What will become of churches in the future? Manifesta 16 attempts to answer this question

Completed in 1961 to a design by architect Toni Hermanns, the Liebfrauenkirche replaced the city's neo-Gothic parish church, destroyed during the Second World War. Listed as a heritage building since 2005, it was deconsecrated in 2010 and converted into Kulturkirche Liebfrauen in 2013, an independent venue for exhibitions, performances and civic events. Its transformation from parish church to cultural institution makes it one of the clearest precedents for the questions explored by Manifesta 16.

Built between 1872 and 1877 to designs by August Rincklake to serve Essen's rapidly growing industrial population, St. Gertrud was severely damaged during the Second World War and rebuilt in 1955 by architect Emil Jung in a simplified contemporary form. Deconsecrated in 2025 following the decline of its congregation, the church is now set to become a centre for art, culture and education, embodying the transformation of ecclesiastical heritage at the heart of Manifesta 16.

Completed in 1965 to a design by Werner Pieper, Markuskirche is one of Essen's most significant examples of post-war Protestant church architecture. Defined by its square plan, copper-clad pyramidal roof and freestanding concrete bell tower, it reflects the restrained architectural language of Germany's post-war reconstruction. Still home to the local Protestant congregation in Bredeney, it joins Manifesta 16 as a testament to the religious and social legacy of the second half of the twentieth century.

For Manifesta 16, St. Bonifatius becomes the Ferdane Satır Tea Garden, a space dedicated to the memory of the gardens created by labour migrants who arrived in Germany after the Second World War. The project considers the garden as a domestic, social and political place: somewhere to put down roots, cultivate, cook and gather. The church is thus reframed through histories of migration, care and belonging, turning the religious building into a site of collective memory and everyday life.

Built between 1959 and 1960 to serve a rapidly growing post-war congregation, St. Anna reflects the expansion of the Ruhr's urban fabric and the region's subsequent demographic transformations. For Manifesta 16, the church hosts the installation Hatay Engin Music Hall, reimagining the building as a place for gathering and cultural production while connecting the history of religious architecture with that of the migrant communities that helped shape the region.

Built in the post-war years to serve one of Gelsenkirchen's expanding working-class neighbourhoods, St. Josef reflects the period of economic and urban growth that reshaped the Ruhr during reconstruction. Deconsecrated in 2023, it is now one of the key venues of Manifesta 16. For the biennial, its interior is transformed into a space for gathering and experimentation, exploring the future of religious buildings that have outlived their original function.

Built in the 1960s to serve Gelsenkirchen's expanding residential neighbourhoods, Thomaskirche belongs to the post-war generation of Protestant church architecture in the Ruhr. For Manifesta 16 it hosts Hava Güleç Living Room, a project that transforms the church into a domestic, community-oriented space inspired by the living room of a home, foregrounding hospitality, gathering and shared memory. The intervention explores how these buildings might acquire new public roles beyond their original religious function.

Built between 1949 and 1950 to a design by Otto Bartning, Gethsemane-Kirche is one of the renowned Notkirchen (emergency churches) erected after the Second World War to replace buildings destroyed by bombing. Constructed on the foundations of the former parish hall and incorporating masonry salvaged from the ruins, it stands as a symbol of Germany's post-war reconstruction. Listed as a protected monument since 1994, it joins Manifesta 16 as an example of an architecture born out of necessity and now confronted with new possibilities for collective use.

Completed in 1959 in the Altenbochum district, St. Anna exemplifies the wave of church construction that accompanied the Ruhr's post-war urban expansion. Conceived as both a place of worship and a community hub, it now reflects the demographic and religious changes that have reshaped the region. Its inclusion in Manifesta 16 places the building within a broader discussion about the future of modern religious architecture and its potential for new civic uses while preserving its historical and social significance.

Completed in 1932 to a design by Dominikus Böhm, with contributions from his son Gottfried Böhm, Christ-König is one of the Ruhr's most significant examples of modern church architecture. Having survived the Second World War, it has since been transformed into a Kunstkirche (art church), making it an emblematic example of cultural reuse. For Manifesta 16, the building becomes a starting point for reflecting on the relationship between religious heritage, historical memory and new civic uses. Its architecture also evokes the complexities of twentieth-century Germany, a theme explored through the biennial's artistic and curatorial interventions.

As one of the twelve venues of Manifesta 16, St. Ludgerus embodies the biennial's central theme: the future of post-war religious architecture in a region shaped by the transformation of its built heritage. Included in the exhibition programme This is not a church, the church becomes a space for reflecting on how buildings originally conceived for community life might acquire new civic and cultural roles.