Friedrich-Wolf-Theater [Eisenhüttenstadt]
Theatre building in Eisenhüttenstadt, Germany
theater in Eisenhüttenstadt
Friedrich-Wolf-Theater
On 6 March 1955, just five years after the founding of the Eisenhüttenkombinat Ost (EKO) and the first socialist residential area on German soil, the Friedrich Wolf Theatre was inaugurated in the presence of Friedrich Wolf's widow under the name Kleines Kulturhaus Friedrich Wolf.Although planned as a cinema, the Friedrich Wolf cultural centre was also used as a theatre from the outset: the American film The Salt of the Earth and the comedy Much Ado About Nothing were shown at the opening.Initially, the imposing neoclassical building with 800 seats was the only building on the central axis between the main gate to the steelworks and the central square – in the middle of the construction site of the planned city, which at the time was still called Stalinstadt and was designed to accommodate over 50,000 residents. The theatre seemed to visitors like a temple of the muses from ancient times. The architects had intended to create the impression of an acropolis.Because it was not yet connected to the district heating system, it initially had to be heated using a discarded locomotive that was propped up behind the building.
Built 1954-1955 by Architekturbüro Rupp and Architektenkollektiv H. Enders und Hans Klein. Façade by Arnold. Named in honour of the German playwright, Friedrich Wolf (1888-1953). Opened 6 March 1955. 1960 extension buildings for a café and a library. Renovations 1973, 1980-1981, and 1998-2002. 738 seats.