The Congress Hall was completed in the autumn of 1957. From the very beginning, it was conceived as an international meeting place. The opening event on 19 September 1957 combined theatre, symposia and concerts, with participants coming from many different countries.

On 25 September 1957, only a few days after the Congress Hall had opened, a symposium was held bearing the title: ‘The Old and the New Worlds’. Participants included Willy Brandt, Eleanor Dulles and the author Thornton Wilder.


1980 The Congress Hall roof collapses