Karlshorst Theater
The Karlshorst theater is the first post-war theater to be built in Germany. It is located on Johannes-Fest-Platz in Berlin-Karlshorst . The building was erected in 1948/49 as a reparation payment from Germany to the Soviet Union . It was the cultural center for members of the Soviet Army who were stationed in Karlshorst
History of the house
The direct predecessor of today's theater was the "German House" of the Kupsch family with a fairground, shooting galleries and carousel. In the “first and largest establishment on the square”, according to a newspaper advertisement from the Karlshorster Anzeiger from back then, variety events, fashion shows in local textile shops and cabaret evenings took place. There was a pastry shop with a café, wine bars and a restaurant. Up to 1,200 people met for the ball in the Spiegel-Parkett-Festsaal.
In 1947 the "German House" was torn down except for the ballroom. This was retained and incorporated into the neoclassical new building. From 1948 on, the architect Hans Schaefers and the Soviet site management had sole artistic and technical management, overall planning and overall supervision for the project. The building was inaugurated in 1949 as the “House of Officers”. The auditorium with round pillars , capitals and a large curved box had 600 seats,
The house was only accessible to Soviet military and civil employees and their families. It was popularly known as the “Russian Opera”. Artists such as David Oistrach , Galina Ulanowa and the Beijing Opera ensemble performed here . After the Soviet restricted area in Karlshorst was abolished in 1963, the German population also had access.
After 1994
The Soviet Army used the building as a venue until the armed forces withdrew from Germany in 1994. After that, until 2007, the private Karlshorst theater took over the venue with performances of operettas, ballet and popular classical music. Then the building stood empty and the house was threatened with permanent closure and neglect.
HOWOGE has been the owner of the house since the Soviet armed forces withdrew . In 2008–2009 she had parts of the building complex completely renovated. The total costs amounted to around four million euros (renovation of the facade, the wooden windows and doors, the addition of a lift, expansion of around 1475 square meters for 41 music school rooms on all floors, complete technical equipment).
Since 2009 there has been a location for the Shostakovich Music School in Berlin-Lichtenberg , as well as an Italian restaurant. The theater itself is still unused. The search for an operator has so far been unsuccessful. An investment of several million euros would be necessary to get the theater ready for use. In 2018, HOWOGE brought the theater and an adjoining administration building together with other properties used for social purposes into the Stadtkultur Foundation it had set up.
Web links
- Entry in the Berlin State Monument List: House of Officers
- The "Russian Opera" - Theater Karlshorst on www.berlin.de
- Creative economic center: Theater Karlshorst
- Theater Karlshorst on the website of the City Culture Foundation
Coordinates: 52 ° 28 ′ 54 ″ N , 13 ° 31 ′ 35 ″ E
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Creative economic center: Theater Karlshorst
- ^ Theater Karlshorst is to change hands. In: District journal for the districts of Lichtenberg and Marzahn-Hellersdorf , April 29, 2014
- ↑ Press release of the Stadtkultur Foundation on the establishment of the Foundation and the incorporation of the theater, among other things, accessed on October 23, 2018