Thega, Movie theater in Oststadt district, Hildesheim, Germany

Thega is a cinema in Hildesheim's Oststadt, next to the Theater für Niedersachsen. Its curved prestressed-concrete exterior contrasts with the neighbouring neoclassical theatre, and large parts of its listed glass facade survive. Since the 2007 extension it has 1,150 seats, and screen 7 uses Dolby Atmos.

The site began in 1911 as the Theatergarten, a restaurant by the new municipal theatre where films were shown after World War I; the name Thega is short for Theatergarten. The Thega Lichtspiele were destroyed in an Allied air raid in March 1945 and reopened in November 1949 with the film Madonna in Ketten. The curved pre-stressed concrete building of the 1950s, later listed for its glass facade, was converted into a five-screen cinema centre in the early 1980s and extended in 2007 to 1,150 seats.

The name "Thega" is short for "Theatergarten", the beer garden opened in 1911 beside the new city theatre, where films were shown after the First World War. A terrace today recalls those gastronomic origins. On 30 October 1962 Klaus Kinski gave a recitation in the Thega Lichtspiele and broke it off after laughter and heckling from the audience.

The Thega stands in Hildesheim's Oststadt directly beside the Theater für Niedersachsen, on the site of the former Theatergarten. The 2007 extension added a terrace recalling those gastronomic origins. The glass facade of the 1950s building is a protected monument, and the 1980s conversion divided the large hall into five smaller screens.

The cinema's glass facade is a protected monument, and large parts of it survived every renovation since the 1950s building. On 30 October 1962 Klaus Kinski gave a recitation here during his second major tour; he broke off the performance after laughter and heckling from the audience.