History of The Building
The theatre was built between 1891 and 1892 by architects Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer for a private society. It first opened on September 24, 1892 as "Theater Unter den Linden" with Adolf Ferron's operetta Daphne and Gaul and Haßreiter's ballet Die Welt in Bild und Tanz.
The theatre was primarily a vehicle for operetta, but was also used for various other events and balls. Around 800 people could be seated in the stalls, and the balconies and various en-suite dinner rooms housed about a further 1,700 seats. Its directors went bankrupt in 1896 and the theatre was forced to close its doors.
On September 3, 1898 the theatre was reopened as Metropol-Theater with Julius Freund's revue Paradies der Frauen. It then grew to become one of Berlin's most famous and successful variety theatres. However, due to a decline of variety and music hall entertainment in the late 1920s the theatre was again closed in 1933.
In 1934 the theatre was nationalized and renamed Staatliches Operettentheater. It operated as part of the Nazi Kraft durch Freude entertainment and leisure programmes. During World War II, the auditorium was damaged by Allied bombing on May 7, 1944. The façade, entrance hall, and auditorium ceiling murals were destroyed by bombs on March 9, 1945.
Following repair works and provisional rebuilding, the theatre reopened on December 23, 1947, as the Komische Oper with Johann Strauss's operetta Die Fledermaus.
The 1950s saw various further alterations and extensions. The theatre was completely rebuilt in 1965/1966 by Architektenkollektiv Kunz Nierade, adding functional extensions and giving the theatre a completely new exterior. The theatre reopened again on December 4, 1966, with Mozart's Don Giovanni. The auditorium underwent further restoration in 1986, and the stage technology was further modernized by 1989. Today the theatre seats 1270.
Read more about this topic: Komische Oper Berlin
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