Die Oléolé Bar

The Olé Olé Bar is a Zürich institution. Located in the “Chreis Cheib” on Langstrasse, it has been a refuge for the thirsty, the lonely and the party-goers since it was founded in 1966. Regulars like Lara Stoll, Yvonne Eisenring and Dominique Feusi tell anecdotes. Friends like Dieter Meier and Thomas Haemmerli provide sketches of their inner lives, Michèle Roten, Thomas Kapielski and Christian Schachinger sing the praises of the bar and intoxication. The centerpiece of the volume is a facsimile of the diaries known as the “Barbie Book”. The women’s crew, who have been running the Olé Olé Bar for ten years, record every evening who was there, what was left behind, stolen or damaged, whether there was dancing, flirting or even mating. And how things go on at a hot spot where society gives itself over to intoxication night after night. Designed by Jonas Voegeli/Kerstin Landis and richly illustrated with photos and telltale documents from the inner life of the bar, Die OléOlé-Bar. Geschichten aus dem Barbiebuch is a delightful slice of Zürich night life and a look at the recent history of its local customs. Sonja Huwiler and Elena Nierlich have been running the Olé-Olé Bar together for ten years now, during which they’ve also opened Charlatan RestoDisco, a restaurant cum nightclub, right next door. The book’s editor is journalist and documentary filmmaker Thomas Haemmerli, who also edited Mexican photographer Jesús León’s Vida for Edition Patrick Frey in 2018.