Admiralspalast

Admiralspalast review

The long history of the illustrious Admiralspalast entertainment complex began in the 19th century, when a group of workers accidentally stumbled on a natural salt-water spring. The discovery led to the 1873 opening of the Admiralsgartenbad, a luxurious spa. After a later spell as an ice arena, the building was remodelled in 1922 into a 'world variety' theatre, and then mutated into a 24-hour 'amusement palace' with a steam sauna, a bowling alley, a casino, restaurants, ballrooms, cafés, one of Berlin's first cinemas and even a bordello.

Rather miraculously, the Admiralspalast came through World War II intact and reopened in 1955. As the Metropol Theater, it offered operetta programmes all the way through the communist years, until it was closed once more in 1997. Protests and petitions kept the landmark from being demolished, and after a 2003 decision by the Berlin Senate to keep the building as a cultural venue, new owners were found: Falk Walter and Jon Tryggvason, who aimed to renovate the Admiralspalast to its former splendour before marrying its illustrious past with a contemporary programme. As Walter puts it, 'We're deeply impressed by a rich history that has left meaningful traces in every corner of the building. Reflecting on the period of the 1920s, today we want to be a footstone in the Friedrichstrasse, with a rich diversity of art and culture to be experienced under one roof.'

In the Grand Café, the latest influx of construction workers found five ceilings, each from a different era, lying one under the other. Today's taste is for a mix of old and new, so you can now walk through a 1930s foyer to a brand new bar designed to evoke the shape of a violin, while coats are hung in the cloakroom on original Admiralspalast pegs. Other fixtures from the venue's golden age include an immense 490-bulb chandelier hanging in the 1,760-seat theatre. And after almost a decade of darkness, round-the-clock entertainment is again on the cards. The venue reopened its doors in summer 2006 with a sell-out run of Brecht and Weill's The Threepenny Opera, a show first staged just over the river at what is now the Berliner Ensemble, and the 20,000-square-metre complex now presents theatrical productions, concerts and other shows on three separate stages. Foyer 101 hosts cabaret acts, mime troupes, musical ensembles and improv comedy; the Studio has a rotating programme of music and comedy shows, with resident masked theatrical group Familie Flöz; and the main stage presents musicals, concerts and theatre.

The opening of the Admiralspalast Klub will be followed in 2009 by the Roman style baths, tapping the subterranean water source that inspired the opening of the venue more than a century ago. It may never again be quite like the Weimar years. However, you will be able to lounge and relax all day in the spa before choosing from a tantalising variety of entertainments and then dancing the night away - all in the same luxurious facility.