Staatsschauspiel Dresden

The Staatsschauspiel Dresden stands in the city centre, facing the Zwinger palace. It occupies the old Staatstheater Dresden, a theatre built between 1911 and 1913 for the industrialist Karl August Lingner. The building was designed by William Lossow and Max Hans Kühne in Neo-Baroque and Art-Nouveau styles. Its exterior combines arcades with Baroque details to match the nearby Zwinger. Inside, hydraulically operated machinery by Adolf Linnebach made it the most advanced theatre of its era. The theatre was partly destroyed in February 1945 during the bombing of Dresden. It reopened within three years and became the first German theatre to resume performances after the war. In 1983 the house was reorganised as the Staatsschauspiel Dresden. Today it contains a main auditorium, the Schauspielhaus, and a smaller studio theatre, the Kleine Haus. Visitors enter a building that harmonises with the Zwinger’s architecture. The auditorium’s sliding scenery machinery remains a historic feature. The theatre’s interior reflects both its early 20th-century origins and its post-war reconstruction. The Kleine Haus offers more intimate performances. The setting beside the Zwinger links theatre with Dresden’s royal and artistic heritage.