Melkweg

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Melkweg
Melkweg en Rabozaal.jpg
Melkweg, Amsterdam
Melkweg is located in Amsterdam
Melkweg
Location in Amsterdam
General information
AddressLijnbaansgracht 234a
Opened1970
Website
www.melkweg.nl

Melkweg (Dutch for "Milky Way") is a popular music venue and cultural centre in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is located on Lijnbaansgracht, near Leidseplein, a prime nightlife square of Amsterdam. It is housed in a former dairy and is divided into a number of spaces of varying sizes. Besides four halls for varying genres of music concerts, the venue houses a cinema, a restaurant and an exhibition space. Melkweg is run by a nonprofit organisation founded in 1970.[1][2]

History[]

Ani DiFranco during her 2007 concert

In the 19th century a sugar refinery was established on Lijnbaansgracht. In 1920, the milk company OVVV bought the factory and used it until closing in 1969. The building was closed for a year, but reopened as a cultural centre in 1970. It was only open for the summer; it featured a café, a restaurant and one hall for music and theatre. This was a success: Melkweg reopened in the summer of 1971 and 1972 before becoming a permanent venue since 1973.

In the years that followed, Melkweg became one of the most important pop venues of Amsterdam and the Netherlands. A meeting place for hippies in the 1970s and 1980s, the Melkweg embraced all music styles and has evolved into a multidisciplinary center for all music styles.

Popcultural references[]

Melkweg is referenced in the Cracker song "Euro-Trash Girl", the Lagwagon song "Infectious" and in title of the Half Man Half Biscuit song "Prag Vec at the Melkweg". The title of The Church's song "Under the Milky Way" is also a reference to the Melkweg. Heather Nova's 1995 EP "Live from the Milky Way" was recorded here, as was Spacemen 3's album Performance. Frank Black and the Catholics recorded their live album Live at Melkweg there on 24 March 2001.

Halls[]

The venue has six halls:

  • The Max, which is the largest concert hall of the venue. It has hosted internationally known acts, including Prince and Arctic Monkeys, but is also used for parties, meetings and film projections. It has a capacity of 1,500 people and opened in late 1995. It was completely renovated in 2007.
  • The Old Hall (Oude Zaal), the oldest concert hall of the venue, also the only one until the opening of "The Max" in 1995. It hosts concerts of lesser-known acts, and bands such as U2 or Nirvana played their first Dutch concerts here. Grateful Dead played an unscheduled show here on 16 October 1981 using borrowed instruments. It has a capacity of 700 people.
  • The Rabo Hall (Rabozaal), which is in a separate building, and mostly hosts film projections or theater plays. It has a capacity of 1,400 people.
  • The Theater Hall (Theaterzaal), a small hall used for smaller artists and theatre plays. It has a capacity of between 90 and 130 people.
  • The Cinema, a private film projection hall with a capacity of 90 people.
  • The Exhibition space (Expo), used for art exhibitions.

References[]

  1. ^ "Van U2 tot Rammstein: voor veel bands was jarige Melkweg een springplank", Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (in Dutch). 17 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Prince als verrassing in de Melkweg Amsterdam", Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (in Dutch). 25 July 2011.

External links[]

Coordinates: 52°21′53″N 4°52′53″E / 52.36472°N 4.88139°E / 52.36472; 4.88139

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