Hippodrome, Theatre building in Gamla staden, Malmö, Sweden

The Hippodrome is a theatre building in Malmö, designed by architect Theodor Wåhlin and opened on 1 November 1899 as a circus and theatre venue. Its round-arched stone gateway is framed by a carved leaf moulding, with a lion's head medallion on the left and a horse's head on the right. A plaque above the arch reads "12a."

The Hippodrome was built by the Hippodromen joint-stock company, formed in 1898 by industrialist Daniel Hjorth junior and builder Christian Lauritz Müller. Architect Theodor Wåhlin travelled across Europe to study circus buildings before it opened on 1 November 1899 with a performance by Cirkus Tanti. In 1922 Oscar Winge converted it into a theatre, and after the last show in 1950 it served as a church until the city bought and restored it in 1992.

The name comes from the Greek words for horse and race, after the ancient hippodromes. Nils Poppe took his stage name and had his breakthrough here, and Edvard Persson also performed. From 1950 to 1992 the Elim congregation used the building as a church.

The theatre stands on Hippodromgatan in Gamla staden, a short walk from Gustav Adolfs torg and the Central Station. The 2021–2023 renovation by Haworth Tompkins and White Arkitekter opened up the old Hippodrome and its surrounding spaces, making them more accessible. The box office and programme are best checked before a visit, since performances run by season.

The architect Theodor Wåhlin travelled around Europe studying circus buildings before designing it, and the venue opened on 1 November 1899 with a water ring that could be converted quickly for different acts. The archive and a photo collection are held by Malmö stadsarkiv.