DAY 3 AT DSTNCMP²³.

ON MAY 11, 2023 BY WOLFGANG WEILER

Surprise successful

Traditionally, the venue for the netzvitamineABEND DestinationCamp is a well-kept secret. This time, too, with the exception of a few particularly sharp participants, none of theDSTNCMP²³ attendees knew where they would be spending Thursday evening. The “oohs” and “aahs” were all the more astonished when, after a few minutes’ bus ride, the iconic architecture of the Erl Festival Hall came into view behind a cow pasture.

Driven into the adjacent rocky slope, the anthracite-colored facade appeared like a dynamically "folded" continuation of the landscape. To some, in contrast to the white, soaring Passion Play House next door, it looked like a futuristic UFO unconventionally parked at the edge of the forest.

MORNING SESSIONS, AFTERNOON EXPERIENCES
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After the morning sessions and workshops, many participants set off for the experience offerings. This included a trip to see the 'blondes' at the Fohlenhof of the Haflinger stud farm in Ebbs, as well as visits to the Riedel glassblowers or Manfred Höck's 'Crownhill' distillery. The raw materials for his highly awarded brandies and liqueurs grow on the approximately 150 apple, pear, and plum trees in the meadows around the secluded Kronbühlelhof near Schwoich.

The yoga and herb workshop in the Riedel Festival Hall was well-attended, as were the rock cellar cheese dairy of Herbert Plangger and the guided tour of the Heroes' Organ at the fortress.

True to the motto: Work plus leisure equals workation.

ARCHITECTURAL GEM BY THE DANDELION MEADOW

And now, behind the dandelion meadow, lay the rain-glistening, jagged facade of concrete, glass, and black fiber cement of the Erl Festival Hall. Next to it, as a contrast and complement to the ensemble on the outskirts of the 1,200-resident community, stood the brightly soaring white circular building of the famous Erl Passion Play House.

After the obligatory group photo for the WERKSCHAU , the ushers led us into the soaring concert hall. As impressive as the space was, it was not to be the main venue for the evening.

To kick things off, the 160 m² proscenium stage, with the singing trio from "Die Herren Wunderlich", rose from the three-meter-deep orchestra pit. The powerful tenor turned out to be Herbert Oberhofer, head of the cultural office, the alter ego of the retro drag queen from the opening night. Die Herren Wunderlich also made several contributions to the successful evening later on.

THANKS TO THE DSTNCMP PARTNERS

First, netzvitamine managing directors Benjamin Buhl and Stefan Möhler thanked the partners for their support of DSTNCMP²³.

Moderator Bernhard "Börnie" Lingg welcomed Natascha Müllauer, the director and commercial managing director of the Tyrolean Festival Erl. She captivated the audience with her refreshing manner and eloquent information about the Festival Hall.

The Festival Hall maintains its own orchestra of over 100 members, its own costume workshop, and a 32-member choir.

Natascha proudly reported that the acoustics of the hall are among the best in Europe. Thanks to the free-standing walls made of Canadian acacia wood, perfect sound transparency is achieved even with large ensembles.

PASSION PLAYS SINCE 1613, FESTIVALS SINCE 2013

But how did this small town come to have such an ensemble? The reason lies centuries back: Erl, like Kufstein, belonged sometimes to Bavaria, sometimes to Austria, was repeatedly devastated, and completely destroyed twice. Finally, the residents had enough and vowed to perform the Passion of Christ every six years if the town were spared from war. It was spared, and the residents fulfilled their vow in 1613. Since then, the Erl Passion Plays, along with those in Oberammergau, have been among the oldest in Europe.

The Passion Plays take place every six years in summer. The white Passion Play House, newly built in 1959, was also designed without heating, meaning it could not be used for many months. Therefore, an architectural competition for a festival hall to be used year-round was announced in 2006. The Viennese firm Delugan Meissl won it in 2010.

More than 100,000 tons of rock were blasted from the hillside to accommodate the architecturally highly sophisticated Festival Hall without visually overshadowing the Passion Play House. The municipality of Erl owes the 40-million-euro construction primarily to the private foundation of construction tycoon and Strabag owner Hans Peter Haselsteiner. The Festival Hall was opened on December 26, 2012, with its first festival season taking place 400 years after the first Passion Play.

GREEN EVENT AND DSTNCMP FOREST

Then a number flickered across the screen: 2,776. This many trees have already been planted to compensate for the CO₂ emissions caused by DestinationCamp over the past two years.

Since 2017, the event has been certified as climate and water neutral. And to kick things off, DSTNCMP²³ was additionally honored by the Austrian Ministry of Environment as Tyrol's first major GreenEvent.

AWARD WINNER OF THE DSTNCMP CHALLENGE TROPHY IS WIESBADEN

Then five finalists pitched for the challenge trophy of the DSTNCMP Award.

The votes of the four-member jury accounted for 49.9% of the total result, while the volume of audience applause over ten seconds accounted for 50.1%. Thus, the winners were soon determined: The 3rd prize went to "FöhrGreen", a network of businesses on the island of Föhr actively committed to sustainability. The 2nd prize went to "First Date Tourismus" by Thüringer Tourismus GmbH in Erfurt for their pop-up stores promoting tourism-related professions.

Finally, last year's award winner Kathrin Dürr from Alpsee-Grünten Tourism presented the challenge trophy to the winner "Plazy – the Art of Lazy Planning". The PWA aims to simplify short-term, target-group-specific travel planning for city trips – in this case, Wiesbaden.

The DestinationCamp challenge trophy now remains in Wiesbaden until DSTNCMP²⁴.

CLASSICAL CHAMBER CONCERT AND MEAT-FREE DINNER
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Festspielhaus conductor Beomseok Yi on piano, orchestra attendant Allegra Camici Roncioni on oboe, and Anastasiya Sychova on violin captivated the audience with a chamber concert specially arranged for DSTNCMP²³, and then, after dinner, fostered a cheerful serenity with lively operetta melodies.

Before that, the enormous stage curtain opened: Awe-struck eyes turned to round tables for eight, elegantly set for a festive dinner. Participants entered the world behind the curtain via the side stage – suddenly becoming part of their own production.

The festive dinner was further proof of the DestinationCamp organizers' courage to embrace unconventional and sustainable solutions: The menu consisted solely of vegan and vegetarian delicacies – Kohlrabi carpaccio, lettuce risotto with onsen egg, jackfruit burger, and passion fruit sorbet. Excellently prepared and served by Kufstein Fortress Catering.

And then the party started: DJ Pyrit got everyone on their feet. Everyone danced – except for those who let Natascha guide them to the costume and prop collection. Unfortunately, the last of six shuttle buses departed as early as 1:20 AM – twenty minutes late.