The Titania-Palast is a cinema in

Steglitz Steglitz () is a boroughs and localities of Berlin, locality of the Steglitz-Zehlendorf borough in Southwestern Berlin, the capital of Germany. is derived from the Slavic languages, Slavic name for the European goldfinch, similar to the German . ...

, in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, Germany. Built in 1928, it is notable for its

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

style. It closed in 1965, and re-opened in 1995 as a

multiplex Multiplex may refer to: Science and technology * Multiplex communication, combining many signals into one transmission circuit or channel ** Multiplex (television), a group of digital television or radio channels that are combined for broadcast * ...

, renamed the Cineplex Titania. It is a heritage site (''

Kulturdenkmal is the official term to describe National Heritage Sites listed by lawAccording to international law, the English term is Cultural property, but can also be called ''Protected monument''. in German-speaking areas of Europe, to protect and sprea ...

'') of Berlin."Titaniapalast"
Landesdenkmalamt Berlin. Retrieved 3 January 2024.

History

The Titania-Palast was designed by Ernst Schöffler, Carlo Schlönbach and Carl Jacobi, in the

New Objectivity The New Objectivity (in ) was a movement in German art that arose during the 1920s as a reaction against German Expressionism, expressionism. The term was coined by Gustav Friedrich Hartlaub, the director of the ''Kunsthalle Mannheim, Kunsthalle' ...

style, featuring a "light tower", and a large Art Deco foyer. It was both a cinema and a theatre, seating 1,924, with space for an orchestra of up to 60 musicians. There was also a café seating 350. It opened on 26 January 1928. The first film shown was the silent film ''

The Story of a Little Parisian ''The Story of a Little Parisian'' (, , ) is a 1928 silent film directed by Augusto Genina. It was made as a co-production between France, Germany and Italy. The film was created in conjunction with Maurice Yvain's operetta ''Yes''; a stage work ...

'', starring

Carmen Boni Carmen Boni (born Maria Carmela Bonicatti; 8 April 1901 – 18 November 1963) was an Italian actress. Biography Maria Carmela Bonicatti was born on 8 April 1901 in Rome to a colonel and Teresa Rovere di Bergeggi. Her birth date has also been gi ...

. The first sound film shown was ''

The Singing Fool ''The Singing Fool'' is a 1928 American sound part-talkie musical drama motion picture directed by Lloyd Bacon which was released by Warner Bros. In addition to sequences with audible dialogue or talking sequences, the film features a synchr ...

'' starring

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson, ; May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-born American singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. Self-billed as "The World's Greatest Entertainer," Jolson was one of the United States' most famous and ...

, shown on 29 October 1929. The first German-language sound film shown, on 21 November 1929, was ''

The Royal Box ''The Royal Box'' (German: ''Die Königsloge'') is a 1929 American historical film directed by Bryan Foy and starring Alexander Moissi, Camilla Horn and Lew Hearn. It is an adaptation of the play '' Kean'' by Alexandre Dumas about the life of ...

'', starring Alexander Moissi."Cineplex Titania"
''Cinema Treasures''. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
''Weimar Berlin''. Retrieved 2 January 2024."Berlin's Titania-Palast has a glorious past"
''Walled In''. Elke Ertle. Retrieved 2 January 2024. The Titania-Palast survived WWII relatively undamaged. The

Berlin Philharmonic The Berlin Philharmonic () is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. Throughout the 20th century, the orchestra was led by conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922� ...

, conducted by Leo Borchard, gave its first postwar concert there, on 26 May 1945, and in December 1948 the founding ceremony of the

Free University of Berlin The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public university, public research university in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in West Berlin in 1948 with American support during the early Cold War period a ...

took place. Performers including

Josephine Baker Freda Josephine Baker (; June 3, 1906 – April 12, 1975), naturalized as Joséphine Baker, was an American and French dancer, singer, and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in France. She was the first Black woman to s ...

(in 1950),

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however, Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

(in 1960),

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

Maurice Chevalier Maurice Auguste Chevalier (; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor, and entertainer. He is best known for his signature songs, including " Livin' In The Sunlight", " Valentine", " Louise", " Mimi", and " Thank Heaven f ...

and

Yehudi Menuhin Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin (22 April 191612 March 1999), was an American-born British violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in Britain. He is widely considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century. ...

appeared at the Titania-Palast. The cinema closed in December 1965. In 1966, parts of the building were leased by retail shops. In 1995, the building was completely renovated and re-opened as the Cineplex Titania, with five screens and 505 seats. After later renovation, there were seven screens and 1,223 seats.

References

External links

* {{Commonscatinline Cinemas and movie theaters in Berlin Art Deco architecture in Germany 1928 establishments in Germany Buildings and structures in Steglitz-Zehlendorf Heritage sites in Berlin