Hamburg venue Golden Pudel will stay open after a dispute with the venue's part-owner was settled.
The club's future had been in doubt following a recent fire and a long-running dispute between the Pudel and Wolf Richter, the part-owner of the building that houses the venue. A forced auction was in the works but that will no longer go ahead, the club says. In a statement posted on the Golden Pudel website, the club confirms that it came to an agreement with Richter, who they previously described as the threat to the club's long-term future. (A previous statement said that "the reconstruction of the house was currently prevented by Richter, who "also enforced the pending auction by court order, allegedly with the intention to buy it himself. And he tried, after the arson, to terminate the long-time lease contract with the Golden Pudel.")
Here's the statement in full:Filled with tremendous joy and with a deliriously beating heart, the Golden Pudel Club can declare the following news: The piece of this earth that is intertwined with us, namely St. Pauli Fischmarkt No. 27, has been snatched away from the burning claws of the forced auction that has been threatening us for a long while. Together with the Mara & Holger Cassens foundation, Wolf Richter's shares in the property have been acquired. The property can now be used for public cultural benefit. Consequently, the Club is now protected from the adversities of the capital market and can once again and continuously be used for counter-cultural experiments and the developing of our social idea. Happily, loudly, and forever! This is our house! A gigantic thank you to all of the supporters for their solidarity - you have not only warmed our hearts but you were all of actual help.