Did you know that this Fliegerhalle Wolllager Gebaude 173 once echoed with the sounds of both industrial labor and world-class music?
This impressive structure before us is more than just a building it’s a living testament to Bremen’s rich industrial past and its surprising embrace of the arts. Officially known as Haus 173 it was originally one of four raw wool storage halls built in 1929. Its unique design resembling an aircraft hangar was a marvel of engineering for its time. The Bremer Woll-Kammerei BWK commissioned F H Schmidt of Hamburg to build its three-aisled steel structure with brick exterior walls. This building was strategically located next to the BWK’s 640-meter-long pier where raw wool arrived by ship until 1970.
The Fliegerhalle Wolllager Gebaude 173 wasn’t just for storage. Its spaciousness made it ideal for large gatherings. Company meetings were held there even when the ever-decreasing number of employees could not fit into the company canteen. During the Nazi era the building served as a venue for mandatory broadcasts of speeches by Nazi leaders from Berlin. A major event took place in 1934 when the BWK celebrated its 50th anniversary inside this very hall. The event was cleverly used as Nazi propaganda celebrating the new regime.
But the Fliegerhalle’s story doesn’t end there. In the 1990s it took on a completely different role. It became an unexpected concert hall. This transformation was part of Bremen’s Musikfest. The Sydney Symphony Orchestra performed here creating a unique atmosphere with the contrast of the industrial setting and classical music.
Imagine the transformation. Imagine the raw wool bales now replaced with eager concert-goers. The sounds of industry now replaced by Mozart and Beethoven. The air once filled with the scent of wool now filled with the anticipation of music.
The Musikfest Bremen used the Fliegerhalle for several concerts. One concert featured a controversial pairing of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s experimental “Mixtur” and Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Another concert celebrated George Gershwin’s 100th birthday with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra and the RIAS Big Band. The year 2000 saw a performance of Brecht and Weill’s “Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny” a fitting title given Bremen’s own history of economic boom and decline.
These concerts were unique. They weren’t just about the music. They were also about the setting about the unusual juxtaposition of industrial history and high culture. They attracted renowned musicians and even some prominent guests including the wives of the Australian Prime Minister and the Australian ambassador to Germany.
Today Fliegerhalle Wolllager Gebaude 173 stands as a reminder of Bremen’s industrial heritage its surprising artistic flair and its potential for future transformations. What will become of this unique space remains to be seen. But one thing is certain its story is far from over.