Railway Museum

Bochum, Germany

Photo © Stefan Müller

Drawing © Max Dudler

Museums + Galleries

Architects: Max Dudler

Location: Dr-.C.-Otto-Straße 191, 44879 Bochum, Germany
Year: 2019
Client: Stadt Bochum
Building period: 2017−2019
Volume: GFA 820m²
Procedure: Competition 2015, 1st Prize

Founded in 1977, the Bochum Railway Museum is one of the largest museums of its kind in Germany. Its historical railway vehicles and listed buildings bear witness to a rich history of technological progress. The new building provides the museum with a clear entrance configuration that directs visitors into the expansive outdoor area. A single-storey brick structure with a dominant, tower-like entrance front, it blends into the surroundings as a sculptural body and, together with the preceding museum platform, generates a form that echoes the dynamism of the surrounding railway tracks. The old railway buildings and the heavy industry of the Ruhr region find resonance in the concrete, steel and clinker brick, which carry it forward in a contemporary architectural expression. The monolithic tower serves as both a foyer and a landmark with a signalling function, directing the view into the narrow, elongated space featuring the first museum exhibits, and opening out onto the tracks via a large window. Exposed concrete lends the interior an industrial character, while the visible technical fixtures emphasise the linear flow of space. In reference to the wood of old railway sleepers, all of the integrated furnishings are made of oak.