On our tour through the Unionviertel – originally a working-class area, now a trendy district – we are on the trail of a Ruhr Valley phenomenon with cult status: Trinkhalle, Bude, Büdchen, Kiosk… many names, behind which lies a world full of useful and delicious things. Whether you're still missing milk or toilet paper after the shops have closed, the beer runs out at the party, you suddenly feel an uncontrollable craving for a mixed bag of sweets or chips that you've put together yourself, or you want to quickly buy a newspaper: The “Büdchen” has (almost) everything your heart desires.

And here's what awaits you: Starting at the Hochbunker on Rittershausstraße, at Café Erdmann, we'll make our way together to a number of different “Buden” in the Unionviertel, with its urban charm, and treat you to a mixed bag of goodies to enjoy.

During the tour, you will learn a lot about the history and significance of the “Trinkhalle” for Dortmund and the Ruhr area. For example, that the idea for the Trinkhalle dates back to the era of industrialisation, when mine and factory owners set them up at the factory gates. Run by miners and factory workers who were no longer able to work, they offered mineral water and soft drinks in order to curb the beer and schnapps consumption of the labourers. After all, drinking tap water posed a health risk due to contamination. Or how the kiosks gradually changed their product range after they also opened in workers' residential areas, such as the Unionviertel, and became not only a go-to spot for urgent purchases, but also a place where people still meet and chat to this day! Or that the “Bude” of yesteryear is not the “Bude” of today, how and why all this has changed, and why, for example, there is now the “Trinkhallenverein” (Trinkhalle Association), which is committed to the goal of preserving kiosk culture.

Tasting: Yes, there will be one.