Mattersburg cultural center

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Mattersburg cultural center
Mattersburg cultural center
Data
place Mattersburg
architect Herwig Udo Graf
Architectural style brutalism
Construction year 1973-1976
Coordinates 47 ° 44 '17 "  N , 16 ° 24' 28"  E Coordinates: 47 ° 44 '17 "  N , 16 ° 24' 28"  E

The Mattersburg cultural center is a brutalist building that was built between 1973 and 1976 according to the plans of the architect Herwig Udo Graf . The building is partially under monument protection ( list entry) .

history

For historical and geographical reasons, Burgenland still lacked adequate rooms for cultural events and adult education in the 1960s. At the beginning of the 1970s, on the initiative of the Cultural Councilor Gerald Mader and with the support of the Minister of Culture Fred Sinowatz, a cultural-political experiment was launched - the establishment of “cultural centers”. Its aim should be “to give the Burgenland region, a region of small towns and villages, those cultural, educational and social opportunities that were previously only available in large cities. A cultural center is a theater, concert hall, exhibition hall and educational institute at the same time. With a youth club, hobby rooms, sauna and gastronomy, it combines to form a lively meeting place for people of our time who not only want to watch and listen, but also want to participate. ”The first such cultural center was launched as a highly regarded cultural-political pilot project between 1973 and 1976 in Mattersburg in northern Burgenland based on plans by Herwig Udo Graf, whose design won 1st prize in an architecture competition. After a construction period of around 3 years, the Mattersburg Cultural Center was officially opened on May 22, 1976, as the first such cultural and educational center in Austria.

description

Mattersburg cultural center, facade detail

The Mattersburg cultural center is part of an urban ensemble that includes a secondary school and a sports hall. The buildings were originally accessed via an outside staircase that embedded the hillside property in an artistically designed concrete landscape. In the original conception, the cultural center comprised an event hall for 550 people, seminar and club rooms, a foyer with a buffet, an institute for political education, a youth center and a sauna and fitness area.

The cultural center is designed as a sculptural solitaire and designed as a solid structure, with fair-faced concrete being used as a design element outside and partly inside . Parapet cladding consists of exposed aggregate concrete panels. All parapets as well as the rising elements of the outdoor facilities are made of pure exposed concrete. The windows and portal constructions are made of mahogany.

Changes

In 2018, the entire facility was partially changed. In 1994 the outside staircase was replaced by a driveway, and in 2003 the secondary school was redesigned through thermal renovation. The cultural center was expanded to include a gallery extension in 1998. As a result, the interior was also partially renewed. Despite these measures, the cultural center has largely been preserved in its original state. The exposed concrete was neither insulated nor painted and is also in good structural condition.

Current debate

In 2014 the Mattersburg cultural center was closed. The regional councilor responsible for culture, Helmut Bieler , announced that he intended to demolish the cultural center and build a new event center at the same location. Strong civil society resistance formed against this intention and the platform "Save the Mattersburg Cultural Center" was formed. The case was also noticed in professional circles and well-known experts spoke out in favor of maintaining the current cultural center. But there are also opposing opinions.

In the 1980s, Friedrich Achleitner did not give the building any significant role. In the meantime, however, a different meaning has been assigned to this cultural-historical epoch and the German Architecture Museum has added the KUZ to its virtual collection as an important example of brutalism . Written statements from national and international experts in the field of architecture and monument preservation, such as those from Oliver Elser ( DAM Frankfurt ), Dietmar Steiner ( Az W ), Axel Hubmann ( Docomomo Austria) and the architecture journalist Otto Kapfinger recognize the importance of the building in terms of architectural and architectural history and cultural policy. In November 2016, some parts of the cultural center were officially placed under monument protection. The building has been demolished since July 2019, and the extension and new construction should be completed by the end of 2021.

literature

  • Sokratis Dimitriou: Cultural Centers, in: Bauforum, No. 57–58, Vienna 1976.
  • Johann Gallis: Herwig Udo Graf, Kulturzentrum, Mattersburg, Austria, in: Oliver Elser, Phillip Kurz, Peter Cachola Schmal (eds.): SOS Brutalism, an international inventory, Frankfurt 2017.
  • Herwig Udo Graf (ed.): Architect Herwig Udo Graf. 10 years of freelance work 1968–1978, Mattersburg 1978.
  • Gerald Mader: Mattersburg Cultural Center. A model for Austria, in: Hans Paul (ed.): 50 Years of the City of Mattersburg, Mattersburg 1976.
  • NN: Burgenland cultural centers, in: Pannonia magazine for European cooperation, special issue, Eisenstadt 1976.
  • NN: Kulturzentrum Mattersburg, in: Architektur Aktuell, No. 11, Vienna 1977
  • Friedrich Achleitner: Austrian architecture in the 20th century. Residenz Verlag, Salzburg 1983, ISBN 3-7017-0322-1 .

Web links

Commons : Kulturzentrum Mattersburg  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Johann Gallis: Herwig Udo Graf, Kulturzentrum, Mattersburg, Austria, in: Oliver Elser, Phillip Kurz, Peter Cachola Schmal (eds.): SOS Brutalismus, an international inventory, 2017, p. 363.
  2. ^ Prospectus of the Mattersburg Cultural Center - around 1976
  3. ^ NN: Burgenland Cultural Centers, in: Pannonia Magazine for European Cooperation, special issue, 1976
  4. ^ Gerald Mader: Mattersburg Cultural Center. A model for Austria, in: Hans Paul (ed.): 50 Years of the City of Mattersburg, Mattersburg 1976.
  5. ↑ Bruno Maldoner, Expert Opinion on the Multiple Meaning of the Mattersburg Cultural Center - KUZ - DOCOMOMO Austria, 2017, p. 5.
  6. ^ A b Johann Gallis: Herwig Udo Graf, Kulturzentrum, Mattersburg, Austria, in: Oliver Elser, Phillip Kurz, Peter Cachola Schmal (eds.): SOS Brutalismus, an international inventory, 2017, p. 365.
  7. ↑ Marlies Breuss, Michael Gertschnig: An Action Group, building in need 'concerning cultural Mattersburg / Burgenland. (PDF; 1.39 MB) In: gat.st. September 25, 2017, accessed April 19, 2020 .
  8. ^ Friedrich Achleitner: Austrian architecture in the 20th century. Residenz Verlag, Salzburg 1983, ISBN 3-7017-0322-1 .
  9. ↑ Axel Hubmann: Action Group “Building in Need” - Case Study Burgenland - Mattersburg Cultural Center (1972–76) - Restricted monument protection on request? (PDF; 181.61 kB) In: gat.st. September 25, 2017, accessed April 19, 2020 .
  10. ^ KUZ Mattersburg: Demolition work has started. In: burgenland.ORF.at. July 20, 2019, accessed July 20, 2019 .