Alabama-Halle, Former military depot in Am Hart, Munich, Germany.
Alabama-Halle was the main hall of the Alabama-Depot, a military site between Schleißheimer Straße and Knorrstraße in Munich. Its central nave had a characteristic A-shaped gable. From 1981 the hall, with a stage and lighting installed, served as a concert and theatre venue until 1988.
The site was a bicycle racing track from 1906 to 1914, then a Bavarian Army depot from 1917, with a three-sectioned storage hall and the Pulverturm ammunition store. After World War II the US Army renamed it Alabama Storage Area, first holding care packages, then underwear and socks. BMW bought the site in 1978 and opened the hall for events in 1981; concerts ended in 1988.
The name comes from the U.S. Army's Alabama Storage Area, which took over the former Wehrmacht depot after World War II. From 1981 the hall hosted the Theaterfestival Spielart, run by the Spielmotor partnership of the city and BMW, and its booking policy dropped any style once it became popular. Acts ranged from King Crimson and Tina Turner to the Merce Cunningham Dance Company and the Teatr Wielki of Warsaw.
The site lay between Schleißheimer Straße and Knorrstraße, with the Eisenbahn-Nordring railway to the south and Rathenaustraße to the north. The depot's own rail sidings connected it to the Nordring, which also served the nearby military installations. The Alabama-Halle closed in 1988, so the halls can no longer be visited; the grounds now hold BMW research buildings.
Bayerisches Fernsehen produced a weekly television show called Live aus dem Alabama that broadcast concerts and discussions for young audiences. This television program brought the venue recognition far beyond Munich and captured the music scene of that era.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,889 contributors worldwide.