The last hour has come for the former cultural institution on Ochsnerstrasse.
Today’s building application answers a question that has been raised again and again in Einsiedeln: What actually happens to the old Etzel cinema? According to the current tender, it is clear that the old cinema on Ochsnerstrasse and the garages behind it are to be demolished.
The demolition that has now been initiated will probably touch the hearts of many, certainly the older hermits, as for some of them the memories of going to the cinema for the first time are associated with the Etzel cinema. They met there. Not just to see, but also to be seen. In the pre-Netflix era, going to the cinema had a different meaning than it does in the visually powerful present.
From 1986 to the end of 2010, Kurt and Lisbeth Birchler were the hosts at Etzel. She selling tickets in the little booth on the ground floor, he upstairs as an invisible operator. The Birchlers retired at the end of December 2010 (EA 100/10). Since then, the use and intended purpose of the architecturally striking building has been the subject of repeated discussions. Ideas, especially in cultural circles, were born and then discarded. In 2016, the “Kulturhuus Kino Etzel” was launched, which aims to hold regular events in the old cinema. But this initiative also petered out over time.
After that there was no longer any institutional use. Every now and then an event found its way to Ochsnerstrasse 1. There were concerts, family celebrations or other events. The Chärnehus theater group used the cinema for their productions a few times, including in 2017 with Thomas Hürlimann’s “Casanova”. But the cloak of the past increasingly wrapped itself around the old cinema. And now it’s cleared for demolition.
Owner Kurt Birchler referred the Einsiedler Anzeiger to architect Peter Füchslin. From him we found out what the construction site installation site that is to be built in place of the cultural center is all about. The answer is obvious: a large development is planned at the corner of Hauptstrasse and Hofstatt. This requires space for materials, construction machinery and vehicles. During the construction period, these can be parked at Ochsnerstrasse 1. And what does the later future hold? Peter Füchslin explains that the owners can imagine a residential building just like the neighboring properties. According to Füchslin, there is currently no concrete project.
was used as a “Kultuurhus”. Photo: Archive EA
2023-10-20 00:44:15
#Planning #application #demolition #Etzel #cinema #pending
