Konzerthaus Ravensburg

The Konzerthaus Ravensburg is a theatre and concert hall opened in 1897 in the town centre. It stands on Wilhelmstraße, part of the incomplete ring of streets around the medieval old town, and forms a historicist ensemble with the neighbouring school buildings of 1882. The long building has a basilica-like cross-section, with a taller central section for the auditorium and stage flanked by lower side wings for foyers and cloakrooms. The house is worth visiting for its architecture and its role in local history. The building was financed by Julius Spohn and other citizens, designed by the Vienna firm Fellner & Helmer, and remains largely as it was in 1897. It is the only surviving historic theatre in Württemberg’s Upper Swabia and has been a protected monument since 1988. The entrance is marked by a flight of steps and two cast-iron lanterns, while the façade mixes Renaissance, Baroque and Classical motifs. Inside, visitors find a neorococo auditorium with 574 seats, an upper gallery supported by pillars, and walls adorned with stucco and gilding. The proscenium arch has two richly decorated boxes and two simpler ones, and above the gallery are plaques bearing the names of classical composers. A smaller hall to the east serves as a foyer or events space, and above it lies the Liederkranzsaal, used by the local oratorio choir. The entrance hall still shows its original 1897 floor tiles and a bronze relief of Julius Spohn.