, and a hig altar with a 1352 ''Crucifix''.
*''Pauluskirche'', the main Protestant church of the city. It was built in the 1650 with donations from Northern Europe.
*''Christuskirche''.
*the neo-Gothic ''Marienkirche'' (1868-1872).
*Church of St. Vincent (c. 1000). Originally an example of Ottonian architecture, it was rebuilt in Romanesque style, and later turned into a Gothic edifice. In 1905 a neo-Gothic section was added. It houses a precious Baroque altar (1699) and a 16th century organ.
*Blankenstein Castle, built in the 13th century by Count [[Adolf I of Mark]]. Today the gate and a tower remain.
*Zeiss Planetary
*Jahrhunderthalle, with the musical [[Starlight Express]] (opening show in [[1988]])
Two [[castle]]s from the [[Middle Ages]] survive on the northern banks of the [[Ruhr]] river. Other points of interest include the German Mining Museum and the nostalgic Train Museum in the borough of [[Dahlhausen]].
Bochum has its own brewery, Moritz Fiege which produces pilsner, a low alcohol pilsner & hell style beers.
==Sport==
The [[football (soccer)|football]] club [[VfL Bochum]] was 8th of the First Division ([[Fußball-Bundesliga|1. Bundesliga]]) in the season of 2006/07. However, they are struggling against relegation from day 1 because of limited financial means due to the strong competition with the neighbourhood teams [[Borussia Dortmund]] and [[FC Schalke 04]] of [[Gelsenkirchen]].
== Transport ==
Bochum is connected to the [[Autobahn]] network by the [[Bundesautobahn 40|A 40]], [[Bundesautobahn 43|A 43]] and [[Bundesautobahn 44|A 44]] autobahns. It has a [[Bochum Hauptbahnhof|central station]] situated on the line from [[Duisburg]] to [[Dortmund]], connecting the city to the long-distance network of [[Deutsche Bahn]] as well as to the [[S-Bahn]] network of [[Rhine-Ruhr]].
Local service is carried out by the [[BOGESTRA]], a joint venture between the cities of Bochum and Gelsenkirchen. There is a single underground [[Stadtbahn]] line connecting the University of Bochum to [[Herne, Germany|Herne]], and several tram lines connecting to Gelsenkirchen and [[Witten]]. Public transport in the city is carried out according to the fare system of the [[Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr|VRR]] transport association.
== Educational Institutions ==
=== Secondary Educational Institutions ===
* [[Ruhr University]] founded 1965
* [[Hochschule Bochum - Bochum University of Applied Sciences]]
* TFH Georg Agricola
* Evangelische FH Rheinland-Westfalen-Lippe
* Schauspielschule Bochum
* Fachhochschule des Bundes der Sozialversicherung, Abteilung Knappschaft-Bahn-See
=== Schools ===
There are 61 [[primary school]]s, 9 [[Hauptschule]]("general schools") and 14 [[special school]]s.
11 [[grammar school]]s:
* Albert-Einstein-Schule
* Goethe-Schule Bochum
* [[Graf-Engelbert-Schule]]
* Gymnasium am Ostring
* Heinrich-von-Kleist-Schule
* Hellweg-Schule
* Hildegardis-Schule
* Lessing-Schule
* Märkische Schule
* Schiller-Schule
* Theodor-Körner-Schule
5 [[comprehensive school]]s:
* Erich Kästner-Gesamtschule Schule
* Heinrich-Böll-Gesamtschule
* Maria Sibylla Merian-Gesamtschule
* Willy-Brandt-Gesamtschule und die
* [[Matthias-Claudius-Schulen]]
8 [[Realschule]]:
* Anne-Frank-Schule
* Annette-von-Droste-Hülshoff-Schule
* Franz-Dinnendahl-Schule
* Hans-Böckler-Schule
* Helene-Lange-Schule
* Hugo-Schultz-Schule
* Pestalozzi-Schule
* Realschule Höntrop
* Freie-Schule Bochum (with primary grade)
Furthermore, there are two [[Waldorf school]]s(private schools):
* Rudolf Steiner Schule Bochum
* Widar Schule Wattenscheid
==Twin towns==
Bochum's [[Town twinning|twin towns]] are:
* {{flagicon|UK}} [[Sheffield]], [[United Kingdom]], since 1950
* {{flagicon|Spain}} [[Oviedo]], [[Spain]], since 1980
* {{flagicon|Ukraine}} [[Donetsk]], [[Ukraine]], since 1987
* {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Nordhausen]], [[Germany]], since 1990
* {{flagicon|People's Republic of China}} [[Xuzhou]], [[People's Republic of China]], since 1994
== People affiliated with Bochum ==
*[[Alfred Keller]], a Luftwaffe general during the Second World War
*[[Andrei Osterman]], Russian Statesman
*[[Wolfgang Clement]], former minister of economics and work
*[[Norbert Lammert]], President (Speaker) of the German Parliament, [[Bundestag]]
*[[Herbert Grönemeyer]], singer, wrote a popular song about Bochum in 1984.
*[[Frank Goosen]], writer, wrote an epic story taking place in Bochum in the 1980s and 90's (''liegen lernen'')
*[[Otto Schily]], former minister of the interior
*[[Mark Warnecke]], breaststroke swimmer, won the world title at age 35
*[[André Tanneberger]] also known as '''ATB''', electronic music producer
==See also==
* [[Bochum-Hamme]]
==External links==
{{commons|Bochum}}
*[http://www.bochum.de Official city website]
*[http://sites-of-memory.de/main/location.html#bochum Memorials in Bochum at sites-of-memory.de]
* [http://www.ngw.nl/int/dld/b/bochum.htm Heraldry of Bochum]
{{Hanseatic League}}
{{Germany districts north rhine-westphalia}}
[[Category:Cities in North Rhine-Westphalia]]
[[Category:Bochum]]
[[ar:بوخوم]]
[[bg:Бохум]]
[[ca:Bochum]]
[[cs:Bochum]]
[[da:Bochum]]
[[de:Bochum]]
[[et:Bochum]]
[[es:Bochum]]
[[eo:Bochum]]
[[fr:Bochum]]
[[id:Bochum]]
[[is:Bochum]]
[[it:Bochum]]
[[he:בוכום]]
[[ku:Bochum]]
[[lb:Bochum]]
[[lv:Bohuma]]
[[lt:Bochumas]]
[[hu:Bochum]]
[[nl:Bochum]]
[[ja:ボーフム]]
[[no:Bochum]]
[[nn:Bochum]]
[[oc:Bochum]]
[[nds:Baukem]]
[[pl:Bochum]]
[[pt:Bochum]]
[[ro:Bochum]]
[[rm:Bochum]]
[[ru:Бохум]]
[[simple:Bochum]]
[[sk:Bochum]]
[[fi:Bochum]]
[[sv:Bochum]]
[[tr:Bochum]]
[[vo:Bochum]]
[[zh:波鸿]]