Zoo Palast, Movie theater in Charlottenburg, Germany
The Zoo Palast is a cinema on Hardenbergstraße in Charlottenburg, its facade clad in pale yellow ceramic tiles with a slightly outward-curved upper edge. It has nine screening halls and about 1,700 seats; the two protected halls from 1957 keep their original capacity of 1,070 and 550 seats. Large hand-painted film posters once covered the tiled wall.
The present Zoo Palast was built in 1956/1957 to plans by Paul Schwebes, Hans Schoszberger and Gerhard Fritsche and opened on 28 May 1957. It served as the Berlinale's main competition cinema from 1957 to 1999. After closing on 29 December 2010, it was renovated, with the two listed halls restored and five new ones added, and reopened on 27 November 2013.
For decades this venue has served as a major hub for the Berlinale, drawing filmmakers, actors and critics from around the world and establishing itself as a meeting point for the international film community each year.
Accessible via subway lines U2 and U9 to Zoologischer Garten or commuter rail lines S5, S7 and S9, the venue sits directly across from the station, with screenings running daily from late morning until midnight, tickets available online or from machines in the lobby.
During the Berlinale, special box seats with personal waiter service are activated in the main auditorium, allowing guests to sit in original 1950s armchairs from the initial installation and enjoy beverages throughout screenings.
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