Deutsches Theater München

Deutsches Theater München stands in the city centre on Schwanthalerstraße, a large theatre built in the late 19th-century baroque style. It was opened in 1896 by Alexander Blum, Joseph Rank and Karl Stöhr and originally housed a main auditorium with 1 679 seats plus a smaller Silver Hall. The building also contained restaurants, a café, shops and thirty apartments. Vaudeville and folk plays filled the stage, while carnival balls and workers’ councils met in the auditorium during the Munich Soviet Republic. Performers such as Josephine Baker appeared here before the theatre was closed by bombing in 1943. The theatre reopened in 1951 after partial rebuilding and later expanded its programme to include drama, ballet and musicals. In the 1970s and early 1980s Reinhard Riemerschmid redesigned the interior in pop art style. A Broadway musical company played a successful season in 1982. After financial threats in 2003, the city decided to restore the building rather than close it. Restoration began in 2008 but was delayed by metro construction problems and finally completed in 2013. Visitors today find a restored theatre that still keeps its original baroque façade and grand auditorium. The Silver Hall offers an intimate setting for smaller performances. The surrounding streets lead past cafés and shops that once served theatre-goers. Inside, pop art details from the 1970s contrast with the restored historic foyer. The building’s long history is visible in every corner, from the original 1896 architecture to the modern stage technology.