{"id":3866,"date":"2026-10-07T17:30:31","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T15:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cmb.industries\/blog\/visiting-hours-or-when-walls-open-up\/"},"modified":"2026-10-12T13:13:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T11:13:11","slug":"visiting-hours-or-when-walls-open-up","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.cmb.industries\/en\/blog\/visiting-hours-or-when-walls-open-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Visiting Hours, or When Walls Open Up"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Have you ever been to prison? If not, let\u2019s hope it stays that way. No one needs that experience. And yet it can be an invitation when a prison opens its doors\u2014or rather, when the walls that once surrounded criminals, crooks, thieves, or \u201ccon artists\u201d allow other stories to be told. <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Berggasse. Steyr. Not exactly a prime place to live, one might think. After all, this is where people who had run afoul of the law were locked up. The old prison is history, but the rooms remain. The bars, the small cells, the subdued lighting\u2014all of it still feels somewhat oppressive today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Entering these premises as a visitor is exciting because what\u2019s on offer here isn\u2019t designed to satisfy a craving for quick thrills. Here, you can immerse yourself without having to feel afraid. But when a door slams shut here and the key to freedom isn\u2019t at hand, you can\u2019t help but start to wonder. That\u2019s when you feel the confinement of the cell\u2014what has this place done to those locked up here? What stories might they tell? What kind of people were they, waiting here to see what would happen to them next? Thoughts like these set new thoughts in motion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have we piqued your curiosity?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The old prison in Steyr has the potential to breathe new life into the community. It is ideally suited to serve as a space for the freedom of art, the freedom of science, the freedom of research and thought, the freedom of education, the freedom of entrepreneurship, and freedom from want and fear. The cells will become coworking spaces, and the former courtyard will be transformed into a startup incubator and, ultimately, a vibrant cultural hub. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cHorizont\u201d project, a collaboration between CMb and the City of Steyr, aims to develop new perspectives here to combat a sense of hopelessness. New narratives. New possibilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t just kiss a historic place back to life. You encourage it to come alive. Best done with people\u2014in this case, cellmates, accomplices, good-luck charms, guys like Martin Semmelrogge. A friend with a long-standing connection. A maverick in thought and in life. A cult actor who has elevated films like *Das Boot* and *Schindler\u2019s List* with his performances. A man who, at the Theater Hausruck, became an absolute audience favorite as a villain, and who, in real life, has had his share of time behind bars. \u201cNothing serious,\u201d he says, referring to it as a \u201cshort break with the government.\u201d He didn\u2019t do anything wrong, he says. He didn\u2019t take anything from anyone\u2014he just asserted his rights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Semmelrogge celebrates life and isn\u2019t shy about recounting what it was like back then\u2014like the time he and a friend impulsively took his father\u2019s car for a spin, even though, as a teenager, he shouldn\u2019t have done that. He doesn\u2019t sugarcoat anything. He\u2019s been through too much for that. He\u2019s traveled too much for that. He\u2019s been married too many times for that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was the best possible first guest one could imagine for the prison\u2019s former visiting room. His reading was the best kind of publicity, because the cultural program \u201cVisiting Hours\u201d got a firsthand lesson here in what can happen when you let things be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just as Semmelrogge, throughout his life\u2014which has now spanned 70 years\u2014refused to be confined to any stereotypes or predefined patterns, so, too, did the space draw new energy from his presence\u2014energy capable of giving rise to new life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transformation as the first step toward a new way of operating. Semmelrogge has slipped into the role of ambassador because he is the prototype of a man who always puts all his eggs in one basket, has no Plan B, and might even fail to come up with a suitable variation on Plan A. Uncompromising in his actions, steadfast in his understanding of life\u2014a life in which freedom is viewed and interpreted differently by him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life is a roller coaster. Forever a mystery to me. These are the titles of the books from which Semmelrogge read in Steyr. He was delighted by the visitors\u2019 enthusiasm, and the venue fascinated him. \u201cThe atmosphere here is more beautiful than reading in a city hall.\u201d These words should be taken as an invitation not to let this remain a one-time event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the path toward a new future for these old walls, intermediate steps are not only possible but also desirable. The old prison is the ideal place to experiment with enriching the building\u2019s history with other stories as it moves toward a new future, allowing new energy\u2014and, in the process, new formats\u2014to emerge. A laboratory of ideas, a place that redefines the concept of encounter in a way that differs from the building\u2019s history on Berggasse thus far. An intermediate step toward a new use that, for now, requires little more than a few simple adjustments and a few helping hands. And: the conviction that it all makes sense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBorn To Be Wild,\u201d Semmelrogge sang at the end of the reading, shortly before saying goodbye and leaving the prison visiting room\u2014but not before sitting in the waiting room to talk about his definition of freedom. \u201cI get in my car, where I\u2019m alone, turn up my music\u2014my tunes, rock, and a little metal\u2014and that\u2019s freedom: driving wherever I want to go right then.\u201d It sounds like a scene from a classic road movie, but it\u2019s not from any film\u2014it\u2019s from the life of a man who does what he enjoys. \u201cI want to keep going. As long as I still have energy, I want to keep going.\u201d He says this, walks over to his car, gets in, and lives out his freedom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The walls he left behind call out to him: \u201cCome back\u2014and bring your friends.\u201d The old prison in Steyr is ready for new encounters of all kinds. The doors are open, and the opportunities for renewal are there. This is a freedom that begs to be embraced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo Gallery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Photos: MecGreenie Production OG – MecGreenie<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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