KAUE Gelsenkirchen

In the location's words:

What the people of Gelsenkirchen, the Ruhr region and a wide-ranging art scene know today as "DIE KAUE" was for a long time a machine hall in the building ensemble of the Wilhelmine Victoria colliery in Schalke.

When finding a name for this venue, the team at the time was looking for a common term from miners' terminology, which proved to be misleading - especially for artists from outside the Ruhr area. Comedian Michael Mittermeier asked us at his first guest performance in 1996 how a venue could be named after the imperative of the verb "to chew".

After the closure in the 1960s, the Gelsenkirchen church district acquired some parts of the former colliery after almost 20 years of standstill to establish an employment promotion company. Part of this company was also to become a socio-cultural center. Conversion work began in 1989 and lasted two years.

After some turbulent years with various changes of ownership, the Kaue, once a place of hard work and sweat, now shines in new splendor. Under the management of emschertainment GmbH, it is now a vibrant venue for cabaret and musical life, combining charm, tradition and culture.

Since the early 1990s, the industrial monument has been a sought-after venue with a special Ruhrpott ambience and a great attraction for all lovers of cabaret, concert or theater events on a smaller scale with up to 500 visitors (seating 325, standing room 500). Whether music events, theater performances, comedy performances or readings - the KAUE offers a stage for artists of all genres.

Over the years, the list of national and international artists who have performed at the Kaue has grown steadily. Many of them, who now perform in large, sold-out halls, made their first steps in the KAUE, many of them like to return there later to test and develop new programs due to the special ambience, and many new faces are added every year.