Guiding principles
Dampfzentrale Bern is a cultural meeting place offering everyone the opportunity to experience a sensual encounter with innovative forms of dance, performance, music and club culture. With its old industrail atmosphere, the Dampfzentrale complex on the Aare River offers a cultural experience well beyond the ordinary.
Dampfzentrale Bern stands for contemporary art in the Bern region. It is an active location for productions and presentations by the regional, national and international independent art scene and provides the space that is a prerequisite for realizing artistic creativity.
History
The Verein Dampfzentrale was created in 1986 with the goal of promoting the Dampfzentrale Bern as a cultural venue. In the mid-1980s, only a modest range of events was on offer in Bern, and there was a shortage of performance venues for the independent dance and theatre scene. After a one night occupation in May, the local council authorized in October 1987 a pilot plan for operations at the Kulturhallen Dampfzentrale and commissioned an architecture firm with the renovation and repurposing of the protected industrial monument. Soon afterward, contemporary culture became a permanent fixture at the Dampfzentrale Bern.
Building and facilities
The Dampfzentrale complex is located in Bern on the Aare river and used as a cultural meeting place and a restaurant. The entrance area leads you to the foyer with bar and a small podest. It is the heart of the building and connected to the other two rooms. The Turbinensaal with his big stage (225 m²) is suitable for dancing performances and offers seats for around 400 people. The Kesselhaus is the multifunctional room and his 280 m² can be used in many different ways. Furthermore it has a rehearsal room and 2 apartments for the artists.
