"The Kursaal Conference Center and Auditorium is an architectural complex made up of a large auditorium , a large chamber hall, multipurpose rooms and exhibition halls designed by Rafael Moneo and located in San Sebastián ( Basque Country , Spain ). It was inaugurated in 1999, and since then it has been the main venue for the San Sebastián Film Festival .
The term Kursaal comes from the German words Kur ('cure') and Saal ('room, hall') and therefore etymologically means 'priest room'. A Kursaal or Kurhaus was a typical architectural element of spasnineteenth-century Central Europeans. Due to its function it was a multipurpose building. The building generally included a sumptuous entrance hall, ballroom, theater hall, concert halls, game rooms, and restaurants. In the spas, the Kursaal became the most important and representative building of the same and in the center of its social life. The name Kursaal came to be used for buildings with similar functions in summer resorts along the entire European coast, usually linked to gaming casinos . The name Kursaal was used mainly in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, while in France these types of buildings were called Casino .
The Gran Kursaal Marítimo de San Sebastián or Gran Kursaal was simply a sumptuous palace inaugurated in 1921 , in the tradition of the European kursaales or casinos . The palace was located in front of the beach of Gros and next to the mouth of the river Urumea on land reclaimed from the sea. The promoters of the construction had to build, among other works, a bridge to connect the Kursaal with the city center. This new bridge, officially Zurriola bridge , but popularly known as the Kursaal bridge, it became one of the most typical pictures of the city for its conical body lamps and a huge spherical upper lantern. The Great Kursaal incorporated a gambling casino, a restaurant, movie theaters and various complementary rooms, as well as a theater with a capacity for 859 spectators. The building suffered numerous vicissitudes during its 50-year history, especially due to the prohibition of gambling for many years, so it had to dedicate itself to less lucrative activities than those initially planned such as theater, cinema, etc.
Being a privately-owned building, its owners tried to make the most of the privileged lot where it was located and in the 1960s, projects were started to tear down the building and build another building dedicated to other purposes; despite the fact that by then the Great Kursaal was already one of the most emblematic buildings in the city.
A public project tender was called and a first project was approved in 1965 , but due to the difficulty of its construction, it was decided to scrap it. A new project was presented in 1972 and then the closing and demolition of the building was carried out. It was the year 1973 .
With the demolition of the Great Kursaal in 1973 , a lot that came to be called Solar K was left free. The absence of any type of architectural structure or adaptation of a space located in such a privileged place in the city was especially striking for more than 20 years.
It is mainly made up of two large prismatic volumes that emerge from a platform. Each "cube", as they are popularly called, is made up of an internal masonry prism that internally configures a room, enclosed in turn by a double wall made up of translucent pressed glass panels attached to a metal structure that also encompasses lobbies and hallways. Between these two cubes a large passable surface or terrace is formed with views towards the sea, both to Zurriola Beach and to the mouth of the Urumea . On this terrace, at two different heights (higher in front of the small "cube"), different concerts of the San Sebastián Jazz Festival are organized, as well as other activities such as a nightclub during the Semana Grande festivities in San Sebastian.
Audience
Rafael Moneo was initially commissioned to design an "auditorium", that is, a venue whose exclusive function was to host symphonic concerts or similar shows. For this, it was only necessary a simplified stage and reduced shoulders and chácena (lateral and rear parts of the stage itself). The existence of an orchestral pit was not necessary either. After winning the contest, Rafael Moneo was ordered to transform the "auditorium" into a "theater with the possibility of offering opera." Obviously, this concept of the room is very different from the one initially envisaged, since in it, the orchestral pit, the stage, shoulders and chácena have a fundamental role. These requirements suffered in the final project the limitations of a restructuring of the initial idea, so that the possibilities that the main hall of the Kursaal has to offer large opera productions are very limited, although it can accommodate performances of medium complexity. It has capacity for 1806 spectators. It is located inside the large "cube", the closest to the river, and is used for large events. For operatic performances it has a moat, which is formed by lowering the front part of the stalls floor (which can be transformed into a tie), as well as a system of side curtains that allow modifying the acoustic characteristics of the room. large, the closest to the river, and is used for large events. For operatic performances it has a moat, which is formed by lowering the front part of the stalls floor (which can be transformed into a tie), as well as a system of side curtains that allow modifying the acoustic characteristics of the room. large, the closest to the river, and is used for large events. For operatic performances it has a moat, which is formed by lowering the front part of the stalls floor (which can be transformed into a tie), as well as a system of side curtains that allow modifying the acoustic characteristics of the room.
Chamber Hall
It has a capacity for 600 spectators and is located in the small "cube". It has a section of limited height, not allowing the concealment of decorations hanging from its bars, so large decoration changes cannot be made. It has a piano lift on stage.
Multipurpose rooms
These are rooms used for concerts, meetings, etc. of limited influx.
Exhibition
halls These are rooms used for holding exhibitions.
Kubo Hall
This is an exhibition hall dependent on the Kutxa savings bank .
The building also has a restaurant, run by Andoni Luis Aduriz and whose manager is Mikel Gallo, as well as various shops on the ground floor and a garage."
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