Gugg Culture House

The Gugg-Kulturhaus is a contemporary arts venue in Braunau am Inn, a town in Upper Austria. It occupies a former fire-extinguisher factory built by the Rupert Gugg & Söhne company. The building became a protected monument and was converted in 1989, rebuilt in 2001, and enlarged again in 2005 to serve as a municipal cultural centre. Funding comes from the European Union, the provincial government of Upper Austria, and the town council. Its programme spans small-scale performances, concerts of swing, blues and funk, and theatre, including annual in-house productions. The house regularly presents Austrian premières by international artists such as Kiki & Herb, Leo Bassi and Annie Sprinkle. Each season it stages about forty events that together draw around eight thousand visitors. One of the highlights is the Braunau Contemporary History Days held on the last weekend of September. The building’s programme also includes Kleinkunst evenings and concerts of swing, blues and funk. Inside, the converted factory spaces house a flexible performance area, a smaller studio theatre, and foyers used for exhibitions and receptions. The programme changes every season, with new productions and visiting companies taking turns on stage. Outside, Braunau’s old town centre provides cafés, shops and a riverside walk along the Inn. The Gugg-Kulturhaus stands at the heart of the town, a short walk from the main square and the parish church.