Historic Background

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"The former ring shed of the Broich railway station was established around 1875. It has existed in its present form since 1918. In the years 1914-1918, the semi-circular, single-storey hall was converted for buses, i.e. as a motor vehicle hall. The brick, steel and glass construction, which has survived unchanged, is a now very rare example of this type of industrial building. The complex is significant for the history of man, working and production conditions."

Registration as a monument from 06 October 1988

The building, constructed around the turn of the century as part of the then Reichsbahn repair works in Speldorf, was used to house steam locomotives until the destruction of the turntable in front of it in 1943, which were supplied from the associated water tower. From the 1950s onwards, the roundhouse housed the central office of the federal railway buses until 1968, after which it was used only as a repair workshop by a haulage company based on the site.

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For the State Garden Show in 1992, the area between the Ruhr and the roundhouse was redesigned into a large park and the building was completely restructured and expanded in consultation with the monument protection authority.

Today, there are four theatre stages inside the building and in front of it an open-air stage at the site of the former turntable. The Ringlokschuppen Ruhr is a co-production venue for contemporary theatre, performance and dance in Mülheim. Regional and international artists, current social discourses and diverse art forms come together here. In addition to the large number of productions in the theatre space, the theatre initiates participatory art projects in urban space.