Greeting

Congratulations on your centenary

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Ernst Küchler, Mayor of Leverkusen

The Bayer Erholungshaus in Leverkusen is a multifaceted venue that is rich in tradition. It is the stage for top-class events in the fields of theatre, music, dance and the visual arts and from the very start has enjoyed an outstanding reputation that extends far beyond the town’s boundaries. In September the Erholungshaus will be 100 years old. Leverkusen, 22 years younger, has grown up with and been shaped by the Erholungshaus. The town offers its heartfelt congratulations, and wishes the Erholungshaus continued success for many years to come.

The Erholungshaus is inextricably linked with Leverkusen. For generations of the town’s citizens, the performances, concerts and exhibitions they have seen there have served as the yardstick for a high-quality cultural experience. In 1906 Dr. Carl Duisberg, then a board member of the Farbenfabriken Bayer, approved the construction of a building for “convivial and educational events” in the park at the centre of one of the company housing estates. In 1907 he founded the Education Department, which was later to become the Cultural Affairs Department.

The cultural centre attracted great attention on its ceremonial opening on September 13, 1908. “In the park of the workmen's estate in Wiesdorf, between the cosy homes of foremen and labourers, a magnificent edifice is rising. It is a place for the workers' recreation, where they can participate in art, conviviality and jollity,” reported the “Leipziger Färber-Zeitung” of 1909. The Erholungshaus had more than just intellectual value for Leverkusen. It also served to create a sense of identity and community which later transferred to the town as a whole. The imposing architecture of the building also played a role in this. In 1909 the Erholungshaus drew admiration at a time when many towns and cities were constructing municipal theatres that were the pride of their inhabitants.

Today, 100 years later, the Erholungshaus has achieved a significance that extends far beyond Bayer. This educational and cultural institution is seen by the people of Leverkusen as a valuable feature of the town’s cultural landscape. People also have strong emotional ties to the Erholungshaus. It is where they saw their first play or concert; they perhaps even participated themselves in the popular Christmas fairytale. Moreover, the building contributes to the positive image of Wiesdorf as an established neighbourhood. It is one of the few large buildings from the early 20th century to have survived in Leverkusen.

It was not until 1969, some 60 years after the opening of the Erholungshaus, that Leverkusen built a second theatre and concert venue, the Forum, thus expanding the range of the town’s cultural offering. The Erholungshaus and the Forum complement each other and give Leverkusen something that few other towns of its size can boast: two theatres that are used regularly for performances.

I look forward to the Bayer Cultural Affairs Department’s 2008/2009 programme and I am certain that the Erholungshaus will this year again attract people from all over North Rhine-Westphalia to Leverkusen, thus fostering the town’s cosmopolitan character. The Erholungshaus is therefore an outstanding cultural feature in the mosaic of “soft location factors” and Leverkusen is proud to be the home of such a fine institution.

On behalf of the town of Leverkusen, I would like to thank all those who work behind the scenes and express my appreciation for 100 years of top-quality cultural activity in the Erholungshaus. I would like to thank Bayer and the Cultural Affairs Department for their consistent commitment in Leverkusen. Special thanks go to Nikolas Kerkenrath, head of the Cultural Affairs Department, and his team who year after year have succeeded in creating a programme that wholly embodies the traditional yet contemporary motto “Working for culture is working for education".

Ernst Küchler
Mayor of Leverkusen