It is so named because the buildings are made of red brick, but also because left-wing parties were part of the campaign to turn the location into a cultural centre.

[citation needed] In 1974 the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (SP) launched a proposal to transform the factory building in the Wollishofen neighbourhood of Zürich into a cultural centre.

A three-day festival at the opera house began on 30 May 1980 and around 200 uninvited young protesters came to demand an autonomous youth centre.

When the young people occupied the stairs, the demonstration became a street battle, the police using water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets.

Some independent theater groups which gained increasing influence in the local cultural scene made their debuts at the Rote Fabrik.

[5] The centre has hosted authors such as Günter Grass and Alice Schwarzer and bands such as Bad Religion, Manu Chao, Nirvana and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.