Palais des Fêtes, Strasbourg
The Palais des Fêtes is a concert hall of around 1,200 seats in the heart of the Neustadt, Strasbourg's German-era district. Built in the early 20th century for a men's choral society, it pairs neo-Gothic gables with an Art Nouveau main hall. A listed historic monument, it is hosting concerts and shows again after a long renovation.
A house for singers
It was originally called the Sängerhaus, the singers' house, and locals nicknamed it Gsangverein in Alsatian. The commission came in 1897 from the Straßburger Männer Gesangverein, a men's choral society. The architects Joseph Müller and Richard Kuder drew up the plans; work began in 1899 and was completed in 1903. The original plans also included a restaurant, rehearsal rooms and a library. The City of Strasbourg has owned the building since 1922.
Gothic gables, Art Nouveau hall
From the street, at the corner of rue Sellénick, rue de Phalsbourg and boulevard Clemenceau, the building shows gables and corner turrets in neo-Gothic and neo-Renaissance style. The windows, the balcony and the main concert hall, on the other hand, are Art Nouveau. It was also one of the first reinforced-concrete buildings in Strasbourg, a very new technique at the time. A wing known as the Marseillaise, added around the early 1920s, completes the complex, which has been a protected historic monument since 2007.
An organ advised by Albert Schweitzer
Inaugurated in 1909, the organ in the main hall was built by the Dalstein-Haerpfer firm, advised by several experts including Albert Schweitzer. The instrument has 56 stops. Electrified in 1958 and overhauled in 1981 and again in 2001, it is now the subject of a restoration project led by the city, as several stops have fallen silent over the years. Few French concert halls have an organ, which gives the venue a special place in the region's musical life.
A concert hall, then and now
For decades the Palais des Fêtes was Strasbourg's main concert hall, until the Palais de la Musique et des Congrès opened in 1975. After a renovation of the interior, the roof and the courtyard façade, it reopened to the public in early 2020. A collective of some thirty cultural organisations, formed in 2021, runs a varied programme there. The easiest way to see the hall and its decor is to attend a concert: check the city's cultural listings.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Palais des Fêtes?
In the Neustadt, at the corner of rue Sellénick, rue de Phalsbourg and boulevard Clemenceau, a few minutes' walk north of the Grande Île.
What makes the building notable?
It combines a neo-Gothic exterior with an Art Nouveau hall, was among the city's first reinforced-concrete buildings and has a 1909 organ designed with advice from Albert Schweitzer. It has been a protected historic monument since 2007.
Can you visit it?
The surest way in is to attend a concert or show. Events are announced in the City of Strasbourg's cultural listings.
What is there to see nearby?
Take the chance to stroll through the Neustadt, a UNESCO World Heritage site together with the Grande Île: place de la République, the Théâtre National de Strasbourg and the Palais du Rhin are close by.
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