Bochum

Bochum ( , also  ,"Bochum"  (US) and  ; Westphalian: Baukem, Low Franconian: Boochem, Old Saxon: Bochem) is a city in the Ruhr area of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is part of the Arnsberg Government Region. Bochum is situated between the cities of Essen, Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen, and Hattingen.

Bochum has about 380,000 inhabitants.
The city is formed by the traditional industry of coal mining in the Ruhr area, but today there is no mining in Bochum anymore.
Education
Today the most important institution in Bochum is the Ruhr-University Bochum, one of the biggest German universities.
It has an extremely wide spectrum of subjects, beginning with mathematics and science, social sciences, economy, engineering, laws, philosophy, historical subjects, theology, medicine, and languages even including Chinese and Polish.
Culture
Bochum has a rich cultural life and its theatre is one of the most prominent in Germany. The Folkwang University of Art has its well known theatre centre in the Ehrenfeld neighbourhood of Bochum, educating a quite small group of students in the theatrical arts. 

The Bermuda3eck (Bermuda Triangle) is a well known area for night life in central Bochum such as bars, nightclubs, and Hookah parlours. It has over 60 bars and restaurants, serving many kinds of food and drinks from both Germany and abroad. Since 1986, the Bochum Total music festival has taken place in the Bermuda3eck, with many live music performances. Bochum Total usually takes place for four days around the start of July, and is one of the largest free music festivals in Europe.

The German Mining Museum is also in Bochum, and has a number of permanent and temporary exhibits which cover the history of coal's uses and how it is mined. The Zeiss Planetarium nearby has a number of shows featuring animations and recordings of space, along with music such as Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon.

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