Draken, Movie theater and music venue in Kungsholmen, Stockholm, Sweden.
Draken is a former cinema and music venue in Kungsholmen that opened in 1938. The building features a distinctive neon sign on its facade and once offered seating for over 1,000 people attending films and concerts.
Ernst Grönwall designed the building in 1938 as one of Stockholm's largest cinemas. After decades as an entertainment venue, it closed in 1996 and was later converted into a storage facility.
The venue became a key concert destination during the 1980s, drawing performers from around the world to its stage. It shaped the musical life of a generation of Stockholm residents who gathered here for live entertainment.
The building is no longer open to the public as it has been a storage facility since 2010. Visitors can still view the characteristic neon facade from outside and get a sense of its former importance to the area.
The dragon sign was drawn by the artist Rudolf Persson and built by Ruben Morne, and its shape was inspired by the dragon Isaac Grünewald painted on the cinema's curtain. It is an early example of moving neon: at intervals the dragon's tongue reaches for the red neon tube running along the roof cornice. A completely new sign was made and remounted on the roof in May 2012.
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