A festival that touches the heart

Where does one begin to tell the story of Geistesblitz? Perhaps with the elderly lady who spent hours at the town hall, wandering from stall to stall with such interest that she could hardly tear herself away. She said goodbye to me with the words: “This is absolutely brilliant – you simply must do this every year now!”

The young people who came by on their e-scooters and got stuck playing with the Lego bricks. Visitors returning from the guided tour of the Haus des Wissens building site, who said it was amazing to have gained such an insight and to be able to ask all their questions. Adults who were making plant-based dye from red cabbage and painting with it right up until 10 pm. Lecture theatres that remained full well past closing time because the discussions were so lively. Children’s eyes sparkling and faces beaming during the experiments on the THGA campus.

Academics who have spoken of how enjoyable and rewarding it was for them to share their research with the wider community in this way.

 

Showcasing and experiencing diversity

On 25 September 2026, the first cross-institutional knowledge festival took place in Bochum. Over 1,500 visitors gathered at eight venues featuring more than 40 interactive stations to experiment, discuss and try out new things together.

The city centre was divided into five themed zones: ‘From Yesterday Towards Tomorrow’ (Blue Square), ‘Diversity Meets Sustainability’ (Town Hall forecourt and Town Hall), ‘AI, but Social’ (City Library), ‘Overcoming Loneliness and Boundaries’ (Kofabrik Community Hall) and ‘STEM for the Future’ (Georg Agricola University of Applied Sciences and the German Mining Museum). The programme ranged from talks, exhibitions, experiments, craft activities, construction site and city tours, discussion sessions and (VR) simulations to DJ sets, a science slam and moon-watching sessions.

One young visitor, who happened to drop by by chance, left with the impression: “It was very international, you really took a lot away from it.” The festival’s aims – to bring people together, to bring science in all its diversity to life, and to overcome boundaries – have clearly been realised.

 

 

A strong network comes to the fore

Or you could tell the story from the organisational perspective: months of planning, fine-tuning and putting our heads together. This would not have been possible without our fantastic knowledge network in Bochum. Bochum’s universities and research institutions, the City of Bochum, the adult education centre (vhs), the municipal library, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK), Bochum Marketing, the City Archives, the Planetarium, civil society organisations and many more – absolutely everyone got involved.

The overall verdict afterwards remains positive too. One of the co-organisers sums it up: “That was one of the best events of the year.”

 

Creating space for something new

Geistesblitz was the first knowledge festival in Bochum. It opened up space for interaction and co-creation – for innovative ways of sharing knowledge outside the lecture theatre. It was brought to life by the people.
Lisa König (Managing Director of UniverCity Bochum e.V.) reports: “When lots of different target groups come together, something truly magical happens. Everyone works together. Innovation emerges. A kind of community is formed.” The lively participation has shown us that we are on the right track.

/
8

  • Visitors watch in fascination as 3D printing by THALESruhr (Bochum University of Applied Sciences) is demonstrated live

  • Visitors on their way to a tour around the construction site of the House of Knowledge

  • Human-robot interaction at the Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy (MPI) in the municipal library Bochum

  • Science Slam on the topic of artificial intelligence at municipal library

  • People are making bracelets with Vereint Bochum e.V. and talking about loneliness

  • A woman tries on an ageing suit from EvH Bochum

  • Enthusiastic participants out and about in the city centre streets

  • Science show by ‘Die Physikanten’ on Town Hall Square

  • Architectural model of the House of Knowledge

  • A musical finale with DJ sets from Cute Community Radio

  • Art installation from the exhibition “Qunst* – Artistic works from and with queer perspectives” by students at EvH Bochum

  • Visitors of all ages are marvelling at RUBy, the robot dog developed by the SFB 1683 research group at the RUB

  • The Mining Museum’s headframe is illuminated by Geistesblitz

  • Graphic designer Helge Windisch captures the activities of Geistesblitz in images

Quote from one of the participating institutions in our network:

“I’d definitely want to take part again! Personally, I think the underlying philosophy behind ‘Geistesblitz’ is worthy of support and important. For our institution, it was a brilliant opportunity to showcase ourselves, and we’ve already been gathering ideas on what we’d like to do differently next time (if it takes place again).
I think ‘Geistesblitz’ could become a brilliant, regular city festival that could help to further establish the city of Bochum as a centre of science.”