The Düsseldorf architects Petzinka Pink awoke one of most impressive industrial monuments of the Ruhr Valley from its slumber, turning this Sleeping Beauty into the venue of the 'Ruhr Triennial' cultural festival.

The architects presented the festival director Gerhard Mortier (below, left with Dr. Michael Vesper, NRW minister for culture) with an extraordinary and challenging venue. This feat was achieved with the minimum of encroachment into the character of the classified historical monument, intelligently using the existing infrastructure as the basis of the stage technology and adding a futuristic extension as the entrance and foyer.