Sartory-Säle, Event venue in Altstadt-Nord, Germany.
Sartory-Säle is a hall complex near Friesenplatz in Cologne's Altstadt-Nord, built to plans by Wilhelm Riphahn and opened on 11 November 1948. It holds seven halls on roughly 3,850 m², the largest being the Sartory-Saal for up to 1,400 people, followed by the Ostermann-Saal for up to 800; total capacity is about 3,500 guests.
The site held the Varieté Groß-Köln until its destruction in World War II; that house, grown from the Cölner Bürgerbräu Josef Waßmann brewery founded in 1896, staged Otto Reutter in November 1928 and the Comedian Harmonists in May 1929. Architect Wilhelm Riphahn's new building opened on 11 November 1948 as the Sartory-Säle, financed by restaurateur Carl Sartory sen. (1909–1953). A first extension by architect Wilhelm Koep followed in 1950.
The halls are named after the Cologne restaurateur family Sartory, and Carl Sartory senior had the building finished for the start of carnival on 11 November 1948. The first KAJUJA session took place here on 25 January 1950, and the televised carnival sessions made the venue known beyond Cologne until 2019. On 29 October 2016 the halls hosted the benefit festival "Kein Raum für Rassismus" with around 1,500 participants after the planned Compact conference was cancelled.
The halls sit in the Innenstadt near Friesenplatz, with seven rooms spread over roughly 3,850 m²; the Sartory-Saal holds up to 1,400 people and the Ostermann-Saal up to 800. Because the complex is used for carnival sessions, concerts and boxing alike, check which hall your event is in before arriving.
The complex holds seven halls on about 3,850 m², with the Sartory-Saal seating up to 1,400 and the Ostermann-Saal up to 800, for 3,500 guests in total. The halls opened on 11 November 1948, planned by architect Wilhelm Riphahn, and were the only event venue in war-destroyed Cologne alongside the Williams-Bau.
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