Altstadttheater Köpenick

The Altstadttheater Köpenick sits beside the old market square in Berlin’s Köpenick district, a lively corner of the city where the past meets the present. The theatre occupies the front building, a modern space with two distinct areas: the Altstadtbühne and the Theatre Café. Behind it, in the protected courtyard, Zilles Stubentheater keeps the spirit of 1920s Berlin alive inside a converted forge. The site has grown from small beginnings into a hub for entertainment and culture. The theatre’s story began in 2007 when Albrecht Hoffmann started guided walks as the character Heinrich Zille. By 2010 he had founded Zilles Stubentheater with just twelve seats, later moving to a larger protected building in 2016. During the lockdown the team created a second stage and a café, allowing performances to continue. In 2022 directors Loretta Müller and Benjamin Stoll joined, expanding the venue into the Altstadttheater Köpenick. Today two stages operate side by side, offering plays, cabaret, music theatre and dinner shows. Visitors find the Altstadtbühne a bright, air-conditioned hall seating up to sixty, equipped for full productions and guest performances. Next door the Theatre Café serves drinks and light meals, doubling as a stage for intimate dinner shows where actors move among the tables. At Zilles Stubentheater the wooden benches and vintage decor recreate a 1920s Berlin pub, seating between twenty-five and thirty-five guests for themed evenings. Programmes range from 1970s Schlager revues to evenings celebrating Hildegard Knef or Heinz Erhardt, blending nostalgia with fresh talent.