The former sex cinema on Langstrasse already inspired the playhouse. It can now be rented until the end of 2023.
The walls of the former sex cinema Roland are almost all sprayed. The cinema was opened in 1913, making it one of the oldest in the city of Zurich.
The showcases are empty, a cinema program has not been posted here for a long time. The facade of the building at Langstrasse 111 in Zurich was almost completely sprayed, only a box with the silhouette of a naked woman was spared. “Nonstop program” is written underneath. The characteristic lettering on the wall can still be seen, the “O” in “ROLAND” has the cheeky shape of a butt. On the sign at the entrance to the cinema, the operators advertised that only first performances would be shown in the “Premiere-Erotic-Cinema”. Below it is written: «2 films for 1 entry».
It’s only been four years since the Roland cinema closed. But the somewhat run-down house looks like a relic from times gone by, when men – yes, it was mostly men – went to the cinema, sat down in a row with other visitors and watched a sex film in a fairly public manner.
It’s hard to imagine today, porn consumption has long since shifted to the Internet, people consume in the quiet little room with thousands upon thousands of films to choose from.
Left: The lettering on the cinema wall can be seen from afar. Right: Simon Günthard from Projekt Interim in the old cinema hall.
Lots of red and no daylight
The “Roland” belonged to Edi Stöckli’s sex cinema empire, just like the Walche, Stüssihof and Sternen Oerlikon cinemas. With the exception of the “Walche”, which is inconspicuously located between Stampfenbachplatz and Central, all have closed. The cinema in Oerlikon is now a bistro called Venus Bar, films are still shown in the Stüssihof, but not raunchy ones. Only the “Roland” has not yet found its purpose. It has been used for numerous projects in recent years, and it is so well known that in 2019 it was even reconstructed as a stage set for the production of Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s “Justiz” in the Schauspielhaus.
The property, which is not listed, now belongs to the real estate company Novaron, based in Zurich and Balgach in the canton of St. Gallen. At the request of the NZZ, the office announced that there was no finished construction project; one finds oneself in the “decision-making process”. However, the building will not remain empty: Novaron has commissioned an interim use.
Project Interim is responsible for this. The company is a real top dog in the industry and finds temporary tenants for vacant buildings throughout Switzerland. Prominent examples in the city of Zurich are the Hotel Waldhaus Dolder on the Zürichberg, the Café Mandarin near the Stadelhofen train station and the Alusuisse house in Seefeld. In Zumikon, the municipality’s former fire station, including apartments, hall and storage rooms, was recently advertised; In Siebnen in the canton of Schwyz, an entire furniture factory was rented out from 2015 to 2017.
Interim uses are not only interesting for tenants who are keen to experiment, but also for property owners. Vacant buildings don’t do well in portfolios, and they attract squatters, particularly in the city of Zurich. In addition, the owners are attracted by a return, albeit a small one, until the final project can be carried out.
Media spokesman Simon Günthard says the mediation of the former sex cinema is a special one. It is in the middle of district four, which has developed rapidly in recent years from a working class to a nightlife district. The cinema is one of the older in the city of Zurich. It was opened in 1913, before the “Uto” (1927) or the “Le Paris” (1963). It takes its name from the directly adjacent Rolandstrasse. Originally it had 250 seats, this number was later reduced, and when the “Roland” was on its last legs, the visitors may have had a little more privacy than at the best of times in the open rows.
Everything in red, everything dim: there is no daylight in the «Roland».
Preferably something for the public
The «Roland» is not only interesting because of its past. Empty spaces are rare and sought-after throughout the city, on Langstrasse anyway. At the same time, the possibilities of use in the cinema are limited. There are no windows, the light is dim, the hall is nine meters from the ceiling. “We want a creative interim solution that exploits the potential of this building,” says Günthard. Or, as the media release puts it: We are looking for “fresh ideas”.
Creativity is actually required because the infrastructure is modest. There is light, running water and toilets, not much else. In some places the red paint is peeling off, many lamps are lying on the ground. One of the metal doors leading outside leaves a gap in the floor through which waste and noise are carried into the cinema.
If you want to rent the “Roland”, you have to submit a concept, interested parties can visit the building on Friday evening. Günthard can imagine a climbing hall, a rope park or a special exhibition area for artists. “Ideal would be a project that the public would also benefit from.” Structural changes are possible, but care should be taken with the rooms. “And I would be happy if the characteristic red could remain.”
He has already received a number of inquiries, including from restaurateurs. But they were rejected: The “Roland” cannot be used as a bar, club or restaurant because the apartments above the cinema are rented and the residents are to be protected from excessive noise.
The “Roland” will be rented out until the end of 2023; this winter it has to be released for a World Cup bar. The monthly rent has not yet been defined, but according to Günthard it should be in a range that is particularly interesting for those with a low budget. And there should be enough of that.
The Roland cinema can be visited on Friday, June 10, between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.
