Walhalla-Theater

The Walhalla was a theatre in Berlin-Mitte, built on Weinbergsweg. It began in 1852 as the Berlin Circus-Theatre, a bold attempt to create a people’s theatre outside the usual high-society venues. Three years later it closed, then reopened as a concert and dance hall. In 1870 the Nationaltheatre rose on the same spot, led by directors Friedrich Gumtau, Robert Buchholz and Ernst Carl Ferdinand von Hell. Their programme of classics and modern works ran until a fire in 1883 destroyed the building. In 1906 Paul Saitmacher turned the site into the Walhalla Varieté-Theatre, opening with twelve acts on one evening. The hall grew to hold 1 550 people and was later run by Bernhard Rose between 1914 and 1919. Next door, in a tunnel, Erich Carow opened Carows Lachbühne in 1927. It became famous for comedy and even welcomed Charlie Chaplin in 1931 before the building was lost in the Second World War. Today only the name remains, but the site recalls Berlin’s lively theatre past. The Weinbergsweg corner still carries the memory of circus, classics and laughter under one roof.