Kulturwerkstatt Kühlhaus

What Kulturwerkstatt Kühlhaus does

Kulturwerkstatt Kühlhaus e.V. is a registered non-profit cultural association (eingetragener Verein) founded in November 1994 in Flensburg, Germany, and legally domiciled at Mühlendamm 25. The association operates from a converted former Deutsche Bahn fruit and cold storage facility at the historic Flensburg freight yard, which was purchased by the association itself in 2004-2005 through a community-led Freikaufaktion (redemption campaign) where citizens symbolically bought square meters of the property. The venue serves the Flensburg and Schleswig-Holstein region with a diverse cultural programming slate spanning live music concerts, comedy shows, poetry slams, theater performances, wrestling events, children's theater, electronic music parties, and multi-day festivals such as Breeding Festival Vol. 9.

The core product is the event program, supported by five revenue-generating assets: ticketed events, the on-site Kühlhaus Café with approximately 40 seats and a seasonal Biergarten, five rehearsal rooms rented to more than 60 musicians and artists (with active waitlist), workshop and atelier spaces, and an Awareness-Konzept (safety and respect program) with trained awareness teams. Technology infrastructure is non-proprietary, relying on standard third-party ticketing platforms (Eventim, Ticketmaster, Reservix) for distribution alongside physical retail outlets across the region. Marketing is conducted through the company website, monthly newsletter, and a Facebook page.

The business model combines transaction-based revenue (ticket sales at EUR 4-35 per ticket), recurring rental income (rehearsal spaces), on-premise food and beverage sales, and institutional municipal funding from the City of Flensburg, which has supported the association since 1999 when it was recognized as a fixed component of the city's cultural landscape. The association carries additional designation as Träger der freien Jugendhilfe (carrier of free youth welfare) since 1996. Distribution is multi-channel: online ticketing, physical outlets (sh:z, Citti Park, famila, TUI, ADAC, Buchhandlung Liesegang, Schlei Bote), and on-site box office. A partnership with AStA der Europa-Universität Flensburg supports recurring Open Mic programming.

Name

Kulturwerkstatt Kühlhaus

Legal name

Kulturwerkstatt Kühlhaus e.V.

Website

https://kuehlhaus.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kulturwerkstatt Kühlhaus e.V. is a non-profit cultural association in Flensburg, Germany, operating a community-owned former railway cold-storage venue since 1994. It serves the Schleswig-Holstein region with ticketed concerts, comedy, poetry slams, theater, festivals, a café, and rehearsal spaces.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Entertainment Venue

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG)

Keywords

• Live event venue
• Cultural center programming
• Concert and comedy shows
• Artist rehearsal spaces
• Community cultural venue

Headquarters

HQ city

Flensburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Event ticket sales: Primary revenue stream from ticketed events including concerts, comedy shows, poetry slams, theater, and festivals. Tickets sold online through Eventim, Ticketmaster, Reservix, and at physical outlets across the region.
2. Cafe and catering: On-site cafe with approximately 40 seats, beer garden in summer months, serving food and beverages adapted to event programming. Additional revenue from outdoor bar during open-air events.
3. Rehearsal space rentals: Five rehearsal rooms rented to over 60 musicians and artists. High demand with waitlist due to limited availability.
4. Municipal funding support: Financial support from the city of Flensburg as a recognized cultural institution since 1999.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kulturwerkstatt Kühlhaus operates a multi-faceted cultural center housed in a former Deutsche Bahn cold storage building at the Flensburg freight yard. The venue runs a year-round program of live events (concerts, comedy shows, poetry slams, theater, wrestling, electronic music parties, festivals) in its main hall, complemented by an on-site café and seasonal beer garden, five rehearsal rooms rented to local musicians, and creative workshops/ateliers.

Product overview

Kulturwerkstatt Kühlhaus operates as a multi-faceted cultural center (Kulturzentrum) in Flensburg, Germany, offering a unified portfolio of cultural and hospitality services. The core offering is the event program featuring live concerts, comedy shows, poetry slams, children's theater, wrestling events, and festivals across multiple venues (Main Hall, Café, Outdoor areas). Supporting services include the Café & Biergarten (food and beverage), Proberäume (rehearsal spaces for musicians and artists), Workshops (artistic workspaces), Awareness-Konzept (safety initiative), and ticketing services through multiple channels. The association, founded in 1994, serves as a youth welfare organization and cultural institution financially supported by the city of Flensburg.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Veranstaltungsprogramm (Event Program) Year-round cultural event program including live concerts (rock, folk, electronic), comedy shows, poetry slams, children's theater, wrestling events, electronic music parties, and festivals in the main hall, café, and outdoor areas. Targeted at adults, young adults, and families in the Flensburg and Schleswig-Holstein region.
• Kühlhaus Café & Biergarten On-site café with approximately 40 seats serving beverages and snacks adapted to event programming, plus a seasonal outdoor beer garden with external bar service for open-air cinema, outdoor stage events, and family activities.
• Proberäume (Rehearsal Spaces) Rental of five rehearsal rooms to local musicians, bands, and artists for music practice and creative work. Over 60 musicians and artists use the spaces, with a waiting list maintained due to high demand.
• Werkstätten (Workshops and Ateliers) Workshop and atelier spaces for artistic activities including music, photography, painting, and other creative pursuits, supplementing the rehearsal room offerings for the local creative community.
• Ticketverkauf (Ticketing) Multi-channel ticket sales for cultural events through online platforms (Eventim, Ticketmaster, Reservix) and physical outlets across Flensburg and surrounding areas including sh:z customer center, CITTI Park, famila stores, TUI, ADAC offices, Buchhandlung Liesegang, and Schlei Bote, plus on-site box office (Abendkasse).

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AStA EUFminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCooperation with AStA (Allgemeiner Studierendenausschuss) der Europa-Universität Flensburg for Open Mic events, providing stage access for students and community members to perform.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Moritzbastei: Student-run cultural center in the historic Leipzig city fortifications hosting concerts, theater, comedy, and club nights. Comparable multi-genre cultural programming, non-profit operating model, and reliance on student/community audiences.
• Astra Kulturhaus: Independent concert and cultural venue in Berlin-Steglitz hosting a diverse calendar of concerts, comedy, and themed nights. Comparable multi-genre event programming model and venue-ownership profile.
• Conne Island: Non-profit cultural and concert venue in Leipzig with a strong community-ownership ethos and similar programming mix (concerts, political/cultural events). Directly comparable as a regional German alternative cultural center with volunteer and member-supported operations.
• SO36: Iconic Berlin concert and club venue with roots in alternative/punk culture, hosting live music across genres. Comparable as a legacy independent venue with community heritage, although at much larger scale and Berlin metropolitan catchment.
• Kampnagel: Multi-disciplinary performing arts center in Hamburg hosting theater, dance, concerts, and festivals across multiple halls. Closest analog to Kühlhaus in terms of community-rooted, non-profit cultural center model in northern Germany, though at significantly larger scale.
• Hafen 2: Independent cultural center in Würzburg offering concerts, theater, parties, and cultural programming in a non-profit framework. Comparable mission and operating scale to Kühlhaus in a similarly sized regional German city.
• Stadtgarten Köln: Concert hall and cultural venue in Cologne with a mixed live music, jazz, and club night program run as a non-profit. Comparable in operating model (concert venue with mixed genre programming) and non-profit structure, though at a larger metropolitan catchment.
• Zeche Carl: Former industrial site in Essen-Altenessen converted into a cultural center hosting concerts, theater, comedy, and community events. Strongly comparable as a converted industrial/cultural venue in a smaller regional city.

Broad incumbents

• Eventim Live (CTS Eventim): Germany's largest live entertainment ticketing and venue operator. Kühlhaus uses Eventim as a primary ticketing platform; broader comparable as the dominant infrastructure layer for German live events, though at vastly different scale.

Regional players

• Spielbudenplatz Hamburg: Multi-venue entertainment complex on the Reeperbahn in Hamburg hosting concerts, comedy, and live shows across adjacent venues. Comparable as a multi-format live entertainment operator in northern Germany, though commercially oriented rather than non-profit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Kuehlhaus.eV
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kulturwerkstatt-k%C3%BChlhaus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kulturwerkstatt Kühlhaus