EX- Folkclub Witten
Hildegard's Folkhouse
During the 1970s, Witten became the most important center for folk music in the region. This astonishing development is linked to Hildegard Doebner. The highly committed widow inherited half a house in Witten, where young artists could meet and exchange ideas. She also converted the attic so that people could stay overnight there. In 1974, Doebner and others turned the house into the “Folkclub Witten”. Within a short time, and for many years, it became a major meeting place for the upcoming folk scene in the Ruhr region. Performers here included, Lydie Auvray, Liederjan, Julian Dawson, Hannes Wader, Hanns Dieter Hüsch, Jürgen von der Lippe and Herbert Grönemeyer (who was about 17 at the time). Open air events were also organised. When Hildegard Doebner became ill in the mid-1990s, the scene lost its driving force, and the activities largely petered out. Many of the artists who took their first steps in Doebner’s folk club had by then become influential musicians in Germany. In 2005, music fans in the town got together to found the “Witten Folk” club. It keeps Hildegard Doebner’s memory alive and organises concerts and festivals itself, including the “Folk am Montag” concert every third Monday of the month.
Further information
Steinstraße 15, 58452 Witten