MARK Salzburg.
More than a building
Alina Schobesberger on finding her way into MARK, encounters between the workshop and the bar, and making an open cultural centre more visible.
Alina Schobesberger
Someone visiting MARK Salzburg to fix their bike might head upstairs for a meal, then encounter an exhibition or the Open Stage at the bar. Those routes through the building capture what interests Alina Schobesberger about her workplace: people arrive for different reasons and find opportunities to do things together. In MARK’s 60th anniversary year, we speak to her about the team, shared memories and what comes next.
Founded in 1966 as a church-supported meeting place for conscripts, MARK developed across several locations into an open cultural centre. After losing its home in Aigen in 2007, the association continued organising events without a venue of its own; it moved into Hannakstraße 17 in 2012. Today, concerts and club nights share the programme with literature, exhibitions, the Community Kitchen and the Bike Kitchen. Alina Schobesberger works in PR, social media and project planning. For this written conversation in October 2026, she also consulted longer-standing members of the team.
When two months become more
How did you first come to MARK? What particularly stands out from your early days there?
I took part in the literary competition “Wir lesen uns die Münder wund” and did an internship at MARK. It was originally only supposed to last two months, but I enjoyed it so much that I extended it. I now work at MARK in PR, social media and project planning.
Many people on our team joined through an internship. As an intern here, you can work very flexibly, and there is room to get a project of your own off the ground.
What remains without a venue
MARK spent several years without a permanent venue. How did the team manage to keep going?
I wasn’t part of the team at the time. But I think what mattered most was their solidarity and passion for cultural work, along with a willingness to be flexible.
It also shows that MARK is more than just a building. Above all, it is the people behind it and the people who enjoy coming to our events.
MARK is more than just a building. Above all, it is the people behind it.
From the workshop to the bar
People come to you to party, share a meal or repair a bike. Are these mostly separate groups, or do the different activities help people meet?
Of course, some people come to MARK for one particular thing, such as the bike workshop. But even then, they sometimes head upstairs and get something to eat at the Community Kitchen or a drink at the bar.
If an exhibition opening, clothes swap or Open Stage happens to be taking place there, they encounter that too. MARK is a meeting place where people can connect. That creates relationships and perhaps new ideas.
Sixty years, one shared evening
Which evening at MARK do you remember particularly fondly? What happened?
There are lots of days we remember fondly, of course. At the moment, our 60th anniversary celebration about six months ago is still especially vivid.
It was a wonderful evening to look back together. Above all, it was a chance to celebrate with the people who make MARK what it is today.
Making connections, becoming visible
What would you like to take on next at MARK, and what do you still need to make it happen?
That’s hard to say — so many things! We have a Queer Film Fest and a closing celebration planned to mark “60 Years of MARK” once more. That will include a group exhibition with many of the artists who have already exhibited here this year.
There’s plenty ahead in 2027 too. Under the annual theme “Vernetzung”, or making connections, we are planning a collaboration with the Wurzeltrieb collective from Berchtesgaden. There will be different formats, including a writing workshop, a painting workshop and more.
MARK is also right in the middle of an industrial area. That repeatedly presents us with the challenge of being visible as a place for art and culture. We would like the architecture to give us more of a presence too. One idea would be to extend the building and create a terrace that could serve as an additional space.
MARK Salzburg
Interview by email · Editorial and image art direction: SCENE:ID. MARK Salzburg · Cover-Bearbeitung: SCENE:ID · Pressebilder: MARK Salzburg · SCENE:ID Farbgestaltung