Program
The Progr (full name: PROGR - Center for Cultural Production ), a former school building, is a studio house and meeting place run by the Progr Foundation on Waisenhausplatz in the center of the city of Bern . More than 150 artists from all branches produce art in over 70 rooms. You work side by side with cultural institutions and organizers. Exhibitions and concerts are held in the public zone on the ground floor. The meeting point in the program are two restaurants. The program was created as an interim use of the premises of the Bernese Progymnasium (“Proger”), which became vacant in 2004, and offers space for cultural workers and cultural institutions.
History of the building
The former schoolhouse is a historic building in neoclassical style in a central urban location in Bern's old town and is a listed building . It was built in the 19th century on the site of the former Burgerspitalkornhaus and has been used as a grammar school and primary school since 1885 . In 1926 the grammar school moved to a new building in the Kirchenfeld district ; Primary school and Progymnasium remained in the building on Waisenhausplatz. The decisive factor in changing the use of the building was the intention of the city of Bern at the end of the 1990s to use the rooms of the Progymnasium as a museum for the works of the Bern painter Paul Klee . However, this usage concept was discarded when the Zentrum Paul Klee was built . After the school moved to a new location, the building was released for two-year interim use to cultural workers in 2004 , but remained under city management. A new plan by the local council called for the building to be transferred to the Kunstmuseum Bern in order to set up the contemporary art department . However, the failure of the negotiations made it possible to extend the temporary use by a further three years until the end of July 2009.
Conversion plan as a health center
With the expiration of the fixed-term temporary use in July 2009, the building of the municipal property should be sold to a private investor and be used as a health center new. The winning project from an architectural competition advertised by the city for teams of planners and investors was the proposal “Colon”, which plans a mixed use of the building primarily for medical practices, therapy rooms and training and further education offers. In addition, the project plans to integrate the existing bar in the program into the health center. The competition and the resulting winning project have sparked political debates in Bern about the importance of culture in the city center. The question of the long-term use of the old Progymnasium is associated with conflicting goals between commercial and cultural use while at the same time safeguarding monument conservation concerns.
Bernese voters decide in favor of the artist initiative
On May 17, 2009, the voters of the city of Bern decided that the building should remain a cultural center in the future. Both projects were put to the vote in separate templates, with the project Doppelpunkt by the Zurich investor group Allreal receiving around 45 percent yes-votes and the project of the “Artists' Initiative Pro PROGR” around 66 percent yes-votes. In the key question, which would have become relevant if both alternatives had been accepted, the decision was made with around 64% and 36% in favor of the “Pro PROGR” project.
Progr stays - August 1, 2009 to July 31, 2039
One week after the successful referendum campaign, the Progr Foundation was established. On August 1, 2009, she took over the property under construction law for 30 years. Its main purpose is to provide cultural workers with work space at affordable prices in an inspiring environment. After a transition phase of 6 months, the Progr Foundation took over the definitive operational management on January 1, 2010. The operation of the cultural center is financed exclusively with rental income and does not receive any municipal funds.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.derbund.ch/artikel_516570.html ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Voting results ( memento of the original dated December 5, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. dated May 17, 2009
Coordinates: 46 ° 57 '1.3 " N , 7 ° 26' 37.9" E ; CH1903: 600397 / 199920