Cabaret Voltaire — Attraction in Zurich

Cabaret Voltaire is where Hugo Ball founded Dadaism, an anti-war artistic and political movement, back in 1916. Today, it has a museum showcasing exhibitions, screenings, and readings all year round. There’s a café and bar where the politically engaged can meet up for discussions over absinthe. Cabaret Voltaire even has its own brand of absinthe, aptly called Dada Absinthe.

If you want to learn more about Dadaism, Cabaret Voltaire offers 2 overview tours (1 hour for 250 Fr and 1.5 hours for 300 Fr) in English, German, and French. Both tours begin with a history of Dadaism and visits to important landmarks such as Zunfthaus zur Waag, and Zunfthaus zur Meisen. Location: Spiegelgasse 1, 8001 Zurich, Switzerland

Open: Monday–Thursday from 5.30 pm to midnight, Friday–Sunday from...

If you are reading this, you probably already know that this is the birthplace of Dada, and although there is very little left of the original insides of the building (and no way of even knowing what it would have looked like back in 1916) it still felt like somewhat of a pilgrimage. You can visit the back room where the Dadaists originally held their soirees, and there is also a library of Dada and Surrealist books, as well as an exhibition space in the basement. TIP - They have currently moved to their summer opening times, which means they are closed during the week. But I contacted them via their website/email and they very kindly opened up for us on a Wednesday, so we had the place...

What happened to this place? It used to be an improvised, colourful place full of artsy people enjoying one of the vital historical places for Dadaism.

Now it's a dead, empty, and cold concrete bunker. It's totally destroyed. No people, no vibe, no references to Dadaism.

It's so sad that the spirit of art is gone. We visited it on a Saturday evening, and all the other places were full. Only Cabaret Voltaire was empty. And we left after a minute because you could not feel anything in that depressive, heavy room.

I really hope that some artists are drastically remodel it into something it deserves to be. For the moment, it's...