Biel: Kongresshaus

The Kongresshaus is a nationally recognised cultural asset and is undoubtedly the landmark – or, as city guide Benedikt Loderer calls it, the “cathedral” – of Biel. This masterpiece by architect Max Schlup was opened in 1966, during a period of economic growth and forward-looking optimism. Society at that time enjoyed a vibrant community life and used the diverse premises as a publicly accessible town hall, a ‘maison urbaine’.
Over time, the audience and the use of the Kongresshaus have changed. By the time of the 1973 oil crisis and its severe consequences for Biel’s vital watchmaking industry – along with the resulting sharp decline in population – the city could scarcely sustain the Kongresshaus’s grand ambitions any longer. The areas originally intended as meeting places, such as the spacious foyer, the gallery, and the club and workshop rooms, are no longer open to the general public.
Under current conditions, the Congress Centre has strayed far from the values of a “maison urbaine”. An important meeting place with a
central character is currently being developed on the “Esplanade du Palais des Congrès” on the site of the former gasworks. In the “Esplanade Nord” development, alongside apartments in an attractive location and the new hotel, a wide range of services and trendy restaurants are gradually establishing themselves.
The building enjoys a high heritage status of national importance. It is not only the bold architecture that defines the complex’s exclusivity. The unique combination of different uses, the spatial experience of the internal circulation routes and the elegance of the concert hall make the Kongresshaus a landmark of supra-regional significance.
The ‘FullViel’ pilot scheme, launched in 2025, aims to test the original vision of the ‘maison urbaine’ in the modern era. The aim is to reimagine the areas that are currently undefined in terms of space and time and to open up these meeting places to a wider audience.