What tasks should institutions such as the Konzerthaus Stadthalle fulfill in the future? In the lounges – the discourse format on the festival weekends – guests from the worlds of culture and science will discuss the festival theme "Back Forward". The audience is invited to take part in the subsequent discussion.

In collaboration with long-standing festival partner EPPLE Immobilien, the fourth lounge explores the question of what functional and aesthetic objectives determined the architecture of the 1903 building and what understanding of cultural practice it expresses. How can this heritage be successfully combined with the needs of the present? Sandra Meireis, Oliver Sukrow and Felix Waechter, authors of the new publication on the Stadthalle Heidelberg, talk about the history and significance of the building as well as its renovation and transformation into a modern concert and event venue.