Bessunger Turnhalle, Historical gymnasium in Bessungen, Darmstadt, Germany

The Bessunger Turnhalle at Heidelberger Straße 131 is a historicist hall built in 1899/1900 to designs by architect Reinhardt Ferdinand Albert Has for the TG 1865 Bessungen gymnastics club. Destroyed in the World War II air raid on Darmstadt, it was rebuilt in stages from 1949 to 1953 under Oberbaudirektor Peter Grund and reopened on 14 November 1953. Since 1996 the Comedy Hall has used it for the Kikeriki puppet theatre, with puppets and live actors on stage.

The Bessunger Turnhalle was built in 1899/1900 to a design by architect Reinhardt Ferdinand Albert Has for TG 1865 Bessungen. From 1943 it housed about 30 forced labourers from Belgium and the Netherlands working for Carl Schenck AG. Destroyed in the wartime air raid on Darmstadt, it was rebuilt in stages from 1949 to 1953 under Oberbaudirektor Peter Grund, with members of local clubs doing the work, and reopened on 14 November 1953 as the city's first functioning assembly hall after the war.

Since 1996 the Comedy Hall GmbH has used the hall with the Kikeriki-Theater, whose puppet shows are developed by the ensemble and performed in Darmstadt dialect. The programme centres on comic pieces for adults in which puppets and people appear together, alongside fairy-tale plays for children.

The building is easy to reach and clearly visible from the street, with parking available nearby. Visitors should check in advance which performances are scheduled to plan their visit accordingly.

The building had several different uses throughout its history before being converted to a theater venue relatively late. These transformations show how 19th century architecture could be adapted for new purposes.