Stadttheater Düsseldorf

The Stadttheater Düsseldorf stands in the heart of Düsseldorf, a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. Ernst Giese designed the theatre, which was built between 1873 and 1875. Before this, the site held the Altes Theater, also known as the Grupellotheater. The old building had once been a casting house for the Baroque sculptor Gabriel de Grupello. It served as a theatre from 1747, when Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria, was in residence. The theatre became a comedy house around 1750 and hosted regular performances from 1751. After Düsseldorf fell under Prussian rule, King Frederick William III donated the building to the city in 1818. The Austrian actor and director Joseph Derossi became its first tenant. The new municipal theatre replaced the old playhouse in the 19th century. The auditorium suffered damage during the Second World War air raids. It was rebuilt during the war under orders from the Reichstheaterkammer. In 1946, the theatre served as a meeting place for the state parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia. It reopened later that year under the musical direction of Heinrich Hollreiser. The building was later converted into the Düsseldorf Opera House of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein between 1954 and 1956.