WuppertalFrom underdog to high-flyer

A ride on the suspension railway is one thing above all: a journey through the rich cultural history of this still young city, which is something of an underdog among Germany's cultural metropolises and which is supported by the people who live here and who have always been courageous. They are tradition-conscious and at the same time visionary - and sometimes a little crazy. It is people like Marie Haus who shape Wuppertal and whose spirit of optimism resonates in every word. The co-partner of the Visiodrom in the old gas boiler says of herself and her male colleagues: "We are eight crazy people who love their city."

That's why they launched one of the first immersive exhibition projects in Germany in 2021, a visually stunning art adventure that bridges the gap between industrial history and state-of-the-art technology. The eight crazy people deliberately did not realise their vision in Cologne, Berlin or Hamburg. But in their home town of Wuppertal. Because: "You can make a difference in Wuppertal. Here you can make a difference, change things and be part of something," says Marie Haus, enthusing about the creative opportunities that are available in this seemingly provincial city.

And a lot has happened in this gas holder. The shows and associated exhibitions, for example on Claude Monet, have so far attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors, and on peak days around one and a half thousand guests are enthralled by the immersive 360-degree experience. Leonardo da Vinci is currently just as popular with the public. His works will be set in motion on the interior walls of the giant until 2025.

If the annals are to be believed, this has always been the case in the 95-year history of the city at the gates of the Rhineland. The people in charge of the Von der Heydt Museum are well aware of this. "Civic engagement has a long tradition in Wuppertal," says the director of the renowned museum, Roland Mönig. "Without this commitment, the Von der Heydt Museum would never have been created and its collection would not have become one of the richest and most exciting in the whole of Germany."

Markus and Thomas Riedel are a good example of this special blend of courage, commitment and love of their homeland. Together, Thomas, founder of a leading company for radio link technology, which is used at major events such as the Olympic Games and Formula 1 races, and his brother Markus Riedel, who has been in the music business for a long time, opened the Open Ground techno club right next to the redesigned main railway station at the end of 2023. According to the national scene, this "sound miracle" is currently not only the hippest, but also one of the best clubs in the whole of Germany. So again, not Cologne, Berlin or Hamburg. But Wuppertal. The city with the famous suspension railway.

Meanwhile, its bright blue carriages continue to glide in an endless loop over the Wupper valley, crossing the traffic jam on the 46 motorway at Sonnborner Kreuz and floating past the magnificent villa districts that are reminiscent of the time when Wuppertal was one of the most important industrial regions in Germany. What has long been part of everyday life for the people of Wuppertal is still a minor sensation for tourists.

In one of the smaller, also magnificently decorated halls, named after the composers Offenbach, Mendelssohn, Mahler and Hindemith, a performance for boys and girls of kindergarten age is taking place. The fairy tale of Cinderella is on the programme, and the young concert-goers sit on the floor and listen spellbound to the sounds of the flute and clarinet. But the musicians of the symphony orchestra also clearly enjoy their young audience's curiosity. They themselves like to refer to the Stadthalle as their "living room", but also regularly perform in the pretty opera house, a 1950s gem near the Adlerbrücke suspension railway station. Together with the Theater am Engelsgarten, these three theatres form something of a stage trio in Wuppertal with a programme that is as diverse as the city and its citizens. From quiet sounds to big shows, from exciting new works to acclaimed rediscoveries of long-forgotten works, everything is on offer here. Always at the centre: the anticipation of a shared experience and an open-minded approach to art. General Music Director Patrick Hahn also reports that he was welcomed to Wuppertal with "open arms, lots of goodwill, enthusiasm and warmth", says the almost thirty-year-old, who came to the Bergisches Land from Austria in the 2021/22 season. "Since then, I have experienced inspiring encounters and exhilarating musical moments here every day. Want to know what a spirit of optimism sounds like? Come to Wuppertal!"

Tony Cragg and Pina Bausch came to stay in Wuppertal back in the 1970s. He, an internationally renowned sculptor from Great Britain. She, one of the most important choreographers of her time, who could have gone to Cologne, Berlin or Hamburg. But the Solingen-born dancer made a conscious decision in favour of Wuppertal. Here, more than a decade after the charismatic artist's death, her progressive spirit of dance lives on. On stage as well as at open-air happenings, in which amateur dance enthusiasts from the city always take part.

The French dancer and choreographer Boris Charmatz took over the artistic direction and artistic director of the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch in August 2022. It was an offer that the man who, in his own words, loves the avant-garde, could no longer and would not turn down. "I had such wonderful conversations with people from the worlds of culture and politics that showed me how much energy there is here," he recalls. And so, after much hesitation, he agreed to turn his back on his then adopted home of Brussels and decided in favour of Wuppertal. Knowing full well that it would of course be a challenge to keep Pina Bausch's legacy alive while at the same time combining it with his own art. "I can do that with a wonderful company." He now also greatly appreciates the audience and the "City in Motion". And finally, his success proves him right. Charmatz's production "Liberté Cathédrale", a collaboration with his French structure Terrain, was voted a production of the year 2023/24 by the magazine "tanz". As in 1978, rehearsals will take place in the legendary old cinema hall of the Lichtburg and in the opera house, one of several venues for the international company. The building from the 1950s, whose mirrored foyer dates back to the time of its construction, is filled with tense anticipation this morning. The revival of "Viktor", a piece from 1986, is about to begin - and every step and every movement is to resemble those from back then, when Pina Bausch herself was still directing. It is her legacy that has also attracted dancers such as Emily Castelli to the Bergisch region, who feels a little reminded of her home in Palermo. The young Italian dancer, who is still new to the ensemble and has already worked in Essen, feels so at home in Wuppertal "because it is more cosmopolitan".