Central-Kino, Movie theater and cultural heritage monument in Kaiserslautern, Germany

Central-Kino is a cinema in Kaiserslautern built in 1913/14 for plasterer Philipp Henkel to plans by Alois Loch in Jugendstil style. The long complex consists of two two-storey head buildings joined by a single-storey connecting wing. The former main portal on Osterstraße carries baroque-style sandstone ornament; since the modern conversion the entrance and ticket hall sit at the opposite end, and the room layout and interior fittings are no longer original.

Built in 1913/14 for plasterer Philipp Henkel to plans by Alois Loch in Jugendstil style, the Central-Kino is among the first purpose-built cinemas in Germany. It was extended in 1925 and converted around 1990. In 2005 it briefly became the first cinema in Rhineland-Palatinate to screen with digital DLP projection, until the leased projector was retired for lack of digital films and licensing conditions.

The building was erected in 1913/14 for the plasterer Philipp Henkel to plans by Alois Loch in Jugendstil style, which makes the Central-Kino one of the first purpose-built cinemas in Germany. The former main portal on Osterstraße still carries baroque-style sandstone ornament, a detail visible from the street.

Since the modern conversion, the entrance and ticket hall sit at the end of the building opposite the former main portal on Osterstraße, so visitors approach from the rear side. The complex lies on Osterstraße in Kaiserslautern and is reached on foot from the surrounding streets.

In 2005 the Central briefly became the first cinema in Rhineland-Palatinate to screen films with digital DLP projection. The experiment ended when the leased projector was returned, because too few digital films were available and licensing conditions were unfavourable.