ACU is a political-cultural

venue Venue is the location at which an event takes place. It may refer to: Locations * Venue (law), the place a case is heard * Financial trading venue, a place or system where financial transactions can occur * Music venue, place used for a concer ...

in the city centre of

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Net ...

, in the Netherlands. The name ACU is derived from "Auto Centrale Utrecht" (Car Centre Utrecht) and is one of the many signs of its origin as an old squat. Nowadays it is still run by volunteers as an

infoshop Infoshops are places in which people can access anarchist or autonomist ideas. They are often stand-alone projects, or can form part of a larger radical bookshop, archive, self-managed social centre or community centre. Typically, infoshops offer ...

and

social centre Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole co ...

in order to keep it an independent and non-profit harbour within Utrecht's nightlife.

History

The car centre ACU existed from 1935 to 1967. In 1976, the premises were squatted and adapted for habitation. Over time, multiple small businesses settled there as well, for example a bike-shop. The residents started a cinema in the former showroom in 1979. After two years the cinema was replaced by a coffeehouse to be able to provide a public space for the squatting community. Eventually this developed into a venue providing a stage for local and international bands since 1985. After almost being evicted the squatters realized the premises had to be bought. A foundation "stichting Voorstaete" was established to buy the property. In 1994 Stichting Voorstaete bought the ACU and the squatted premises around the corner, which now houses the hostel Strowis. After years of refurbishing the building, the ACU reopened in 1998, and was completed as the current venue in 1999.

Activities

The ACU hosts a wide range of activities including: anarchist library the Barricade, benefits, concerts, films, meetings

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

events, political info nights, queer events and a

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...

restaurant.

References

External links

Official website ACU

Kitchen Punx

Strowis
{{Authority control Dutch culture Buildings and structures in Utrecht (city) Music venues in the Netherlands Infoshops Legalized squats Squats in the Netherlands Social centres in the Netherlands

History

Activities

See also

References

External links