Steintor-Varieté, Cultural heritage theatre in Halle (Saale), Germany.
Steintor-Varieté is a theatre building in Halle (Saale) with a restored facade and a spacious hall that seats about 1200 people. The interior is set up with the necessary facilities to host variety shows, concerts, and other performances.
The theatre opened on 1 February 1889 in the riding hall that horse trader Emil Lözius had opened in May 1868. Between 1884 and 1886 the hall served as the city's interim theatre, and it later housed the Walhalla-Varieté. After 1914 it became an operetta theatre; in the early 1920s the Walhalla-Theater was used as a cinema and wrestling arena, returning to variety in 1925. Closed during the Second World War, it was renamed Steintor-Varieté after 1945.
The name Steintor-Varieté, used since 1945, refers to the Steintor district of Halle. In the GDR era it was one of only three variety stages in the country, alongside the Friedrichstadtpalast in Berlin and the Lindenhof in Zwickau. The Mitteldeutsche Zeitung has called it probably the oldest variety theatre in the world.
The theatre is located in central Halle and is easily accessible by public transport. Before visiting, it is worth checking what performances are showing and planning your arrival time accordingly.
The building has lived multiple lives as a riding school, an operetta venue, a cinema, and a wrestling arena before becoming the variety theatre it is today. This varied history shows how adaptable the space has been to the city's changing entertainment needs.
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