The Ruhr Festivals have been taking place in Recklinghausen since 1947 and are a permanent fixture in the German theatrical scene. The Festival Theatre from 1965 was redesigned and expanded into a modern theatre and congress building by the architects Auer, Weber and Partner in 1999. The renovation was awarded the German Architecture Prize of Ruhrgas AG in 2001. In the foyer, a bust honours the fellow-founder and first theatre manager Otto Burrmeister.