St. Boniface exhibition

On April 1 at 6 p.m., approximately 120
visitorsOrganized by: Department of Urban Development and Urban Planning, with support from the municipal neighborhood management team for Forst / Driescher Hof, LebensWeGe, the Mataréstraße Garden Group, and the St. Katharina

ParishWhat exactly is a “fourth place”? It is a space that retains its liturgical function but is supplemented by new ideas for everyday life. Ms. Schwarz from the Department of Urban Development and Urban Planning of the City of Aachen explained the significance of such a place within the overall concept of the “Zukunft Forst” neighborhood vision for Aachen-Forst. Under the motto “In the Heart of Forst,” the goal is to create new, public meeting places to promote social cohesion in the neighborhood.

Dr. Manuela Klauser from the University of Bonn offered a fascinating insight into her research project TRANSARA, which focuses on the transformation of sacred spaces. Numerous potential new uses are possible, as demonstrated by the wide variety of examples presented.
In a subsequent panel discussion, ideas for a possible hybrid usage concept for church spaces were discussed. Prof. Heike Matcha and Louis Kirch from Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Bernhard Stenmans from the Diocese of Aachen, Pastor Goldammer from the St. Katharina parish, Sabine Mensger-Jacobs from the Unterforst working group, and Isabel Maier from the city’s historic preservation office exchanged numerous ideas under the moderation of City Planning Director Frauke Burgdorff. Ms. Mensger-Jacobs emphasized that further development requires concrete support for projects already underway and future development prospects from both the Diocese and the city. “We were asked to show what we can do—and we delivered!” The program also

featured the premiere of a short film by producer Bernd Weishaupt. Stunning footage of the building, lively events, and ideas from the neighborhood gave viewers a sense of the place’s atmosphere. They showcased the numerous ideas and concepts that have already emerged here. Impressions of the church services, the students’ design processes, and the garden group’s dedication sparked reflection on future uses.

Afterward, visitors had the opportunity to view both the Baukultur NRW exhibition and the students’ work. Under the theme “From Sacred Space to Urban Space,” students from Aachen University of Applied Sciences engaged deeply with the site and developed concepts that sensitively addressed the requirements of historic preservation.
Students from Munich University of Applied Sciences also engaged with the building. They were allowed to approach the design task with greater freedom. This led to entirely new perspectives on the site and the building fabric.

The presentation from the event can be accessed here.

April 1–29, Wednesdays and Fridays starting at 4 p.m. Production
: Bernd Weishaupt

In addition to the exhibitions, visitors were able to watch the film "Wege zur neuen Mitte - St. Bonifatius" in the sacristy during opening hours. The producer has been following the project since 2024 and has taken part in numerous events. The careful examination of the architectural effect and the ecclesiastical use of the sacred space underlines the importance of the building for the district.

Numerous voices from the communities, the neighborhood and the students have their say and offer an insight into current and future possible uses. The district perspective with the guiding principle adopted by politicians for the development of new centers in the existing buildings as meeting places for society in the district is also briefly presented here. The Mataréstraße garden group shows what has already been achieved: the previously overgrown church garden has become a green oasis for interested citizens from the district.

April 8 and 15, starting at 4 p.m., with 20 to 30 visitors
. Guided tour: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Anke Fissabre

How could the church be repurposed in line with its listed status? Prof. Dr.-Ing. Anke Fissabre explained the concept and design ideas of her students to interested visitors. An open, communicative atmosphere quickly developed at the event: many visitors got talking and exchanged opinions and their own experiences with church conversions.

One visitor was particularly enthusiastic about the open process in the district regarding the future of the building. "I came all the way from Bocholt because we also grew up in a modern church." The fact that so many stakeholders were involved and jointly initiated various projects around the church was the right way to think about such an important building.

April 10 at 8 p.m., approximately 60 attendeesMusic
: Anirahtak and Jürgen Sturm

The duo, who have been playing together for over 30 years, hosted a jazz concert in the church that evening. The impressive acoustics of the building could be experienced through the varied pieces of music.

One visitor said after the event: "I was very curious beforehand whether there would be an audience for a jazz concert in Unterforst. I was incredibly pleased that so many people from the surrounding area came. So there is a need and that encourages us to do more!"

After the event, some guests stayed to watch Mr. Weishaupt's film in the sacristy.

On April 17, starting at 3 p.m., with between 65 and 80
visitorsOrganized by: Garden Group, City Neighborhood Management Forst / Driescher Hof

In mid-April, the garden group hosted a party in the church garden in sunny spring weather. The group had decided to use the former church garden again. The area, which had become completely overgrown, first had to be cut free and tidied up. There are now spacious seating areas, a herb arch, flowering shrubs, raised beds and berries. A freshly planted flowering meadow will attract numerous insects in the summer.

To bring the project closer to the neighborhood, delicious cakes were baked and coffee was made. Children (and adults) were able to make bees from wool and a pine cone at a craft table. One gardener was delighted with a spontaneous gift: "A neighbor presented the garden group with a whole pallet of pre-grown vegetable plants." Some visitors to the garden festival helped themselves and transported the seedlings home to plant them there.

Many visitors also strolled through the flea market. If you wanted to sell things yourself, you could simply set up your own stall on the forecourt of the church.

April 15 and 24, starting at 4:30 p.m., with between 10 and 20
visitorsOrganized by: Mataréstraße Garden Group

The garden group guided interested visitors through the newly designed church garden on two occasions. The main focus was on wild plants that are often overlooked in everyday life. Whether garlic rocket, dandelion or the invasive Japanese knotweed: many wild herbs are relatively easy to recognize and can be turned into delicious dishes in the kitchen!

Some of the female visitors immediately shared recipe recommendations with the other participants. This sparked a lively discussion about a wide variety of cooking techniques and preferences for seasoning dishes. There was

also great interest in the experiments with new gardening methods: the keyhole raised beds are an attempt to reduce the need to water vegetable plants and provide them with better nutrition. This method originates from arid regions and results in seedlings with deeper roots. Whether this will work in our location remains to be seen this gardening season!

Afterwards, various spreads and herbs collected from the garden could be tasted with fresh baguettes.

April 22, starting at 4:30 p.m., approximately 50
visitorsOrganizer: Forst / Driescher Hof Municipal Neighborhood Management

Crockery and a shareable dish - that's all you need! On April 22, interested parties were invited to the "Table of Encounter". The weather was great and the food was served on the forecourt of St. Bonifatius. The many visitors created a varied buffet, some of which even included fresh ingredients from the neighboring garden.

What is happening in the district right now? What role could the church play as an open place for everyone? These and other questions were discussed among the participants. It quickly became clear: St. Bonifatius offers a lot of potential for the neighborhood and should become a lively meeting place!

April 24, starting at 5 p.m., 18 participants
Guided tour: Felix Hemmers, Baukultur NRW

As part of the traveling exhibition "Churches as Fourth Places. Perspectives on Change", this event occupied the interior of St. Bonifatius for a month. The exhibition showed numerous examples of conversions that have already been realized as well as video interviews with those involved.

On the day of the tour, Mr. Hemmers from Baukultur NRW was delighted with the great interest and the numerous visitors who had found their way to the exhibition. He began by providing personal insights into his career and reported that his fascination with the conversion of church buildings began during his studies. Since then, he has been preoccupied with the question of how these special spaces can be rethought in a sensitive and contemporary way.

With St. Bonifatius, he focused on a place that captivates with its impressive lighting effect and the remarkable openness of the space. Using selected examples, he showed how diverse conversions can be: from a bicycle store to living space to a children's daycare center. It became clear that there can be no standard solutions for the conversion of church spaces: each intervention requires an individual approach tailored to the respective location.

He highlighted the conversion into a bicycle store as a personal favorite example: the workshop rooms were cleverly integrated into the lower side wings, while the central church space was largely retained. The respectful treatment of the building was particularly important - not least because the operator himself was once a member of the congregation. Conspicuous advertising was deliberately avoided in order to preserve the dignity of the place.

Following the exhibition, a visitor specifically sought a conversation with Mr. Hemmers. He was concerned about the planned demolition of an architecturally significant church in Herzogenrath. Together they discussed possible approaches and perspectives on how such a loss could perhaps still be averted.

April 29 at 7:30 p.m., approximately 60 attendeesProgram
: Willi Achten with a group of authors, Johanna Schmidt (musical accompaniment),
improvisational theater “Ohne Ganz”

The eventful month was brought to a close by a group of authors who, under the direction of Willi Achten, took a literary look at the church of St. Boniface. Stories about the architect's life, their own experiences of the place and questions about dealing with death and mourning shaped the first part of the evening. Johanna Schmidt accompanied the eight readings with her violin, the sound of which filled the interior of the church with emotion.

Afterwards, the improv theater "Ohne Ganz" presented their skills in an entertaining way. The highlight was the "Hunt for the funding pot", which the ensemble performed in slow motion and made the audience laugh with amusement.

The evening provided numerous impulses for change, transformation and remembrance. The future of the church, which is exemplary for hundreds of churches in the region, was illuminated, discussed and, above all, experienced in many different ways this month. The exhibition and the accompanying program facilitated exchanges and encounters between different people in the neighbourhood. Thanks to the support of many participants, all these activities could be realized. In the future, it will be important to continue to involve and support the stakeholders, the neighborhood and interested visitors as part of the transformation process in order to continue to bring people together in this special place