photograph courtesy of Miranda Siegel

Thank goodness for ARGEKultur, a glorious respite from all the Sound of Music buses and Mozartkugeln that define Salzburg’s cultural image! ARGE was founded in the 1980s as a protest against the city’s dominant “Festspielekultur.” 

ARGE’s good-sized Nonntal venue hosts hundreds of art and culture events every year, ranging from rock concerts and avant-garde shows to book readings and theater.
When we dropped in, ARGE was hosting the Local Heroes Bandcontest, which featured a slew of Salzburg rock luminaries and a healthy moshpit.

Between sets, concertgoers dined and downed beers at ARGEbeisl, where huge plates of traditional specialties are dished out in an airy room filled with glowing lights and loud music. The Schnitzel was one of the best we tried (and trust us, we tried quite a few) and the Geröstete Knödel, those luscious bread-and-egg dumplings with the occasional bacon bit thrown in, were divine. There’s a decent selection of Austrian beer as well.

ARGE is actually the second biggest contemporary culture center in Austria, after WUK in Vienna. Take that, Graz!

Related posts :

1. Salzburg: Rock aus!
2. Is there an art scene in Salzburg?
3. Austria: Burgenland Festival Gets Ready to Rock
4. Salzburg: Questionable Pastries
5. Paris: Free Walking Tours!