Photo: Cesar von Meissen
Once a Benedictine monastery – now an artists' hub
Anyone strolling through the tranquil Ruhr Valley in Essen's south today would hardly suspect that behind the walls of the Abbey Werden Over twelve centuries of history slumber here – while at the same time young artists hone their skills for the future. Folkwang University of the Arts Its headquarters are located here, in a Baroque building whose foundations were laid as early as 799. At that time, Saint Ludger founded the settlement Werden, and established a Benedictine abbey in its center, whose crypt still preserves his remains. It is said that some students involuntarily speak more softly upon first entering the crypt – as if Ludger were still listening.
Demolition with fire
The abbey has seen its fair share of history. Twice it burned down, and twice it rose from the ashes, greater and more magnificent. Whether this was divine intervention or a medieval "demolition by fire" is a matter of ongoing debate among historians and enthusiasts. In any case, what remains is a fascinating architectural patchwork: Carolingian traces deep below, Romanesque arches above, a cloister with a late Gothic flair – a building like a history book that was never quite finished.
Photo: Cesar von Meissen
Rococo gatehouse with faun mask
Between 1750 and 1800, the then Prince-Abbot finally commissioned a residence that could hardly have been more clearly in the style of absolutism. His residence was to be as tall as the church – an architectural jab intended to symbolize his secular power and which still elicits smiles today. But no sooner was the Rococo gatehouse finished, its faun mask above the portal cheekily sticking its tongue out at visitors, than secularization struck. In 1803, the monks had to leave on Napoleon's orders. The abbey was history – at least as a monastery.
Photo: Cesar von Meissen
Prison of the French and Prussians
Instead of being demolished, the building was converted into a prison. The French started, the Prussians continued. A utilitarian building, the so-called Prussian Wing, was added. The first cloth factory was established in the former dairy – precisely where the cafeteria, drama school, and physical theatre are located today. Up to 700 prisoners worked here in the 19th century, carving, sewing, shoemaking, and blacksmithing. A place where cells once stood is now a dance hall – this very thought demonstrates how much space and time can transform.
From the Navy to the University of the Arts
During World War II, the German Navy used the empty buildings as a naval vocational school until bombs caused extensive damage. Then came Folkwang. In 1946, the school moved in and filled the old walls with the arts: music, movement, and language. Two years later, the School of Applied Arts followed, and suddenly sculptors, photographers, designers, and musicians were working side by side. In the 1980s, careful restoration of the historical structure began—a process that continues to this day. Only one relic from its time as a prison remains: the former prison chapel—now the Pina Bausch Theatre. A place where strictness once reigned has now become a stage for poetic dance—a transformation that seems to allow the place to breathe a sigh of relief.
Folkwang Campus Werden
The surrounding buildings are also listed as historical monuments. Neukircher Mill (White Mill) houses the musical theatre programs, while the Wesselswerth campus is home to jazz musicians and the Institute for Computer Music and Electronic Media – including state-of-the-art studios that are unparalleled in Germany. And most recently, a new library building was constructed starting in 2008, generously funded and equipped with one of the most extensive musicological collections in the country.
The abbey (Werden) is not only a place of teaching and learning today, but above all, a place of stories. Film crews appreciate this location as a backdrop – "Little Sharks," among others, was filmed here. Visitors are amazed at how quickly one can travel from Essen's main train station in the city center to this other world in the Ruhr Valley near (Baldeneysee) by S-Bahn (S6). A world where past and present do not contradict each other, but rather inspire one another. The herb and medicinal plant garden (Werdener) is also located here. And while students tune their instruments or rehearse pieces with the windows open, it sometimes seems as if Ludgerus himself is nodding in satisfaction. After all, his abbey lives on – albeit differently, more colorfully, more loudly, but preserved and full of a future.
