Palais de la musique et des congrès


The Palais de la musique et des congrès is a music venue and convention center in the Wacken district of Strasbourg, France, close to the European quarter. It is home to the orchestra, Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg since 1975.

History

In 1962, the historic venue of the philharmonic orchestra, the Palais des Fêtes, was starting to get old. The city also did not have a proper convention center. The mayor, Pierre Pflimlin turned to famed architect, Le Corbusier for a project. Le Corbusier started working on the commission and made drafts and a wooden model but died before he could provide definitive plans. This was the second time Le Corbusier had unsuccessfully tried to build in Strasbourg, after a failed housing project in 1951.
The Palais de la musique et des congrès in its first form was built 1973–1975 in a completely different style and shape than what Le Corbusier had envisioned. The hexagonal and comparatively low building was centered around the city's main auditorium, the Salle Érasme. In 1989, a first new wing was added, including a second auditorium, the Salle Schweitzer. A third auditorium opened in 2016, the Salle Cassin, with and 515 seats.
Between 2012 and 2016, and especially 2013–2015, the Palais was thoroughly renovated and modernized. A second new wing was added and the existing spaces were redistributed in order to accommodate more visitors and guests. The surface area of the building now stands at.
The Palais de la musique et des congrès is home to over 300 different events each year.