Altes Kraftwerk is a former power-plant complex in Basel that hosts conferences, company events, receptions and weddings. The official site gives nearly 3,000 square meters of event space and flexible seating from 150 up to 700 guests, spread over a main hall, a foyer, upper-floor rooms and a garden. The venue has its own kitchen and technical equipment, and each event has a named contact person on the team.
Seminars and company events
The venue says it is built around three kinds of use. The first is congresses and meetings with a local or international audience. The second is presentations for companies, such as a product launch, a company anniversary or a training day. The third is entertainment, from a small theater piece to a rock concert for an invited audience. All rooms are fitted with stage and lighting equipment. The audiovisual set-up includes modern projectors and laptops, and several printers so that documents can be produced and handed out on site. Rigging in every room allows flexible lighting and sound configurations. Particular equipment can be discussed ahead of the event, and the team orders and installs it. The site asks organisers to book in good time, because each event is prepared with its own briefed team.
Weddings and receptions
The venue has a dedicated wedding page. One room is described as a fully enclosed space that recalls a Faraday cage, a place where artificial lightning once struck during high-voltage tests. It can be dressed in many moods with little effort, is lit by spotlights in the ceiling and has stage and presentation technology. Two lounges, Lounge I and Lounge II, sit in the industrial surroundings. Birthdays and private celebrations are also offered. The team treats discretion as part of the service and, at a client's request, does not publish certain event dates.
Rooms and capacities
The offer is one main hall, four rooms flooded with daylight and a planted garden. The main hall is the largest room. The foyer takes up to 300 guests. Two former winding workshops on the upper floor, called Wicklerei 1 and Wicklerei 2, are used for talks, seminars and presentations, with natural light. The site publishes floor plans for the ground and upper floors, a capacity table by layout (concert, banquet, seminar, board, U-shape) and a 360-degree tour. Ask for the table when you choose a layout, since figures change with the setup.
Catering
Catering is run in house and covers everything from snacks between sessions to a banquet. The kitchen is fully equipped, with two large pizza ovens among its tools. The team states a preference for regional ingredients of organic quality and a seasonal menu that follows the client's wishes, and it works with suppliers from around Basel. The same team runs the restaurant Rebelle in the Klybeck district, where the kitchen style can be tried before booking.
History and setting
The venue stands on the Haefely site. Its power plant and former winding workshops once produced transformers, coils and armatures for the electrical industry. The site says the halls that once felt dark are now bright and reopened for events, and that the team wants the old buildings to come back to life with each visit. The operator reports more than 20 years of experience in the events field.
Getting there
The address is Lehenmattstrasse 353, 4052 Basel. The location is in an urban area yet self-contained. The site presents Basel as a cultural city with more than 40 museums, which is useful for international guests who add a visit to the event. Public transport details are not given in the text read, so check the access page or ask the team.
