Kulturzentrum Reitschule, Alternative cultural center in Bern, Switzerland.
Kulturzentrum Reitschule is an independent cultural center housed in a red-brick building with steep roofs on Neubrückstrasse in Bern. The building holds a concert hall, a restaurant, theater spaces, workshops, and meeting rooms spread across several floors.
The building was constructed in the late 19th century as a municipal riding school for horses, and later served for decades as a storage facility. In 1987, activists occupied the empty site and turned it into a self-managed cultural venue, which it has remained ever since.
The building's walls are often covered in graffiti and street art, which gives the place a very different look from most city-run venues. Inside, the mix of a restaurant, concert hall, and open spaces makes it easy to spend a whole evening moving between events.
The center is close to Bern's city center and easy to reach on foot or by bike. It is worth checking the program in advance, as the different spaces host very different types of events on any given day.
In a 2010 city vote, the majority of Bern residents rejected a proposal to sell the building, even though it had been politically debated for years. This result showed that many people in the city saw the place as part of their own urban life, regardless of the controversies.
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