Kursaal Congress Centre
Kursaal Congress Centre is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided San Sebastián audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~60 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type theater
- Suggested visit ~60 min
- San Sebastián San Sebastián guide
About Kursaal Congress Centre
Rafael Moneo's two monumental glass cubes on the mouth of the Urumea river, inaugurated in 1999 and immediately hailed as a masterpiece of contemporary architecture, the Kursaal is the home of the San Sebastián International Film Festival.
The Kursaal Auditorium and Congress Centre was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Rafael Moneo and opened in 1999, replacing an earlier Gran Kursaal (a grand Belle Époque casino opened in 1921 and demolished in 1973) that had stood at the same site. The building consists of two large translucent glass cubes of different sizes, set at angles on the bank of the Urumea river where it meets the sea, a design that Moneo described as "two stranded rocks." The larger cube contains a 1,800-seat auditorium and the smaller a 600-seat chamber hall; both are used for concerts, theatre, conferences, and above all for the San Sebastián International Film Festival. The building is illuminated from within at night, creating a remarkable effect, the two cubes glow like lanterns on the waterfront. The Kursaal received the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture (the Mies van der Rohe Award) in 2001. The plaza in front of the building connects to the Playa de la Zurriola, the surfers' beach east of the Urumea.
Did you know? Rafael Moneo (born 1937) is the only Spanish architect to have won the Pritzker Prize (1996), architecture's equivalent of the Nobel Prize. His other major works include the Museo Nacional de Arte Romano in Mérida (1986), the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles (2002), and the extension to the Prado Museum in Madrid (2007).
How long should you spend at Kursaal Congress Centre?
Plan about ~60 min at Kursaal Congress Centre. That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is Kursaal Congress Centre worth visiting?
Kursaal Congress Centre is one of the 20 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in San Sebastián, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in San Sebastián
Hear the story of Kursaal Congress Centre
Preview the San Sebastián tour free in the Gingerguide app.