Impressions: Our Volunteer Explores Open House Essen

27/09/2024

Marianna Nõmmik, a volunteer from Open House Tallinn, visited Open House Essen at the beginning of September. Here are her impressions of the event and her thoughts on why one should participate as a volunteer.

 

I’ve always been interested in art and architecture, but work and family have been my top priorities. When Open House Tallinn first started, I saw the information and even signed up as a volunteer, but it wasn’t until last fall that I actually got the chance to volunteer. I began to feel that I needed to make time for myself to do something that truly interests me and brings me joy.

Why is it worth participating in Open House?

When living and moving through urban spaces, we often don’t notice the buildings that surround us. Sometimes, we don’t even know the history of the buildings near our homes or what’s happening inside them. As a result, the urban environment can feel unfamiliar. This event helps bridge that gap, making the city feel more like home. During the tours, you might hear stories that are hard or even impossible to find elsewhere. And on top of that, the event is free for participants!

Open House Tallinn and Tartu volunteers also have the opportunity to apply for the volunteer exchange program within Open House Europe. That’s why I decided to go see how Open House is held in other countries and cities. It’s a great way to exchange experiences, see how things are done differently elsewhere, and view a city in a way a typical tourist wouldn’t—getting access to places that aren’t always open to the public.

When applying, I could choose between several cities, including Stockholm and Prague, but also Essen (a city in western Germany). I chose Essen because I had already visited the other cities multiple times, and Essen was something new and completely unfamiliar to me.

In Essen, the theme for Open House was “Changes in the Ruhr Area. Buildings. People. Dialogue.” Twenty-five years ago, one of Germany’s largest coal mines and coking plants shut down. It was decided that the industrial buildings and complexes would be preserved and transformed into cultural spaces. The building facades were finished in a uniform style reminiscent of red brick, and the metal structures were painted reddish-brown. Contemporary sculptures and installations were added in various places. Over the years, two museums, an art gallery, a summer swimming pool, cafés, a winter ice rink, and a sightseeing train have opened on the former factory grounds. Twenty-five years ago, the area was barren, covered in slag gravel. Now, everything is green, with park forests and comfortable pathways designed throughout. The entire project involves transforming an area of 800 km². Not everything was a success story, though; there were some failures. For example, a Ferris wheel placed on the coking plant site had to be shut down because maintaining it became too expensive. But work continues, and the city faces new challenges. With the declining number of religious believers, a new issue is repurposing empty churches.

At Open House Essen, there were volunteers and representatives from Vilnius, Stockholm, Prague, Bilbao, and Tallinn. We took part in tours of the museum, the district government building, the social and youth center, the university, a Catholic church that had held its last service the day before, a bus tour of the former industrial area, and artist and jeweler workshops. As part of Open House Essen, there was also a public discussion about the future of church buildings, a woodworking masterclass for children and youth, and a small concert in the workshop spaces. The tours were held in German with English translation.

 

Open House Tallinn is part of the Open House Europe collaboration project, co-funded by the European Union.