Kulturhaus Aue

The Kulturhaus Aue was constructed between 1953 and 1958 for the Wismut mining organisation, to a design by Heinz Voigtmann. It opened on 7 October 1958 as the Ernst Thälmann cultural centre. The building became a district cultural institution in 1963 and developed a programme of orchestral concerts, theatre, exhibitions and community artistic activity. It is a home of the Erzgebirgische Philharmonie Aue. Extensive refurbishment between 1992 and 2013 renewed both the building fabric and technical facilities. The main auditorium, with stalls and balcony, accommodates approximately 780 spectators. Aue lies deep in the Erzgebirge, in a Saxon valley shaped by centuries of mining, and the Kulturhaus is the town's principal stage. It is a working hall rather than a concert temple: touring theatre, orchestral evenings, staged opera. Verdi's Nabucco has been given there. For audiences in the surrounding valleys it is the nearest place to hear such a thing at all.