Plattenstrasse 27 – Zürich
1966–1968

When I was looking for a practice room for our band, I noticed that a large part of the building Plattenstrasse 27 had been vacant for a long time and that the building was conveniently located on my way to school. While checking it out I met Herbert "Herbie" Wertli, who was looking for rooms suited for a club.

Spontaneously we decided to join forces and start a club together. My friend Edi "Zulu" Stöckli offered to draw up the club statutes and to take care of all the administrative stuff (he was attending business school at the time). In the fall of 1965 we founded the club "Platte 27" with Herbert Wertli as "president" and Edi Stöckli and myself as "vice-presidents".

As a result, we began to rebuild the old house, tearing out entire walls and installing a staircase to the second floor (gallery room). Financed by sponsors, whom Herbi could convince to support us. And of course by us members of the association (in the beginning about 30), who carried out the hard work in "drudgery". The driving force was always "Herbie", with his impetuous drive and optimism.

The club was opened in spring 66 with various activities and a big party. While "Zulu" was our "Minister of Economy" - he took care of the financial and administrative matters and negotiated with the authorities and again and again with the various police agencies - I was more or less the "Minister of Culture", since I was already moving in various musician/painter and filmmaker circles at that time. 

Urs Rohr, whom I already knew from the "Africana", initially took over the organization of the jazz concerts, while filmmaker Köbi Siber directed the film evenings.

I don't remember who organized the readings and classical concerts that took place in the gallery rooms. In the summer of 66, we opened the gallery, which I then directed. Even Swiss National Television reported on this "event". Various exhibitions followed, for example the much acclaimed exhibition of Franz Anatol Wyss or that of Kurt Fahrner, about which Swiss television also broadcast a report. 

We also rented out rooms and studios to student groups and artists, such as the then still unknown David Weiss (Fischli/Weiss). At the end of 1967 the club had about 150 active members and about 2000 passive members.

By order of the economic police, only club members or guests accompanied by a member were allowed to enter the club. We solved this problem at that time by introducing a proforma 24-hour membership and were thus able to beat the authorities. At the end of 1967, the house was sold to the city of Zurich. Despite assurances to the contrary, the city unexpectedly terminated our membership. As a result, I left the association, along with many other founding members. Only Herbie continued to run the club (and also "Zulu"?), but hardly any cultural events took place anymore and the house was increasingly taken over by radical slobs and alternatives. Also drugs began to pose a big problem. I don't remember when exactly the club was definitely closed, it was some time in 1968. The city then had the building demolished and put a parking lot there. It's still there and looks as desolate as ever.   Conclusion: In its "heyday", the Platte was a unique meeting place for young, aspiring cultural workers and artists from all areas, such as film and theater, literature, photography, music and painting. Today, the guest list reads like a "who's who" of Zurich's cultural scene. Many of the regular guests at that time are now renowned artists, some of them world-famous. I love to remember this time, it was extremely exciting and intense for me.

Herbert Wertli and Edi Stöckli later reopened a club with the name "Platte 27" on Limmatquai, but it no longer had much to do with the "original Platte 27". It was primarily a commercial disco, with only a few events, e.g. an exhibition of paintings by H.R. Giger and, above all, happenings, as was fashionable at the time.

© Jonas C.Haefeli / Oct. 2013

I can't remember exactly when I went to Platte 27 for the first time.

Herbie Wertli was the first one I noticed, followed shortly by Jonas C. Haefeli, who was present upstairs in the gallery. Apart from jazz concerts, I only went to the disco once. The third in the bunch, Eduard "Zulu" Stöckli, I only got to know later through the graphic artist Gigi Erhardt, who had painted a mural in the lower, large room, in the manner of Roy Lichtenstein. Around this time, Jonas and I became friends. Together with Marcel Bernasconi (p) and Hans Hartmann (b) we made a high-spirited colleagues' trip across Europe, which led via Stuttgart towards Amsterdam, Hamburg, Copenhagen, and back to Berlin. I immediately took Copenhagen to heart. Shortly after my three gigs at Platte 27, I went to Copenhagen for 16 months. Through Bernasconi, I had heard in Copenhagen that the Platte 27 was torn down.

The second Platte 27, downstairs in the backyard of Musik Hug on Limmatquai, I had visited a few times after my return. I only experienced the place as a disco-goer. Suitable for pickups maybe. The old "Platte 27 spirit" was unfortunately gone. Too bad! The old "Platte 27" was an inspiration for the creative scene. It actually was the first multimedia rocket stage, which 20 years later had led to the "Rote Fabrik". Only not as political, but simply super creative.