Kurtheater

The Kurtheater stands in the spa town of Bad Kissingen in Lower Franconia. Built in 1904 by Munich architect Max Littmann in the neo-baroque style, it opened the following year with Ruggero Leoncavallo’s opera Pagliacci. The theatre replaced an earlier wooden building from 1856 that had become too small for the growing spa trade. Its 538 seats were designed to entertain visitors to the world-famous baths. From 1871 the theatre was rented by Eduard Reimann, director of Würzburg’s theatre, who brought his ensemble to perform during the summer months. After his death in 1898 his son Otto Reimann continued the tradition with his own company. The theatre remained a lively centre of cultural life despite wars and economic crises. Otto Reimann gave his final performance there in 1941, after which the building saw only occasional use during the Second World War. American troops took it over in 1945, and regular performances resumed in 1949 without a resident company. Today the Kurtheater relies on guest performances to keep its stage alive. Its walls still echo with the music and drama that have filled them for more than a century. Inside, the neo-baroque interior features ornate stucco and silk wall coverings. The auditorium’s curved balconies and gilded details create an intimate atmosphere for opera, operetta and plays. The stage itself is framed by richly decorated proscenium arches. Behind the scenes, the building’s original machinery for scene changes survives largely intact. Outside, the theatre sits among the elegant spa buildings that give Bad Kissingen its character. Its presence reminds visitors of the town’s golden age as a fashionable health resort.