Cabaret Voltaire: The Birthplace of Dada in Zurich

Hugo Ball, Emmy Hennings, and Tristan Tzara founded the Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich in 1916, a pivotal venue for the Dada movement. Ball secured the space from proprietor Jean Ephraim. The cabaret featured performances of Russian folk music, black music, and readings of works by Kandinsky, Werfel, Tzara, Jarry, Cendrars, and Wedekind, alongside discussions of Nietzsche, Sade, abstraction, and dandyism. The term 'Dada' was proposed by Ball on April 18, 1916, for the group's magazine; its origins are disputed, with meanings in Romanian ('yes-yes'), French ('hobby horse'), and German (infantile babble). The first Dada manifesto was launched on July 14, 1916, and Tzara published 'La Première Aventure Céleste de Monsieur Antipyrine.' The physical Cabaret Voltaire lasted less than five months, but the movement spread to Paris, Berlin, and Zurich's Galerie Dada. In 2001-2002, a group of neo-Dadaist artists occupied the dilapidated building for three months, staging readings, performances, and exhibitions. The city restored the building, and the Cabaret Voltaire now hosts exhibitions, events, a Dada library, and a bookshop.