Stratmanns Theater Europahaus

The Amerikahaus Ruhr, now known as Europahaus, stands in Essen’s city centre on Kennedyplatz, a square renamed in 1963 after President John F. Kennedy. Built between 1951 and 1952 by architect Herman Gehrig, the building was the first American information centre in Europe dedicated solely to democratic culture and political education after the Second World War. Its outer walls feature reliefs by sculptor Herbert Lungwitz, while the terrace garden was designed by garden director Schmidt. The opening ceremony on 22 February 1952 was led by Karl Arnold, then Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia, marking the house as a symbol of post-war re-education funded entirely by American citizens.

After its initial use, the building served for fifteen years as the provisional city hall while Essen’s main Rathaus was rebuilt. From 1979 to 1988 it housed the Haus Industrieform, a design collection that later became the Red Dot Design Museum. By the early 1990s the structure had fallen into disrepair before being restored at a cost of 2.5 million euros by the Stratmann brothers.

Today Europahaus is home to Stratmanns Theater, a small-scale cabaret stage founded in 1994 by the physician and comedian Ludger Stratmann. The theatre continues to present his medical-themed programmes alongside a restaurant. The U-shaped building encloses a quiet courtyard garden, and the Kennedyplatz outside offers a broad view of the surrounding cityscape.