The ‘Theater Des Westens’ is one of Berlin’s most famous musical theaters. It is located in Charlottenburg, on Kantstrasse 10-12.

The Theatre was built in the late 1890’s, in the style of Historicism, referring back to how contemporaries imagined mythical times in non descriptive past.

At became quite famous and popular among Berliners for production of operettes; it remained active throught the early XX Century untill 1925, when the great depression and raging hyperinflation forced it to close its doors.

Soon Theater des Westens reopened again under new leadership, to plunge into the Golden Twenties as one of the cultural centers of Berlin.

Due to its “decadent” leanings, the Theatre was taken over by the Nazis in 1933, and coopted into “Kraft durch Freude” (Strength Through Joy),a National Socialist programe aiming to politicise the way how German citizens spend their free time.

After the war the building served as a temporary seat for the German Opera, untill the original Opera building was repaired after the war damages.

From 1961 it is used according to its original intent, for operette and musical performances.

Website of the Theater des Westens:
http://www.stage-entertainment.de/unternehmen/theater-vermietung/stage-theater-des-westens.html

 

See my other entries about Theater in Berlin:

https://seeinberlin.com/2016/03/08/admiralspalast-art-nouveau-jugendstil/

https://seeinberlin.com/2016/03/15/art-deco-in-berlin-renaissance-theater/