2024-08-28 07:07:36
The artists left Mozart’s city and the workers arrived. The festival area is expanded. It is an investment in an economic engine, argued the festival.
Salzburg.
The Salzburg Festival is expanding its performance facilities by 10,000 square meters in the coming years, increasing their size by more than a quarter. The renovation and expansion project, which is budgeted for 400 million euros until 2031, will begin in early September – right after the end of this year’s music and theater festival.
In order to create space, Mönchsberg, among other things, is increasingly empty, explained the commercial director of the festival, Lukas Crepaz, to the German Press Agency.
The Salzburg Felsenreitschule isn’t just that – it’s actually built into the rock. (Photo: Archive) Photo: Franz Neumayr/Leo/APA/dpa
The Salzburg Felsenreitschule isn’t just that – it’s actually built into the rock. (Photo: Archive) Photo: Franz Neumayr/Leo/APA/dpa
Playgrounds and facilities already exist on and in this mountain. Such as the Felsenreitschule, which was used as a quarry and for animal shows in the past centuries and now serves as a stage for operas and concerts.
Venues are “limited” due to climate change
A rear conference hall is to be built in Mönchsberg from 2026. If it is built further away on a green meadow, this will result in building and air-damaging the truck, argues Crepaz. As part of the expansion project, space will also be created for the currently missing rehearsal rooms and workshops.
First on the agenda, however, is the construction of a visitor center and a new cooling system to ensure more acceptable temperatures during activities. “We have already reached the limit due to climate change and a significant increase in extreme temperature days,” Crepaz said.
Among other things, the Great Festival Hall will be renovated and the old technology of the festival will be replaced. We are still looking for temporary replacement platforms.
263 became 400 million
All this is financed by the city of Salzburg and the federal state of the same name and from the Austrian federal budget.
The importance of the project is very important, but the festival is an important economic factor. (Photo: Archive) Bild: Barbara Gindl/APA/dpa
The importance of the project is very important, but the festival is an important economic factor. (Photo: Archive) Bild: Barbara Gindl/APA/dpa
According to estimates by the Chamber of Commerce, the Salzburg Festival creates a value of 250 million euros in Austria every year. Taxes and duties are 96 million euros. “The investment pays for itself in five years,” Crepaz said.
At first the costs were expected to be approximately 263 million euros, but due to inflation this has increased to 400 million – and that’s not all. From 2031 onwards, the Felsenreitschule and the House for Mozart will be renovated in the next phase – the cost estimate for this is not yet available.
(dpa)