NRW promotes regional culture: Stage set for 23 new projects in Münsterland
The state of North Rhine-Westphalia is supporting art and cultural projects in Münsterland with a total of 823,652 euros in 2026. Creative artists from the region and beyond applied for funding last year via the state funding programme "Regional Culture Programme NRW" (RKP). Out of 37 applications submitted, 23 projects received funding from the Ministry of Culture.
"This year's selection impressively reflects the cultural diversity and innovative strength of the region - from established formats with lasting appeal to new projects that provide important impetus for cultural development in Münsterland," explains Andre Sebastian, Head of the Cultural Office at Münsterland e.V., which advises cultural professionals on the application process.
In addition to the 23 new projects, five others that have already been approved in previous years and are set to run for several years will be continued - including the exhibition series "the taste of: ..." and the international woodwind festival "Summerwinds". "With the amount of funding for a total of 28 projects for 2026, Münsterland is once again the frontrunner of all ten cultural regions in NRW," says Andre Sebastian. The state is also supporting barrier-free measures with an additional 38,000 euros. These help to ensure that people with disabilities - both artists and guests - can participate in cultural life on an equal footing.
Who is supported?
The cultural formats include established projects such as the "Theatre of the Blue Islands", the "New Stars" of the University of Münster's School of Music and the "Forest and Meadows Concerts" by Sebastian Netta.
The project "Schnatzjagd reloaded - Per Seepferdchen durch die Galaxis" will celebrate its RKP premiere in 2026. This is a special kind of summer holiday programme. The MINT-400 label announces an intergenerational cultural adventure that brings the spaceship crew from "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" to life: "After a failed improbability drive, the crew lands in Münsterland - in the outdoor pool. Together with the bathers, they embark on an intergalactic round trip full of tasks and mythical creatures."
The performance networks Stadt.Land.Bühne and Junge Bühne Münsterland are merging this year. Together, they will connect creative artists from Münster's independent scene with local authorities in the Münsterland region. Three creative conferences are planned, as well as 15 performances for young audiences and just as many so-called cultural walks on the programme. Project managers Carola von Seckendorff and Cornelia Kupferschmid explain: "Stadt.Land.Bühne arose from a deep desire to facilitate analogue encounters through art and culture between people from different walks of life in Münsterland. Theatre can build bridges and broaden horizons. With our project, we want to inspire creative artists, local authorities and all those who consume culture to network, learn from each other and jointly discover and design creative spaces in their own living environment. The funding provided by the RKP creates the crucial basis for this."
"Schlossgespenst und Gräftengeist" also benefits from RKP funding. The project, coordinated by Münsterland e.V., brings the sagas and legends surrounding the castles and fortresses in Münsterland to life in a new way. Traditional stories are collected, edited and presented in a contemporary way through stage programmes, an illustrated publication and audio formats. The aim is to communicate the region's cultural heritage to a cross-generational audience in a sustainable way.
Every autumn, the Münsterland Cultural Council discusses the project applications submitted by 30 September and then compiles a ranking on the basis of which the Ministry of Culture and Science awards the funding. Formal approval of the projects is still pending.
Funded projects, project organisers and locations 2026:
Atlas of the centres
Alexander Edsiherov, Katerina Kuznetcowa (Borken district)
On your marks! With Perec into the province
Project group Auf die Plätze (Rheine, Münster, Oelde)
Bach // World // Urban Bodies - The Fugue as Sound - Does Sound Make Sense? -Bach and the present
BACHKombinat (Steinfurt, Dülmen)
Chaim. Jewish life
RELíGIO - Westphalian Museum for Religious Culture (Telgte, Münster, Gronau)
Fake You - truth or fake. A participatory performance workshop between reality and appearance.
black and white is the better colour (Vreden, Münster, Havixbeck, Lüdinghausen)
Factor X: Democracy
Cultural office of the city of Borken (Borken, Bocholt, Gescher, Gronau, Vreden)
Hermann Josef oder wie das Glück stets gewogen ist dem, der es am mindesten hetzt ist (AT)
Goldstoff Filme (Ascheberg, Havixbeck, Lüdinghausen, Ochtrup)
Klangwelt Kreis Steinfurt
Hans-Jürgen Poëtz (Kreis Steinfurt)
Collective disputes - documentary film explorations
Filmwerkstatt Münster e.V. (Ahaus, Steinfurt, Warendorf)
Cultural flower strips
Forest and meadow concerts (Hopsten)
Land Lines
Annette von Droste zu Hülshoff Foundation (Havixbeck, Schöppingen)
With HörSpielen! Setting monuments for the ears
medienforum münster e.V. (münsterland-wide)
Münsterland Festival part 14
Münsterland e.V. (münsterland-wide)
New stars for the Münsterland
University of Münster School of Music (münsterlandweit)
Nothing will have been
Archive of Nothing (Havixbeck, Rheine, Münster, Greven, Warendorf)
PENDULUM - artistic-educational workshop series for children of primary school age
MNEME kollektiv (Rheine, Ibbenbüren, Greven, Beckum, Arnhem in the Netherlands)
Pentoria - Sprachmagie on Tour
Thomas Richhardt, author and dramaturge (Münsterland-wide)
PIANEO - FESTIVAL FOR NEOKLASSIK
RESET e.V. (münsterland-wide)
Schnatzjagd reloaded - by seahorse through the galaxy
MINT-400 (e.g. Oelde, Greven)
Schlossgespenst und Gräftengeist
Münsterland e.V. (Lüdinghausen, Havixbeck, Hörstel, Wadersloh, Raesfeld)
sozialpalast MUSIK CONVOY 2026
sozialpalast, art group (e.g. Münster, Greven)
Stadt.Land.Bühne
Stadtensemble/FreiFrau GbR (Münsterland-wide)
Summerwinds Münsterland 2026 International Woodwind Festival
GWK - Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Westfälischen Kulturarbeit e.V. (Münsterland-wide)
the tasteof:...
KünstlerinnenForum e.V. (Lüdinghausen, Selm, Hörstel)
Theatre of the Blue Islands 2026 - short legs-short distances
Project community Theatre of the Blue Islands (Münsterland-wide)
Trumpet tree and violin fig - music in gardens and parks in Münsterland
Münsterland e.V. (münsterland-wide)
wasser.frauen*
Annette von Droste zu Hülshoff Foundation (Havixbeck, Lüdinghausen)
when too perfect liebe Gott böse
bodytalk (Münster, Havixbeck, Rheine)
Further information on the RKP - Regional Culture Programme NRW
With the Regional Culture Programme NRW, the state government has been supporting cultural projects in all ten cultural regions of NRW since 1997 in order to strengthen the profile and identity of the regions. The programme emphasises cooperation and networking: At least three cultural professionals from two cities or municipalities in the Münsterland region jointly develop and realise a project with a regional focus. The application deadline is always 30 September. For the Münsterland, the Münsterland e.V. cultural office advises interested cultural professionals before and during the application process.
