Bregenz plans offices in Magazin 4 exhibition space

Bregenz plans to stop using the second floor of Magazin 4, a protected historic building and municipal art space, for exhibitions from 2027, ORF reported. The rooms are to be converted into offices for the city administration, according to Culture Councillor Reinhold Einwallner of the SPÖ.

The city will look for alternative spaces for exhibitions and other cultural activities. Einwallner expects the necessary decisions to be made by the city council in the autumn.

Magazin 4 on Bergmannstrasse has been used for cultural purposes since 1997, with the second floor serving mainly as exhibition space. Its cultural programme was reorganised in 2017 after the Bregenz Art Association left the building following a conflict between the city and longtime head of the culture department and curator Wolfgang Fetz.

The city retained the building’s cultural use and relaunched Magazin 4 as a centre for art, culture and society, with exhibitions, events and partnerships intended to attract a broader audience.

The venue continued to host exhibitions during the 2026 cultural summer. An exhibition by Austrian painter Hubert Schmalix ran until the end of August, while another event, MAFIA by Uwe Jäntsch and Filmforum Bregenz, is planned for October. From 2027, the exhibition space is due to become city administration offices.