Albert-Theater

The Albert-Theater stood on Albertplatz in Dresden until its destruction in 1945. Built between 1871 and 1873 by architect Bernhard Schreiber in the Neorenaissance style, it served first as the Royal Playhouse and later as a leading municipal theatre. Designed as a rectangular two-storey building with a three-storey stage house, it originally seated 1,500 and featured a five-bay central projection topped by a relief frieze and sgraffiti. The theatre gained prominence under private management after 1913, when it became known for modern progressive drama alongside popular comedies. Directors such as Adolf Edgar Licho introduced expressionist works, while Oskar Kokoschka staged his own one-act plays there. Later, under Hermine Körner, the house balanced classical repertoire with contemporary pieces including the Dresden premiere of Brecht’s Threepenny Opera. Visitors today can still see two of the original façade figures, Dance and Music by sculptor Menzel, preserved in the foyer of Kraftwerk Mitte. The theatre’s exterior lines remain visible in the preserved shell, while its history is recalled through these surviving sculptural fragments. The site stands as a quiet witness to Dresden’s theatrical past.