Das Werk

Das Werk is an arts and culture venue on Spittelauer Lände in Vienna, beside the Danube Canal. It began in August 2006 as a cultural association without a fixed address, with founder Stefan Stürzer organising events in rented spaces. Its first permanent base was on Neulerchenfelder Straße in Ottakring, where studios housed artists. In February 2013 it moved to the Stadtbahn arches.

The venue combines a gallery and art space, artist studios and rooms for concerts and club events. Galerie Helmut, a tribute to Helmut Qualtinger, opened above the bar in arch 332 during a 2018 renovation. The site has about 1,000 square metres indoors and an outdoor area of roughly 2,500 square metres. Its two dance rooms are now called Sector A and Sector B; Sector A’s sound system uses six Alcons Audio RR12 tops and five custom double-18-inch subwoofers. Capacity is about 300.

Electronic music programming spans techno, drum and bass and psytrance, alongside concerts, theatre, readings, film screenings and exhibitions. The event promoter youknowwhy has run nights at the venue. Artists who have played there include Comrage, Der Werther, Stratera and DANBERG. Das Werk also runs arts and music festivals, including Kunst am Kanal, and its World Wide Werk artist-in-residence programme received an award. An awareness team has operated at the venue since October 2022.