The Rockhouse has been part of the Salzburg music scene for decades. Here we’ve put together the essentials for you.
The building at today’s Schallmooser Hauptstraße 46 was constructed in 1842 by Joseph and Elise Gansl. Part of the vault’s original structure also dates from this period. From the second half of the 19th century, the historic cellar complex was used as a storage cellar by Gablerbräu, thanks to the constant temperatures in the Kapuzinerberg.
In the early 1980s, discontent began to grow over the shortcomings in Salzburg’s cultural landscape: no infrastructure, too few performance opportunities, no rehearsal spaces, no adequate support for the music scene, and, due to a lack of venues, no concerts by interesting or international bands.
A first signal was sent with a three-day festival from 2 Oct to 4 Oct 1981 at the Volksheim. 19 Salzburg bands picked up 26 noise complaints between them.
The association Pro-Ton was founded in 1985 by a handful of cultural activists. The Rockhouse project received the unanimous approval of the cultural committee — under the leadership of actor Herbert Fux.
After a long search and countless discussions with politicians, and following two legendary Rockhouse Band Aid events in 1990, the municipal council unanimously decided to convert today’s Rockhouse Salzburg.
In 1991, the Rockhouse concept and the conversion plans were presented.
The concept was chiefly developed by Wolfgang Descho and Michl Matschedolnig on behalf of Salzburg’s musicians.
The conversion plans for the Rockhouse were drawn up by Hans Schmidt and Will Lankmayer.
During this time, Rockhouse regularly hosted concerts at the Stadtkino (today Szene Salzburg) and at Arge Nonntal.
The conversion of the former wine shop began in 1992 — and the topping-out ceremony also took place that same year.
The conversion proved extremely complex. The buried vaults first had to be uncovered.
The rehearsal rooms were precisely planned according to acoustic requirements and carefully implemented. The Kapuzinerberg also took its toll. Part of the mountain had to make way for the stage in the large hall.
After around a year, Rockhouse opened on 14.10.1993.
The declared aim was to establish Rockhouse as a house of music without stylistic boundaries. The idea was to offer year-round concert programming reflecting the international, national, and regional scene.
The conceptual priorities of Rockhouse are weighted equally: a creative workspace, a place for (further) education, a communicative meeting point, and a service hub for musicians.
Wolf Arrer succeeds Hubert Moser as programme director. For decades, he shaped Rockhouse’s programme.
Visual brand development: Rockhouse gets a new corporate design in lightning blue and silver — an important step in shaping its identity and brand.
20th anniversary & relaunch. To mark its 20th year, a comprehensive relaunch is launched:
The logo is revised; the letter “O” in the wordmark “Rockhouse” is replaced with “X”s (an allusion to XX = 20). Visual modernisation meets a symbolic emphasis on the house’s history.
New façade design: the building’s outward appearance is modernised and architecturally reworked to strengthen its visibility and presence in the cityscape and to align it with Rockhouse’s new design language.
30th anniversary — three decades of Rockhouse.
The tally up to 2023: more than 6,000 concerts, over 10,000 artists on its stages, more than 1,000 workshops, talks and events, and over 1,000 Local Heroes shows.
Artistic reflection on the anniversary: in collaboration with Fotohof Salzburg, a portrait project is created with companions along the way to document the significance of the house.
A generational handover and further development: a new team takes over the running of the house. This is paired with a comprehensive redesign of the visual identity and a relaunch of the website, to carry Rockhouse forward in a contemporary way.
