Do you know the history of Phoenix rising from the ashes? This is how the Forum Bressanone presented itself in the year 2001, when the city administration gave the renovated and upgraded former “GIL”-building to the citizens on the occasion of the
1100th anniversary of Bressanone.
The history of the house in
direct proximity of the old town dates back to the year 1933. The architects Francesco Mansutti and Gino Miozzo from Padova had designed it as a “Casa Balilla”, a gym of the Fascist youth organisation/Gioventù Italiana del Littorio. Constructed according to Rationalism style, the GIL-building represented the first counterpart to the medieval core of Bressanone. In harmony with the buildings in near Via S. Croce, an interesting, closed quarter has been created.
As an unloved testimonial of an unpleasant period of history, the former GIL area kept running down for a few years, until the municipal authorities of Bressanone started their search for an adequate area for a cultural and congress centre with many functions. They discovered the “forgotten” building in 1993 and authorized the bureau of architects "
Arch" (Colombi, De Dominicis, Dalsass), today
Tauut (Colombi, Pichler), to complete the heritage-protected, existing basic structure with elements of contemporary architecture, such as glass, wood and concrete. They aimed at creating the groundwork for a
modern cultural centre and congress house.
The
multifunctional space concept has proved itself. On about 300 days per year, the Forum Bressanone hosts events of all kinds: theatres and musicals, concerts, balls and dancing shows, congresses, seminars, meetings, symposia, conventions and workshops.
The cultural and congress building today is managed by an in-house association of the
Stadtwerke Brixen led by directing president Wolfgang Plank. The salaried staff of the event centre includes two coordinators, two technicians and a janitor.