Kassablanca

In the location's words:

Whether it's day or night, there's always something going on at "Kassa". From concerts to cinema and (sub)culture to courses, the club with a K brings a lot of things together. This refers to the Kassablanca, which has been a permanent institution in the cultural and nightlife of the "City of Light" for over 30 years. The former locomotive shed and its converted water tower are known and appreciated far beyond Thuringia as a venue that has enriched life in and around Jena for years in a creative and versatile way.

But before the Kassablanca could really settle into its current location in Felsenkellerstraße, it had to move several times in the 1990s. After a house on Villengang, the first ever Kassablanca domicile, the former dance café in Jenaer Paradies became the club's new home in 1992, albeit only for a short time. The tenant threw the team out, a new location was needed and, after another stopover in the Villengang in 1994, it was finally found at the end of Track 1 not far from the Westbahnhof. Thanks to the help of a number of friends, sympathizers and supporters, the idea of the Kassa balconies lives on here. The Kassa tower was the first to be renovated, followed by the café with a view of the city in 1995 and finally the small disco on the second floor at the end of the same year.

At the same time, the adjacent locomotive shed at Westbahnhof was converted into a concert hall and opened in April 1997. By this time, the Kassablanca had become an important meeting place for anyone looking for a platform for their ideas, dreams and passions. The conversion of the old building ensemble gives the place a charm that is still unmistakable today and offers enough space for around 400 events per year in the areas of concerts, club evenings, youth culture, youth and educational work, platform work and other activities.
The Kassablanca's wide-ranging program is of course made possible not least by its staff, who not only work here, but some of whom have been regular guests behind, in front of and on the stage of the "Kassa" for years. In addition to the permanent staff, the Kassablanca has around 80 flat-rate and freelance employees, around 20 volunteers and five federal volunteers. This means that a total of around 100 people work around Kassablanca e.V. and Gleis 1 GmbH. Part of this is also the training company for event technicians and event management assistants.

Today, the Kassablanca attracts around 60,000 to 70,000 visitors a year and brings almost all varieties of subculture to life under one roof. Here, poetry slams meet club nights, readings and concerts take place, there's a graffiti workshop next to the coffee, and punks and hip-hoppers share the stage. The program list is long, because anything goes, but nothing has to at Gleis 1 in Jena. Even after more than 30 years, the "Kassa" is still open to new ideas and anyone who wants to help shape diversity is just as welcome here as anyone who wants to discover and experience music, art and subculture all year round.