Winterthur supports Esse-Musicbar
At the end of August 2019, the "Esse-Musicbar" property on Rudolfstrasse in Winterthur will be demolished. The Esse Winterthur jazz club will now operate its concert venue in Zeughaus 1. To finance the conversion and expansion, the city is providing a site contribution of CHF 80,000 and an interest-free loan of CHF 100,000.
The Esse Winterthur jazz club has been running a jazz bar at Winterthur train station since 2005. Due to the change of use by SBB, the Esse-Musicbar property will be demolished at the end of August 2019. The cultural association wants to maintain its musical offering and has found a new location for its concert venue in Zeughaus 1 at Zeughausstrasse 52.
Since 2017, the operation of the Esse-Musicbar has been supported by the city of Winterthur with an annual subsidy of CHF 25,000. To finance the investments in the conversion and expansion of the new location, the association acquires funds from foundations and private individuals and applies to the lottery fund of the Canton of Zurich for a contribution. However, a condition for a contribution from the lottery fund is a commitment from the local municipality. The city of Winterthur therefore makes a location contribution of CHF 80,000 and also grants the association an interest-free loan of CHF 100,000.
With up to 170 concerts and events a year, the Esse-Musicbar makes an important contribution to Winterthur's attractiveness as a city of music. In 2008, the concert venue was awarded the Winterthur Cultural Foundation's Culture Prize. With the location contribution and the loan, the city of Winterthur is supporting the Esse Winterthur jazz club in its project and enabling the concert venue to reopen from September 2019.
