Bernarts-Theater

The Bernarts-Theater stood in Aachen’s Adalbertstraße from 1862 to 1910. A merchant and wine wholesaler named Matthias Bernarts turned his existing entertainment restaurant into a large theatre and social hall. The building held a Moorish-style hall and a main hall with 1,500 seats plus a stage that could open to the outdoors for summer performances. The theatre quickly became one of the Rhineland’s leading private stages. It hosted military concerts, optical-physical shows, Spanish dancers from Madrid and virtuoso violinists. The city orchestra played winter concerts here until its own hall opened in 1864–65. From 1880 the theatre also staged opera and plays with the Stadttheater ensemble, though the city objected and Bernarts ran the house alone. By the late 19th century the programme included naturalist works by Gerhart Hauptmann, Henrik Ibsen and Frank Wedekind, and stars such as Sarah Bernhardt appeared. Josef-Wilhelm Bernarts, Matthias’s son, led the theatre into the 20th century. Early careers began here for actors like Paul Wegener and Werner Krauß, while cabaret artists and film-makers performed in the revue scene. Despite rising artistic success, financial troubles and lack of city support forced the theatre to close after the 1909–10 season.