Café Stadtpark Anonymous, n. y.

Cultural Departure into the Present

The Forum Stadtpark symbolises the atmosphere of departure in which artists from Graz set out to conquer the cultural sphere. In 1958, the artists collective Junge Gruppe, a secession from the Graz Secession, had demanded from the Municipality of Graz to be allowed to renovate the decrepit Stadtpark Café. In early 1959, the wave of solidarity resulting from rejection of this request by the local authorities brought forth the foundation of the Forum Stadtpark, which advocated a radically contemporary concept of art. Subsequently, it developed into an internationally renowned platform for architecture, photography, music, theatre, and literature.