Cabaret Voltaire Zurich – The Home Of Dadaism

The Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich is renowned as the birthplace of Dadaism during World War I. Today it is still an active part of the Zurich cultural scene and plays a daily role in life in the Old Town in the center of the city.

History of the Cabaret Voltaire

But how did it all start at the Cabaret Voltaire?

It all began on February 5, 1916, when Hugo Ball and Emmy Hennings decided to start the Cabaret Voltaire. At the time, during the middle of the First World War, Switzerland was a neutral haven in the middle of a somewhat apocalyptic war taking place in Western Europe.

The founding members of Dadaism, a group of young artists, which included Ball and Hennings, were trying to overcome the current thinking at the time. They were looking for alternative ways of living, thinking and acting. And used as their influence by many anarchists of the time, as well as such movements as Cubism, Expressionism, Futurism, and Constructivism.

The events at the Cabaret Voltaire were at the permission of the then-owner, held in the back room. They included many a crazy event, or shall we say party, with new forms of art such as simultaneous poetry and sound poetry.

Ball & The Dada Manifesto

Before the founding of Dadaism, Ball had written his Dada Manifesto, which came to define the Dadaist movement. He first read it out on July 26th, 1916 at the Cabaret Voltaire, not long before the cabaret was closed down in the summer of that year.

The Dada Manifesto was actually published in the Cabaret Voltaire and featured works from the likes of the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, and the art on the cover was from Arp. You can still find copies of the manifesto today.

Cabaret Voltaire Today

Today, the Cabaret Voltaire is an everyday cafe and bar in the heart of Zurich Old Town and holds various exhibitions and events. It is still in keeping with the original Dada artists in many ways, so if you are interested in Dadaism, then it is certainly a place to visit.

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