To spot the Genossenschaft Kreuz, look for a pale building with a red Swiss cross sign hanging above the entrance and a cluster of blue chairs and green umbrellas out front - it’s buzzing with life right on your right.
Now, let’s step into the story! For over four centuries, the Kreuz has been a witness to Solothurn’s secrets and celebrations. Imagine, back in 1601, the spot in front of you was the place to go if you wanted a wild story-and maybe a wild night. The old Kreuz was known as a “grubby dockside bar” with a shady red-light reputation. Sailors, strangers, and questionable characters swapped tales and clinked glasses in smoky corners.
But in 1973, a group of dreamers with big ideas turned this ship around. They made it Switzerland’s oldest cooperative pub. No more smoky intrigue-well, maybe just a little! The Kreuz became the living room for the left-leaning, a place where young rebels debated and plotted for a better world over hearty plates of food. Ever heard of the “Group for a Switzerland Without an Army”? Yup, those world-changers were founded right here at these tables, and they host their loud debates to this day.
The hotel above was once abandoned-imagine employees living in a big, communal flat, cooking dinner together and arguing about books late into the night. By 1985, the hotel reopened, and it’s never lost that spirit of community. You’ll see it’s simple, practical, even beautiful-no gold chandeliers, just honest floors, great food, and laughter floating out the windows.
Writers like Otto F. Walter and Peter Bichsel loved it here; you can almost hear their typewriters clacking. When Solothurn’s film and literary festivals roll into town, the Kreuz hums with jazz, blues, poets, and pranksters. Financial trouble nearly sank the place around the year 2000, but a new focus on quality-think local veggies with an international twist-brought crowds from every walk of life, not just the revolutionaries.
So sit, listen, and take in the buzz. These walls have heard cheers, protests, and perhaps the occasional argument about whether jazz or singer-songwriters rule the stage. Don’t worry; you won’t have to decide. This place is all about coming together-no secret handshake required!
