An exhibition of the Haus der Geschichte NRW and the Ruhr Museum. Supported by Sparkasse Essen

North Rhine-Westphalia is the number one sporting state in Germany with its diverse sporting landscape of top-class sport and popular sport. The ten large stadiums and 25 large sports halls regularly host top international competitions. On the occasion of the FISU World University Games 2025, the exhibition provides an insight into the history of North Rhine-Westphalia as a sporting state and the present of top-class sport in the five host cities in the Ruhr region. It highlights outstanding achievements, competitions and idols and also looks at tragic heroes and extraordinary stories. At the center of the show are the five cities in the Ruhr region where the competitions of the World University Games are held alongside the capital Berlin: Bochum, Duisburg, Essen, Hagen and Mülheim an der Ruhr. The joint exhibition of the Ruhr Museum and the Haus der Geschichte NRW presents an impressive panorama of the diversity of sport on the Rhine and Ruhr in the past and present.