Recreation House (Bayer)

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Bayer AG has been culturally active since 1907 and has operated its own concert and theater house in Leverkusen , the Erholungshaus , since 1908 . Today, around 120 events in the fields of music , dance , theater and art take place here every year. Offers for children and young people, educational theater workshops, “classroom pieces” and the “stARTacademy”, a support program for highly talented young artists , complete the program.

Recreation house in Leverkusen

Bayer AG's cultural commitment has been part of a social infrastructure for more than a century. Today's cultural department - Bayer Kultur - was still called the “Department of Education” at the time, which shows that entrepreneurial education was an aspect of corporate culture as early as the early 20th century.

Location and surroundings

The recreation house is located in Leverkusen- Wiesdorf , in Nobelstrasse 37 (corner of Dhünnstrasse; Lage ). The associated park extends to the west.

The theater and concert hall can be reached on foot from Leverkusen Mitte train station and offers additional public transport connections .

Construction and architecture

The building was architecturally designed in the neo-baroque style. The construction management was in the hands of the construction department of the paint factories, vorm. "Friedrich Bayer and Co.", under the local management of master builder Blatzheim. The building application was submitted on September 8, 1906, after the idea arose the previous summer. Two years later, on September 13, 1908, the recreation house celebrated its inauguration. The construction costs at that time amounted to 343,000 marks, 138,000 marks were spent on the facility. The total costs at the opening thus amounted to 481,000 marks.

The original rest house (1908)

At the time of its construction, the building was divided into two sections: the left-hand part of the building accommodated the rooms for the daily restoration, the billiards room, the reading room and the buffet, kitchen and toilet rooms on the ground floor . The rehearsal rooms, a meeting room and the restaurateur's apartment were on the floor above, the utility and household cellars and the meat and beer cold rooms in the basement . The right part of the building contained an 18 m × 28 m hall with built-in galleries and an attached stage system. In the basement there were two double bowling alleys, the heating system and a large furniture cellar to store the garden furniture there in winter. The gymnasts cloakrooms, washrooms and bathrooms were located under the stage. The hall was used by the various workers 'clubs to hold their club festivities, the gymnastics club as a gym and as a ballroom for workers' and factory parties.

Today's rest house

The rough layout of the building is similar to that at the time it was founded, there are three parts of the building: an event area with ticket foyer, break foyer, large hall and studio , rehearsal rooms and cloakrooms , an administration area with offices and technical facilities and a catering area. The large hall offers space for 780 spectators in three tiers , spread over the parquet and the gallery . Flat seating and table seating can be used. The stage measures 18 × 12.68 × 4.75 meters and consists of a front stage with an iron curtain, a side stage and a back stage. Technically, it is equipped with a revolving stage, an opera foil, a film screen, a classic cord floor , and 30 spotlights.

View into the large hall of the Leverkusen recreation house

Smaller events such as jazz concerts or exclusive CD presentations take place in the studio. The room is also used for children's and youth performances, as well as for most of the art studios.

Three exhibitions per season are presented in the foyers. In addition, they offer seating and standing options for visitors. Gastronomic catering also takes place here during breaks in events, which, when the weather is good, can also be relocated to the adjacent terrace. There are a total of 10 artist cloakrooms with space for 120 people. There is also a technical room for 20 people. The orchestra pit offers space for 75 musicians on 41 square meters.

The artist room is located on the first floor of the recreation house next to the cloakrooms. It is available to the artists before and after their performances to discuss things there or to eat together (there is also a small kitchen). On the walls there are photos of famous artists who have already played in the recreation house. There is also a piano for pianists there.

The building is used for Bayer Kultur's program operations, as well as for rehearsals , conferences, congresses and courses.

History since 1906

In the course of the silver wedding anniversary of Kommerzienrat Friedrich Bayer , the idea of ​​building a recreation house arose in 1906. On September 8, 1906, the application for the building permit was made.

The inauguration ceremony took place on September 13, 1908. The recreation house was only allowed to be used by members. You can become a member if you have reached the age of 18 and have been employed by Bayer for at least six months. The monthly fee was 5 pfennigs, and you received the newsletter "The Recovery", which has been around since 1910, free of charge. A glass of beer , which was delivered by the Wicküler Küppers brewery at the time , cost 10 pfennigs.

The first event after the opening ceremony took place on November 21st, 1908: a slide show about “The life and striving of our Count Zeppelin ”. A year later, on February 21, the first carnival festival took place, with carnival headgear free of charge.

In 1927 an organ was built into the town hall by the Klais company and inaugurated by Hans Bachem at the end of March . It had 47  registers , three manuals and a pedal, and the then new type of electric action . It was thus playable on a mobile gaming table . This instrument was dismantled and stored in 1937, only rebuilt in a different hall in 1948, later given to the Herz-Jesu-Kirche in Wiesdorf and rededicated there on May 31, 1965.

In 1936 the building opened to non-Bayer employees and thus also to non-members. For the 75th company anniversary in 1938, the recreation house was rebuilt and received seating for 1,500 people.

Six incendiary bombs fell into the building during the Second World War , but the fire was extinguished in good time so that the event could continue.

After the war, the vacationer served the North West German Radio as a broadcasting center . In addition, it was used as a theater by the stages of the city of Cologne and the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus , as their own buildings were destroyed by the war.

On February 6, 1975, the entire stage and its roof structure were destroyed in a fire. The hall and the foyer were badly affected by smoke and water damage.

The burned-out stage tower was rebuilt and expanded with additional stage technical facilities and the aspect of “public service” (break foyer, cloakroom, facilities for the severely disabled). A newly integrated orchestra pit, a turntable and a modern lighting system have since increased the technical performance of the theater hall. In addition, new seating was installed for arranged seats on the stage.

After two years of construction, the official inauguration of the modernized recreation house took place on January 9th.

The last extensive renovation of the house was carried out in 1998 on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the cultural department and the recreation house. The auditorium was modernized and each row of chairs was built on its own platform height.

"StARTacademy"

As part of Bayer Kultur's cultural education work, the “stART” program was founded in 2009 and was renamed “stARTacademy” in 2015. This is a funding program for highly talented young artists from various fields. The artists are financially supported over a maximum period of three years and receive support in the sense of a cultural sponsorship. For example, they can also turn to the relevant speaker with questions on topics such as finding the right artist management, self-marketing, organizational matters, etc. In addition, with the “stARTacademy”, the artists get a network , meet like-minded people, exchange ideas and, in the best case, initiate new, joint projects.

The “stARTacademy” brings the artists (usually soloists ) together with orchestras or conductors , for example Tobias Feldmann , who performed in the Erholungshaus in 2018 with the Residentie Orkest Den Haag.

"StART family" and "stARTacademy"

Artists who belonged and belong to the "stARTacademy", as well as projects that were guests in the Erholungshaus as part of the "stART" program:

Season 2009/10:

Season 2010/11:

  • Nüwa, drama (season 10/11)
  • Troilus and Cressida, drama (season 10/11)
  • Benjamin Schäfer Trio, music group (season 10/11 to 12/13)

Season 2011/12:

  • "Ernst Busch" Academy of Dramatic Arts, Berlin, Art (season 11/12 to 13/14)

Season 2012/13:

  • Future sounds, music (season 12/13)

2013/14 season

Season 2014/15:

  • Tilla Durieux, puppet show (season 14/15)
  • Troilus and Cressida, drama / acting (season 14/15)
  • No one escapes the spectacle of happiness, dance / choreography (season 14/15)
  • On the high seas, drama (season 14/15)
  • Moby Dick , puppet show (season 14/15)
  • The future sounds of the Leverkusen Jazz Days , Jazz (season 14/15)
  • Intermezzi with Intermezzo, opera (season 14/15)

Season 2015/16:

  • Tamar Beraia, piano (season 15/16 to 17/18)
  • Tobias Feldmann , violin (season 15/16 to 17/18)
  • National Youth Ballet, dance (season 15/16 to 17/18)
  • Pre-College Cologne, Art (season 15/16 to 17/18)

Season 2018/19

  • Sandro Roy , Jazz (since season 18/19)
  • Philippe Kratz, dance (since season 18/19)
  • Lisa Charlotte Friederich , film (since season 18/19)
  • Alexej Gerassimez, drums (since season 18/19)

Art colleges as guests

This is where the “Side Effects” exhibition at the Weißensee Kunsthochschule Berlin is taking place.

As part of the stARTacademy and the “Art Schools Guest” project, Bayer Kultur invites an art school every year to exhibit in the recreation center:

2009/10           Burg Giebichenstein - University of Art and Design Halle - class Ute Pleuger

2010/11           Kunstakademie Münster - class Cornelius Völker

2011/12           Kunsthochschule Kassel - class Friederike Feldmann

2013/14           HfBK Dresden - class of Peter Bömmels

2014/15           Kunstakademie Düsseldorf - curated by Julia Ritterskamp

2015/16           HfGB Leipzig - class Heribert Ottersbach

2016/17           Art Academy for Media Cologne - Platform Mischa Kuball

2017/18           weissensee college of art berlin - class Friederike Feldmann

2018/19           UdK Berlin      

Performances by artists (selection)

The following have been guests at the Erholungshaus since 1907:

orchestra

Bamberg Symphony , Bayer Philharmonic , Cleveland Orchestra , Het Concertgebouw , Ensemble Modern , Mariinyksy Theater Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic , Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden , Ural Philharmonic Orchestra , Vienna Symphony

Conductors

Sergiu Celibidache , Riccardo Chailly , Christoph Eschenbach , Waleri Gergiev , Nikolaus Harnoncourt , Paul Hindemith , Lorin Maazel , Riccardo Muti , Kent Nagano , Günter Wand

Chamber music

Alban Berg Quartet , Beaux Arts Trio , Cherubini String Quartet, Guarneri String Quartet , Emerson String Quartet , Juilliard String Quartet , King's Singers , Kronos Quartet , Smetana Quartet ,

Soloists

Martha Argerich , Claudio Arrau , Alfred Brendel , Benjamin Britten , Friedrich Gulda , Gidon Kremer , Yo-Yo Ma , Yehudin Menuhin , Nathan Milstein , Ann-Sophie Mutter , Igor Oistrach , Swijatoslaw Richter , Mstislaw Rostropowitsch

Singer

Juliane Banse , Teresa Berganza , Ingeborg Danz , Brigitte Fassbaender , Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau , René Kollo , Erika Köth , Anneliese Rothenberger , James Taylor , Juliette Gréco

jazz

Jan Garbarek , Brad Mehldau , Chris Thile , Barbara Buchholz , Aki Takase , Anke Helfrich , Jörg Kaufman , Wolfgang Lackerschmid , Tony Coe , Nils Wogram

Ballet / dance

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater , Mikhail Baryshnikov , Bavarian State Ballet , Maurice Béjart , Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Pina Bausch , Nederlands Dans Theater , John Neumeier , Antonio Gades , Anna Teresa de Keersmaeker

theatre

Berliner Ensemble , Burgtheater Vienna , Deutsches Theater Berlin , Hans-Otto-Theater Potsdam , Kammerspiele Munich , Schauspielhaus Zurich , Ulmer Theater , Volksbühne Berlin , Schauspiel Frankfurt , Schauspielhaus Bochum

actor

Mario Adorf , Hans Albers , Monica Bleibtreu , Klaus Maria Brandauer , Ernst Deutsch , Bruno Ganz , Curt Goetz , OE Hasse , Gustaf Gründgens , Eva Mattes , Natalie Wörner , Ronald Zehrfeld , Andrea Sawatzki , Jürgen Prochnow , Werner Krauss , Ute Lemper , Otto Sander , Angela Winkler

Authors

Ludwig Ganghofer , Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker , Luise Rinser , Heinrich Böll , Siegfried Lenz , Ingeborg Bachmann , Elias Canetti , Walter Jens , Franz Josef Degenhardt , Hilmar Hoffmann

literature

  • Bayer AG Communications, Culture Department (2008): One culture house turns one hundred. Heggendruck, Leverkusen.
  • Bayer AG (Ed.) (1988): Milestones. Informedia verlags-gmbh, Cologne.
  • Bayer AG culture department (ed.) (1986): From popular education to modern culture management - cultural work at Bayer. A documentation. Heggen & Co., Leverkusen.
  • Bayer AG, Communications, Culture Department: Since 1907. A century of Bayer culture. 2007/2008 season

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Opus list of the Klais company , accessed on December 11, 2019 (PDF)
  2. ↑ The history of the organ in the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger , accessed on December 11, 2019.
  3. ↑ stARTacademy. Retrieved October 7, 2018 .
  4. ↑ Bayer Culture: Bayer AG, Communications, Culture Department: Since 1907. A Century of Bayer Culture. 2007/2008 season .

Coordinates: 51 ° 2 ′ 3.3 "  N , 6 ° 58 ′ 50.3"  E