'30 years of history is dying': Legendary Leipzig club Distillery forced to relocate

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  • The current venue is being demolished to make way for a new housing project.
  • '30 years of history is dying': Legendary Leipzig club Distillery forced to relocate image
  • Historic Leipzig club Distillery is being forced out of its current premises at the end of the month. The Kurt-Eisner-Straße venue, which has been in operation since 1995, is being demolished to make way for a new housing project. Distillery will hold a final weekend of closing parties, featuring the likes of Ellen Allien, Dan Drastic and Teki Latex, from May 26th through 30th. The Distillery team has been fighting this proposal for more than a decade. But even with local politicians on side, the club has been unable to avert the demolition. "In the end, the property developers came with so much money and the politicians couldn't say no," Distillery's Anne Petzold told Resident Advisor. "Even with the politics on our side, there was no way to save the club. It's really, really sad." According to Petzold, the decision was made because "clubs aren't considered cultural institutions" in Germany. "They don't appreciate the cultural significance or the social side," she said. "It's easier to go to the moon than open a club in Germany right now." The construction of a new Distillery at a different location in Leipzig begins next month. If everything goes to plan, the club hopes to reopen before the end of the year. While Petzold is happy that Distillery will continue in some form, she can't hide her anger and sadness at the situation. "Over 30 years of history is dying right now," she said. "How can a city like Leipzig let something like this happen?" She continued: "In Saxony, where support for the right-wing AfD party continues to grow, we need places like clubs more than ever—where people who would never talk to each other on the street can get together and put their differences to one side." In the meantime, Leipzig's clubbing community can channel its anger into a street protest. Under the banner #clubsAREculture, it will take place on May 29th, featuring music and guest speakers from across Germany. Petzold expects that more than 5,000 people to attend. Open since 1992, Distillery is Leipzig's longest-running club. (It moved to its current location in 1995.) Recent guests include Maayan Nidam, Roman Flügel and Hyperaktivist. Find out more about Distillery's closing parties via the event listings below.


    • Sat, May 27, 2023

      THE LAST DANCE - PART II - 24 H WOHNZIMMER

      Andreas Eckhardt, Chris Manura, Lars Christian Müller, mentell, Dan Drastic, Daniel Stefanik, Sven Tasnadi, Albrecht Wassersleben, Gunjah, Dilivius Lenni, Thomas Stieler, Anna Malysz, Sevensol, DJ HDGDL, Nadine Talakovics, Vincent Neumann, Stigmatique, Oliver Rosemann, Templeton, Lärm, Ninette, Tarik Weiss, WEH8MUT, Atalanta, BIGALKE
      Person
      32

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