Kursaal Palace
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The Kursaal Congress Centre and Auditorium is a complex comprising several spaces: a great
auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoriums can be found in entertainment venues, community halls, and t ...
, many-use halls and exhibition halls. It was designed by
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
architect
Rafael Moneo José Rafael Moneo Vallés (born 9 May 1937) is a Spanish architect. He won the Pritzker Prize for architecture in 1996, the RIBA Royal Gold Medal in 2003, and La Biennale's Golden Lion in 2021. Biography Born in Tudela, Spain, Moneo studi ...
, and is located in Donostia-San Sebastián ( Basque Country,
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
). It opened in 1999. It consists of several spaces, including the 1,800-seat concert hall, the ''Palacio de Congresos-Auditorio Kursaal'', and is the home of the biggest film festival in Spain, the San Sebastian International Film Festival, in existence since 1953.


History


Placement: K Plot

This was an elegant palace built in 1921, incorporating a casino, a restaurant, a cinema theater, complementary rooms and an 859-seat theater, placed in front of the Gros beach, and next to the mouth of the
Urumea The Urumea ( or , stemming from Basque "ur" 'water' + "me(he)a" 'thin') is a river in the Basque Country at the north of the Iberian Peninsula. It's one of a series of Basque rivers flowing into the Bay of Biscay (Atlantic basin) and is best know ...
river. Part of the interior, including the main hall, was designed by Victor Eusa. The entire building was pulled down in 1973. An empty plot (later called K Plot) was freed. The absence of any architectonic structure in such a privileged site for so many years was remarkable.


Discarded projects

At the time the old palace was pulled down, a competition was held to find a replacement. However, the winning project was never constructed due to its complexity. A new project proposal was submitted in 1972. After a few changes to the design, building work was started in 1975, but after the perimeter wall was complete and the foundations in place, works was halted. The plot of land then passed from private hands (as the Great Kursaal had been private) to public hands, so a public consortium was created for the purposes of constructing a new building.


Final choice

Once the 1972 project discarded, and facing the possibility of building a great auditorium in the K Plot, six architects were consulted in 1989:
Mario Botta Mario Botta is a Swiss architect born in Mendrisio, Ticino on 1 April 1943. At age fifteen, Botta dropped out of secondary school and apprenticed with the architectural firm of Carloni and Camenisch in Lugano. After three years, he went to the Ar ...
,
Norman Foster Norman Robert Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank (born 1 June 1935) is an English architect. Closely associated with the development of high-tech architecture, Lord Foster is recognised as a key figure in British modernist architecture. Hi ...
,
Arata Isozaki Arata Isozaki (磯崎 新, ''Isozaki Arata''; 23 July 1931 – 28 December 2022) was a Japanese architect, urban designer, and theorist from Ōita, Ōita, Ōita. He was awarded the Royal Gold Medal in 1986 and the Pritzker Architecture Prize i ...
,
Rafael Moneo José Rafael Moneo Vallés (born 9 May 1937) is a Spanish architect. He won the Pritzker Prize for architecture in 1996, the RIBA Royal Gold Medal in 2003, and La Biennale's Golden Lion in 2021. Biography Born in Tudela, Spain, Moneo studi ...
,
Juan Navarro Baldeweg Juan Navarro Baldeweg (born June 11, 1939, in Santander, Cantabria) is a Spanish architect, painter, and sculptor. He directs the architectural studio Navarro Baldeweg Asociados in Madrid. Biografía Between 1959 and 1960, he studied engr ...
and
Luis Peña Ganchegui Luis Peña Ganchegui (29 March 1926 in Oñati, Gipuzkoa – 2 April 2009 in San Sebastián) was a Spanish architect. He is considered one of the first to introduce contemporary architecture to Spain. Biography He studied architecture at the S ...
. Of the six projects, the one of Moneo was chosen (the motto of which was "Two beached rocks").


Beginning and ending of the works

After the project was written down between 1991 and 1994, the works were begun in 1996, and were not finished until 1999. During this period some funding problems arose, mainly because of the refusal of the
Basque Government The Basque Government (, ; ) is the governing body of the Basque Autonomous Community of Spain. The head of the Basque government is known as the '' Lehendakari''. The Lehendakari is appointed by the Basque Parliament every four years, after a re ...
(who paid for 16% of the total cost) to increase the funds. After these problems were solved, the works were concluded in 1999. The Kursaal Congress Centre was designed by Rafael Moneo and awarded the
European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture The European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award is a prize given biennially by the European Union and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, Barcelona,Ainhoa Arteta Ainhoa Arteta Ibarrolaburu, better known as Ainhoa Arteta (born 24 September 1964), is a Spanish soprano. Personal life and training Ainhoa Arteta was born on 24 September 1964 in Tolosa, Gipuzkoa. Her father, José Ramón Arteta, was foun ...
) was also eclipsed by the parallel construction of the
Guggenheim museum The Guggenheim Museums are a group of museums in different parts of the world established (or proposed to be established) by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. Museums in this group include: * The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, Ne ...
in
Bilbao Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...
, which was twice as expensive as the Kursaal. However, after an adaptation period, most citizens came to tolerate the inappropriate style of the Kursaal building, and support the positive role which it plays in the economy, tourism and cultural life of Donostia.


The building

It is mainly constituted as two large prismatic volumes, that emerge from a platform. Each "cube" (as they are known), is formed by an inner prismatic structure, surrounded by double translucent glass panels, which are supported by a metallic structure. Between the cubes there is a large terrace, commanding views which take in the Zurriola Beach and the mouth of the Urumea river. This terrace is host to many events, including many of the concerts which go to make up the Donostia Jazz Festival ("Jazzaldia") *Kursaal Auditorium Placed inside the biggest cube (and closest to the sea), this auditorium can hold an audience of 1,806, and is the most frequently used one for big events. The first seat rows can be removed to make room for the orchestra in an opera. *Chamber Hall This seats 600 people, and is placed in the small cube. It is used for congresses or smaller concerts. *Multiple-use rooms These are used for a variety of events for more limited audiences. *Exhibition halls The halls are used for housing galleries and other exhibitions. *Kubo Hall It is an exhibition hall under the supervision of the
Kutxa The Kutxa (pronounced ; short for "Savings Bank of Gipuzkoa and San Sebastián") is a savings bank mainly operating within a regional scope in the Gipuzkoa province of Spain. Its Spanish language, Spanish name is ''Caja de Ahorros y Monte de Pie ...
savings bank. Moreover, the building has a restaurant owned by
Martín Berasategui Martín Berasategui Olazábal is a Spanish chef expert in Basque cuisine and owner of an eponymous restaurant in Lasarte-Oria (Gipuzkoa), Spain. Since 2001 it has been awarded three Michelin stars. He holds twelve stars in total, more than an ...
, various shops in its basement, and a car park.


External links


Official website
{{coord, 43.3243, N, 1.978, W, type:landmark, display=title Concert halls in Spain Convention centers in Spain Buildings and structures in San Sebastián Tourist attractions in the Basque Country (autonomous community) Buildings and structures completed in 1999 1999 establishments in Spain Rafael Moneo buildings Modernist architecture in Spain Trade fair venues in Spain