Scala

The Scala in Ludwigsburg is the city’s oldest and most respected cultural venue. It stands in the Clussscher Saalbau, a large hall built at the start of the 20th century. The building began as a brewery hall but soon became a stage for theatre, cinema and music. Today’s Scala keeps the same 1950s cinema shape with a wide screen, deep stage and four hundred seats plus a balcony. The Scala has shaped Ludwigsburg’s cultural life for more than a century. In 1902 it opened as the Clussscher Saal with a concert by two military bands. By the 1930s it showed films starring Hans Albers and Lilian Harvey. After 1945 it hosted opera, ballet and political events, including a speech by Reinhold Maier. In 1954 it became the Scala Theatre and later hosted stars such as Johannes Heesters and Ilse Werner. Visitors find three separate areas inside the building. The cinema pauses when live shows start. Scala Live stages concerts and plays in the main hall. In summer the Cluss-Garten, once the brewery yard, becomes an open-air theatre. The programme mixes new films, classic cinema and theatre for all ages. The result is a steady stream of music, drama and thought-provoking cinema throughout the year.