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The Festival Hall Viersen (Festhalle Viersen) is well known for its theater- and concert programme featuring reputable theater-and music ensembles. It also is the annual venue of the UMB World Three-cushion Championship of national teams as well as of the annual international Jazz Festival in Viersen, a town located in the German Lower Rhine region.

History

In 1913 the Festhalle was completed according to the plans of the municipal architect Eugen Frielingsdorf. The factory owner Josef Kaiser, who had the headquarters of his locally founded company Kaiser’s Kaffeegeschäft in Viersen, initiated the built of the building by doning 130.000 Marks (ℳ) on the occasion of his appointment to royal Kommerzienrat i.e. Councillor of Commerce. Up until 1925 the building was used as projected, as a multipurpose hall i. e. as a gym hall as well as for cultural events or as a ball room. The idea to use it as a gym hall was soon after dropped. During the World War II the festival hall, contrary to many others in Germany was luckily only slightly damaged and could soon be used again. In the course of time it was several times renovated and-or redesigned, for instance in 1939/40 for propaganda purposes of the NSDAP.^[1] In 1997 thanks to the efforts of the „Festhallen-Förderverein“ i.e. friends of the Festival Hall it was provided with, among other things new seats and state-of-the-art stagecraft.

Building

The facade shows elements of classicism such as columns, pilasters or triangular pediments. The hall inside the building can seat about a thousand visitors. In 1955 the trade journal Baukunst und Werkform initiated an opinion poll among 20 well known conductors asking for the concert hall with the best acoustics worldwide. For Germany they named two houses, the Bremen concert hall Die Glocke and the Festival Hall Viersen.^[2]

Events

Between 1947–1949 due to the war damage on other concert halls and the splendid acoustics, the big radio station NWDR, later WDR recorded and or broadcasted many symphony concerts taking place in the hall with its own NWDR-Rundfunkorchester as well as radio shows such as Das ideale Brautpaar legendary for the mid-fifties. The outstanding acoustic drew many internationally well known conductors, such as Wilhelm Furtwängler, Thomas Beecham or Ferenc Fricsay, and orchestras like for instance the Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Sergiu Celibidache or Herbert von Karajan or international star solists like Gidon Kremer, Lang Lang, Nigel Kennedy und David Garrett into the Festival Hall. Famous theater companies used the Festival Hall for their guest performances in the region like for instance the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus with the famous actor and director Gustav Gründgens.^[3]

Site

The Festival Hall is situated in the center of Alt-Viersen at the Hermann-Hülser-Place.

Options for use

Additional to concerts and theatre performances the Festival Hall is often used for CD-productions because of the excellent acoustics.
Since 1990 it also is the annual venue of the UMB World Three-cushion Championship of national teams.
The annual international Viersen Jazz Festival draws musicians like for instance Jan Akkerman, Chick Corea, Charlie Mariano, Joe Zawinul, Billy Cobham, Ron Carter, Chris Potter, Ahmad Jamal, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Till Brönner, and others more.
The Festival Hall can be booked for private and professional use.

Secondary literature

Fritz Winckel: Die besten Konzertsäle der Welt. In: „Baukunst und Werkform Nürnberg“. VIII. 1955. No. 12. pp. 750–753.
Albert Pauly: Die Viersener Festhalle. In: „Viersen. Beiträge zu einer Stadt“. Vol. 6. pp. 4–13. Viersen 1984.
Gustav René Hocke: Europa am Niederrhein. In: „Heimatbuch des Kreises Viersen“. pp. 21–35. Viersen 1988.
Werner Mellen, Arie Nabrings u.a.: Die Festhalle 1913–1988. Viersen. Beiträge zu einer Stadt. Vol. 14. Viersen 1988.
Jöris/Pitzen: Musik und Theater in Viersen von 1848 bis 1945. Viersen. Beiträge zu einer Stadt. Vol. 30. Viersen 2006.

Notes

^ Jöris/Pitzen: Musik und Theater in Viersen von 1848 bis 1945. In „Viersen. Beiträge zu einer Stadt“. Vol. 30. Viersen 2006
^ Fritz Winckel: Die besten Konzertsäle der Welt. In: Baukunst und Werkform. Nürnberg. VIII. 1955. No. 12. pp. 750–753
^ Werner Mellen, Arie Nabrings: Die Festhalle 1913–1988. Viersen. Beiträge zu einer Stadt. Vol. 14. Viersen 1988

External links

51°15′11″N 6°23′29″E / 51.25306°N 6.39139°E / 51.25306; 6.39139

[1] Jöris/Pitzen: Musik und Theater in Viersen von 1848 bis 1945. In „Viersen. Beiträge zu einer Stadt“. Vol. 30. Viersen 2006

[2] Fritz Winckel: Die besten Konzertsäle der Welt. In: Baukunst und Werkform. Nürnberg. VIII. 1955. No. 12. pp. 750–753

[3] Werner Mellen, Arie Nabrings: Die Festhalle 1913–1988. Viersen. Beiträge zu einer Stadt. Vol. 14. Viersen 1988

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 == History ==
-In 1913 the Festhalle was completed according to the plans of the municipal architect Eugen Frielingsdorf. The factory owner Josef Kaiser, who had the headquarters of his locally founded company Kaiser’s Kaffeegeschäft in Viersen, initiated the built of the building by doning 130.000 [[Reichsmark]] on the occasion of his appointment to royal [[Kommerzienrat]] i.e. Councilor of Commerce. Up until 1925 the building was used as projected, as a multipurpose hall i. e. as a gym hall as well as for cultural events or as a ball room. The idea to use it as a gym hall was soon after dropped. During the World War II the festival hall, contrary to many others in Germany was luckily only slightly damaged and could soon be used again. In the course of time it was several times renovated and-or redesigned, for instance in 1939/40 for propaganda purposes of the [[NSDAP]].<ref>Jöris/Pitzen: ''Musik und Theater in Viersen von 1848 bis 1945''. In „Viersen. Beiträge zu einer Stadt“. Vol. 30. Viersen 2006</ref> In 1997 thanks to the efforts of the „Festhallen-Förderverein“ i.e. friends of the Festival Hall it was provided with, among other things new seats and state-of-the-art stagecraft.
+In 1913 the Festhalle was completed according to the plans of the municipal architect Eugen Frielingsdorf. The factory owner Josef Kaiser, who had the headquarters of his locally founded company Kaiser’s Kaffeegeschäft in Viersen, initiated the built of the building by doning 130.000 [[German gold mark|Marks (ℳ)]] on the occasion of his appointment to royal [[Kommerzienrat]] i.e. Councillor of Commerce. Up until 1925 the building was used as projected, as a multipurpose hall i. e. as a gym hall as well as for cultural events or as a ball room. The idea to use it as a gym hall was soon after dropped. During the World War II the festival hall, contrary to many others in Germany was luckily only slightly damaged and could soon be used again. In the course of time it was several times renovated and-or redesigned, for instance in 1939/40 for propaganda purposes of the [[NSDAP]].<ref>Jöris/Pitzen: ''Musik und Theater in Viersen von 1848 bis 1945''. In „Viersen. Beiträge zu einer Stadt“. Vol. 30. Viersen 2006</ref> In 1997 thanks to the efforts of the „Festhallen-Förderverein“ i.e. friends of the Festival Hall it was provided with, among other things new seats and state-of-the-art stagecraft.
 == Building ==