Background & Tours

A new restaurant, theater, or gallery is easy to explain because we're essentially familiar with it. Something unique requires more explanation.

I founded the Unperfekthaus in 2004 as a private company, not state-run or church-run, and yes, it's meant to make money! Only then will it be permanently stable, and further projects will be financeable without having to apply for funding or ingratiate yourself. If everyone reinvests the money they earn from their own activities into new projects, that's better than if the state first takes the money and then, with enormous administrative effort, distributes it to people who can fill out funding applications. Besides money, fun is a second criterion for me when deciding whether to realize a project. The Unperfekthaus is tremendous fun, and I believe it provides great social benefit. Our cities are full of places where you can consume, but as soon as you want to do something yourself, you're very much on your own.
I strive for these three goals—money, fun, and social benefit—simultaneously and equally. I don't translate altruism as "selflessness," but rather as "being useful to others," and that can easily be combined with having fun myself and also earning money. Altruism and egoism are independent dimensions, just like "height" and "width." The often-heard accusation "the act wasn't altruistic because it also resulted in personal benefit" is, in my opinion, just as illogical as the statement "the cupboard isn't tall because it's wide." If a person thinks like that, then they're choosing a life path that is either ONLY self-interested or ONLY charitable. I don't consider either path desirable.
Reinhard Wiesemann
Inventor of the Imperfect House

Startup center? Artist center?

Business incubators target businesses, while artist centers target artists. The Unperfekthaus brings together creatives from all fields and isn't concerned with whether someone wants to make money or not.

Artist centers rarely attract large audiences, and startup centers tend to be even quieter. At Unperfekthaus, a large portion of the income goes toward making the center attractive to guests.


At the incubator, you have to decide to start a company, quit your old job, and jump in at the deep end. At the Unperfekthaus, on the other hand, you can start your dream job part-time or alongside school/university.


The Unperfekthaus is intended to be a springboard for turning your dream into a career or starting a business. But socially engaged individuals, clubs, and hobbyists are also welcome! The diversity of people who are active in the Unperfekthaus for very different reasons creates a place whose incredible atmosphere rubs off on visitors. And enthusiastic visitors and club members are the other half of the Unperfekthaus, purchasing works, placing commissions, celebrating, and having a great time in the Unperfekthaus.

Where does the name come from?

Of course, we all strive for perfection, BUT everything new begins imperfectly! What a mess the first automobiles and computers were! We must accept imperfect beginnings so that people can try out ideas and dreams. Because the more we become accustomed to the perfection of highly developed products, the less we dare to try out the unusual, sinking into the consumption of ready-made products and condemning ourselves and others to inactivity. At the Unperfekthaus, we strive for a "workshop atmosphere" that is also attractive to guests, where people can try out their ideas, become known as creatives, find new members as a group, and work together or alone on what they are passionate about! We are happy about everyone who has been helped by the house for a while and who no longer needs it. And in the 90% of cases where a project ultimately doesn't work out, you haven't overextended yourself financially and can try out the next idea.


Tip: Don't put too much faith in a single idea! No matter how enthusiastic you are, it's often the 10th idea that eventually becomes economically viable. If you're already ruined or have no energy left after the first or second idea, you won't be able to try the 10th. But this is just a tip – at UpH, everyone is free to test their own approaches. If you want to, you can express your opinion (like I am here right now), if you want, you can consider other people's ideas, and if you don't want to, you can leave it.


Historical recordings

The Unperfekthaus was built in the 1960s as a Franciscan monastery and stood empty from the late 1990s onward. In 2004, the building was converted into the current Unperfekthaus.
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