• The revitalization of the historic building is in full swing. The central work is expected to be completed in the fall. After extensive acceptance processes, the Eurogress will then take over.
• The congress and event center is planning six months for the final preparations. The official opening of the new Kurhaus is scheduled for summer 2026.
• The city of Aachen is investing a total of 58.5 million euros in the New Kurhaus.

It has always stood magnificently at the entrance to Aachen's city park: the Neues Kurhaus. And soon the slumber into which the historic building has - only apparently! - has fallen into. Because a lot is happening behind the walls. Not a trace of sleepiness, on the contrary! Dozens of tradespeople are working there with watchful eyes to complete what is currently the city's largest construction project. The revitalization of the Neues Kurhaus is entering the home straight. Mayor Sibylle Keupen and Thomas Hissel reported on the current construction progress, the handover phase from the building management company currently in charge to Eurogress, which will operate the Kurhaus in future, and the opening plans, Mayor Sibylle Keupen, Thomas Hissel, City Councillor for Housing, Social Affairs and Economy, Eurogress boss Kristina Wulf and the city's project management team Aga Holler and Kilian Schumacher as well as department head Gabriele Hajok from the city's facility management department reported on the opening plans at a press event on Friday (9 May). May).

A new living room for Aachen

"Aachen is getting a new living room," says Mayor Sibylle Keupen happily. "The New Kurhaus is to become a special place for the citizens of the city as well as for the people in the surrounding area. A place where parties are celebrated, where people come together, meet and exchange ideas and have a good time together. Associations can hold their events there, congresses will take place as well as cultural events. This is what the experienced Eurogress team, which will operate the new Kurhaus, stands for."

Thomas Hissel, the councillor responsible for business and Eurogress, added: "The renovation of the Neues Kurhaus is an important step for Aachen's future as a congress and event city. I am very pleased about the visible progress on the construction site and look forward to the handover to the Eurogress with great confidence. With fresh impetus and a modern offering, the building will soon once again be a lively place for all Aacheners - and a new attraction for culture and events."

The current construction activities in the building

Many challenges, tricky situations, exciting discoveries, intensive discussions and planning lie behind those responsible in the administration over the past few years. Now the construction project is well on track towards its goal. "The construction work as part of the revitalization will be completed in autumn 2025. Extensive commissioning and acceptance processes will then take place, after which the building management team will hand over the New Kurhaus to the Eurogress," explained the project management duo Aga Holler and Kilian Schumacher. This is expected to take place after the turn of the year 2025/26.

In a time-intensive phase over the past few years, work has been progressing on the structural installations. In the technical trades, ventilation ducts and the associated large ventilation units, kilometers of electrical lines, heating and cooling lines as well as many media lines for the future use as an event building had to be installed at great expense. The so-called finishing trades are currently at work in the Neues Kurhaus. The wall surfaces are being reapplied and painted. The old plaster surfaces had to be almost completely removed and disposed of at the beginning of the refurbishment as part of a pollutant clean-up. The ceilings are also currently being fitted with suspended ceilings and acoustically effective ceiling sails. The sanitary areas are being given tiled surfaces. Tiling work is also being carried out in the stairwells. Parquet and natural stone work will be carried out shortly, as reported by architects Holler and Schumacher.

The large hall will be clad with wooden elements over the next few weeks and will receive its final finishing touches. The individual rooms are therefore in different stages of completion. There is a lot of drilling, brushing and hammering going on in order to complete the event venue on time. The interests of a listed building are always taken into account and all construction steps are coordinated with the monument preservation authorities. Everything pursues one goal: the New Kurhaus of the future should radiate historical flair, paired with state-of-the-art building technology. 80 to 100 tradespeople are on the construction site every day during the peak phases. "We are working in a historic and listed existing building. This presented us on the planning team with new challenges time and again, but we were able to solve them all in excellent cooperation with our colleagues from other specialist administrations involved as well as with the specialist companies and planning offices working here," said Gabriele Hajok, Head of the Building Construction Technical Building Management New Buildings, Conversions and Extensions Department. The entire refurbishment of the Neues Kurhaus cost 58.5 million euros.

In addition to the work taking place inside the building, the outdoor facilities are also being renovated with the aim of making the Neues Kurhaus a part of the spa gardens again. "With the revitalization of the Neues Kurhaus, the city is pursuing the goal of reviving the historical flair of the building. Our building management experts are working together excellently with our colleagues from the heritage conservation and building inspection departments to achieve this," summarized Mayor Keupen.

2026 will be the year of the opening

Kristina Wulf and her team will then take over in 2026. The Eurogress Managing Director is looking forward to the new attractive venue for Aachen. Many ideas and requests are already in the drawer. From the beginning of 2026, the Eurogress team will be preparing for the event, familiarizing themselves with the building and the technology and going through the various processes that accompany an event. "The closer we get to the completion date, the more we look forward to it. At this stage in particular, when so much is happening and so much can be seen in terms of the interior design, the entire Eurogress team is really looking forward to taking over this beautiful building soon," said Kristina Wulf during the tour of the construction site.

The heart of the Neues Kurhaus is undoubtedly the impressive Great Hall, which was one of the most popular meeting places in the spa and imperial city over 100 years ago. In future, events with up to 600 visitors will be held there again - from congresses and concerts to private or commercial celebrations. These days, everyone is looking ahead and looking forward to the opening of the New Kurhaus with a lavish celebration in summer 2026 with as many Aacheners as possible. Lord Mayor Sibylle Keupen is also eagerly awaiting this day: "We will bring the old spa life back to life! I'm already looking forward to dancing the first waltz here in the great hall."

A building with more than 100 years of history

The Neues Kurhaus in Aachen has been picturesquely situated in the spa gardens of the city of Aachen for over 100 years and dominates the scenery together with the adjacent Hotel Quellenhof and the Eurogress. Opened in 1916, the Kurhaus had two concert halls, reading rooms, smoking rooms, function rooms and games rooms as well as a ladies' salon. The gastronomic facilities included a dining room, a wine salon and several coffee rooms.

The building was badly damaged during the Second World War. After reconstruction, it reopened on February 5, 1953 with a carnival session. Since then, the building has been a venue for concerts and carnival events, including the "Orden wider den tierischen Ernst" event, until the newly founded Casino Aachen moved in in 1976. The building has been empty since the casino moved out in 2015.

With the renovation of the Neues Kurhaus, the city of Aachen is pursuing the goal of creating an attractive event venue for the citizens of this city again, based on the original concept, to strengthen the sense of community and to be able to live community. In this respect, the tradition of the Neues Kurhaus is to be revived. It should be available again for events of all kinds from 2026.

A current film on the YouTube channel of the city of Aachen shows the construction progress: https://youtu.be/mH0ODJdFvOE.

Further information on the New Kurhaus: www.aachen.de/neueskurhaus.