Innsbruck campus bar fights 2029 closure with petition

The Sixty Twenty bar at Innsbruck’s SOWI campus could close in 2029 after Tyrol said it would not renew the lease. Its operators have launched a petition urging the state to reconsider, ORF reported.

The operators say the venue is a popular meeting place and that 23 employees would be affected. The petition is addressed primarily to Deputy Governor Philip Wohlgemuth, who is responsible for state property. It also points to other Innsbruck venues that have closed in recent years.

Tyrol said it recognised the bar’s importance to student life but had to ensure the MCI, a higher education institution, had enough modern space. The state said the MCI’s educational needs took priority and that, when it extended the lease in 2024 for five years, it gave the operators sufficient time to find another location. It is willing to help them find an alternative, the state said.

MCI says it urgently needs more space, with shortages affecting study and work as well as its education and research responsibilities. It plans to use the entire ground floor for seminar rooms, a learning lounge, project and study areas, common spaces and bathrooms. The institution’s space shortage has persisted for years, as it operates across several locations in the city. Construction plans were repeatedly delayed by rising costs and uncertainty; earlier this year, the Tyrol government opted for renovation instead of a new building.