Basel’s former Central cinema becomes an indoor minigolf bar

Basel’s former Kino Central has opened as an indoor minigolf bar, bringing a new use to one of the city’s historic cinemas, SRF reports. The Rollers Minigolf Bar opened in the city centre a few days before the report.

Its 12 courses are themed around films, including Back to the Future, Eyes Wide Shut and Fifty Shades of Grey. The venue combines minigolf with a bar and retro design, a concept already operated by owner Gareth Rigby in Geneva, Lausanne and Bern.

Rigby, who worked in London’s film industry for years, said he brought the idea to Switzerland after seeing indoor minigolf venues emerge in London in 2017. Renovation work in Basel was delayed in part by the building’s ventilation system and requirements for the protected building.

The Central’s history dates back to 1908, when the cinema first opened on Falknerstrasse. It moved to its current location in the Rümelin Passage in 1956 and was considered Basel’s first basement cinema. The cinema closed in 2020 after several changes of operator.

Decorative lamps and other original features have been retained in the listed building. The new venue joins a broader growth in indoor leisure offerings in Basel that combine sport, food and drink, and socialising.