Where rallies used to be played, set points fought for and tie-breaks won, a cultural and event center of a different kind recently opened in the northern Waldviertel, near the Czech border.
In Austria’s northernmost town of Litschau (Gmünd district) in the Waldviertel, about an hour’s drive from Freistadt, theater maker Zeno Stanek and investor Günter Kerbler realized their vision of an event and rehearsal house called “Moment” in the tennis hall of the former hotel village Königsleitn.
Two years ago, when the hotel area, one of the largest accommodation providers in the region, was about to close due to a lack of interested parties, Stanek and Kerbler decided to take over the house and convert it into the theater and holiday village of Königsleitn.
geothermal and solar power
In addition to normal hotel operations, the hotel’s tennis hall was renovated, creating a 2,400 square meter space for parties, balls and other events. Congresses, trade fairs, seminars and workshops are also to take place. Film and theater teams can also rent rooms in the hotel.
The tennis hall, of which only the skeleton including the concrete beams remains, was clad with biological insulating materials and wooden walls. Sustainability was the focus of the renovation. “We are energy self-sufficient and have geothermal energy that we use,” says Stanek. According to the company, the largest photovoltaic system in the region was also installed on the roof. “Only materials that are sustainable and ecological were used”.
4.5 million euros were invested in the area. The funds come from the investor Kerbler and the Lower Austrian provincial agency ecoplus. The eight companies commissioned, which were responsible for the new concept, the conversion and the refurbishment, almost all come from the surrounding area. This made it possible to keep a large part of the added value in the region.
Stanek, who is also responsible for various cultural festivals in the region, justified the naming of “Moment” as follows: “We want people to experience unforgettable moments with us. Theater is an art of the ephemeral moment. But every moment can be deeply touching and will be remembered forever stay”. (fep)
Source: Nachrichten
