Bochum

City in the Ruhr district in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, 40 km/25 mi northeast of Düsseldorf; population (1995) 400,500. Industries include metallurgy, brewing, food-processing, and the manufacture of vehicles, chemicals, and electrical goods.

There is a fortress, a 16th-century church, a 10th-century church which contains medieval murals, and the City Theatre, known for its avant-garde and classical productions. In the mid-19th century the city became the centre of a rich coalmining district. In 1960, after the mines closed, a major car plant (Opel) was opened to provide work for displaced miners. There is a school of mining and a mining museum. The city, almost completely destroyed by the end of 1945, rebuilt its centre as one of the first pedestrian precincts in Germany. Ruhr University (1970) has a campus to the southeast of the city which contains an important collection of art and antiquities, and also a botanic garden.