Wilhelma-Theater

The Wilhelma Theatre stands beside the main gate of the Wilhelma zoological-botanical garden in Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt. King Wilhelm I of Württemberg ordered its construction on the Neckar riverbank opposite Cannstatt. Architect Karl Ludwig Wilhelm Zanth designed a Renaissance-style building with a portico facing the river. The theatre opened in 1840 and soon became a cultural centre for citizens and spa visitors. In 1847 it closed for more than fifty years before reopening in 1900. The building has survived decades of disuse and near-demolition. A 1985 restoration, led by the state building office and supported by a local heritage group, brought back its 1840 appearance. Painter Elmar Albrecht recreated the original colourful murals in the auditorium and foyer using surviving fragments and Zanth’s drawings. Today the theatre hosts nearly two hundred performances a year, mainly by the Stuttgart University of Music and Performing Arts. Visitors enter a small auditorium of 349 seats arranged in a gently rising circle. The upper circle was once for citizens, while the first circle and side boxes served the court. The restored murals show antique motifs chosen to reflect the art of theatre. Outside, a brick façade with a central portico and sculpted figures faces the river. The theatre’s quiet corner beside the garden’s entrance offers a glimpse of 19th-century Stuttgart.