50 years of Wuppertal stock exchange: Interview with Lukas Hegemann, managing director of the cultural center

The communications center the börse in Wuppertal preceded the 68 movement as well as the spirit of departure of free culture in the 1970s. In a turbulent founding meeting in May 1973, the concept of a free, but municipally funded "communications" center was decided upon. The börse was one of the first cultural centers of a new type in Germany. The underlying idea at that time was "culture for all"; the term socioculture did not even exist yet. It was only established later – among others by Frederick Mann, who led the börse as managing director since 1975.

That such a place was needed in Wuppertal is shown by the number of visits right after its opening on November 8, 1974: In the first two months, 50,000 people came to the börse, which was then still located in the building at Viehhof. The program included concerts, dance evenings, courses aimed at further education and self-actualization, and neighborhood meetings. Peter Kowald and Peter Brötzmann ensured that many of the American (Free) Jazz stars performed here, Pina Bausch improvised on stage, later the band Fehlfarben was founded and rehearsed on site, and the Toten Hosen and the Scorpions also performed here. The börse was a very important place for Wuppertal and North Rhine-Westphalia – because it offered unique events here.

The exchange has experienced a lot over the course of 50 years, going through high and difficult times. After it was full at every event in the early years, the first major cut came in 1977 when the roof burned down for reasons still unclear. The Wuppertal Young Union was traveling by bus that night – when they heard on the news that the exchange was burning, the whole bus applauded. Fortunately, that is no longer the case today, but the exchange had to repeatedly assert its position in the city against politics, often unable to lean too left so that funding would not be cut – which nevertheless happened several times, albeit due to empty municipal coffers. The exchange could only leave its makeshift location in the city center in 1981 and return to the livestock yard; large jazz, punk, and New German Wave concerts took place. And the legendary Wackeltreff was born, perhaps the most important party series in the valley on Thursday evenings, which also became an identity-forming event for trainees, students, and pupils. A second major change was probably the noise complaint lawsuit in the 1990s: a resident ruined the party for everyone by demanding quiet after 10 PM. The exchange relocated the parties to the city area and responded with a new concept – but it was only with the move to Wolkenburg in 1998, where the exchange is still located today, that old greatness was achieved again.

In addition to concerts, parties, theater performances, comedy, and poetry slams, the project area has grown. Cultural and political education, often articulated in interconnected projects, now makes up a good third of our work. Thematically, it is diversity, AI, and war and peace that concern us. Today, the börse finds itself again in a time of upheaval. In the 1970s, the börse was the only sociocultural center in Wuppertal; now, more places have emerged that pursue a sociocultural approach. The municipal cultural institutions are also positioning themselves participatively, thus becoming competition for the börse. As the managing director, I have been dealing with the issue of payment for some time: While self-exploitation was acceptable for many 50 years ago, we now align salaries with those in the public sector. For more planning security, our state association Soziokultur NRW demands seven million euros per year from the state as structural aid for the centers, which would free up immense resources, as fewer project applications would need to be submitted. As managing director, I support this demand. For 50 years, socioculture has provided practical answers to the (cultural) questions of society – a little more monetary recognition for these services would be a fair birthday gift.