Industrial Hamburg has a rich cultural life. Every day, dozens of theater venues offer performances for all tastes to residents of the city and tourists. And the unique buildings in which theaters in Hamburg are located help to fully experience the peculiarities of theatrical performances.
The city's attractions
The cultural life of Hamburg is noteworthy. The city is annually visited by millions of tourists who are attracted by concerts and performances. Among the most famous and popular theaters:
- Opera theatre,
- Philharmonic on the Elbe,
- Theater Onzorg,
- Kampnagel Theater,
- Theater in the port,
- Ernst Deutsch Theater,
- Theatre of Drama,
- theater "New Flora",
- Schmidt Theater,
- Talia theater;
- House of Operetta and others.
Among this variety of attractions, every resident of the city and the traveler can choose a cultural event to their liking.
Hamburg Opera House
The oldest theater in the city was founded in the middle of the 17th century. Two centuries later, the obsolete wooden building was replaced by a beautiful classic building with columns that adorned the center of Hamburg. The creative concept of the collective was formed in the same 19th century by Kusser, a conductor and composer who worked in close collaboration with the Frenchman Lully.
The magnificent opera house was destroyed during the Second World War and then rebuilt according to a new project. Today, the Opera and Ballet Theater amazes with the harmony of traditional and modern styles: almost the entire facade consists of glass and concrete, but at the same time, the laconic light gray building fits perfectly into the architecture of the old quarters.
Famous ballet dancers and singers work in the troupe of the Hamburg Opera House, and world-famous soloists often participate in performances - for example, Placido Domingo has performed here many times.
Address: Dammtorstr. 28 (Große Theaterstr.), Near the town hall and St. Nicholas. The theater is open all year round, even in summer. The cheapest tickets start at 7 euros.
German drama theater
There is another theater in the city center, opened in 1900 by a troupe of amateurs led by Berger. The first performance was Goethe's play Iphigenia in Taurida. Then Schiller, Shakespeare, Shaw, Ibsen were staged here.
The theater building was built in the neo-baroque style: with a round dome, towers, decorations, columns. Inside is the largest stage in Germany and a hall with a capacity of 1200 people.
Famous directors who worked in the German drama include Grundgens and Schirmer.
For over 100 years, the German Drama Theater has been considered one of the best in Germany, setting the style and direction in the development of theater trends throughout the country.
Address: Kirchenallee 39, 200 m from the central train station. 2 minutes walk from the S31 metro line.
Philharmonic on the Elbe
The Philharmonic is one of the most extravagant buildings in Hamburg. It is located in the port area of Hafen City. The building, designed by the Swiss company Herzog de Meuron Architekten, began to be erected in the 21st century. After opening in 2021, the North German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Zum Raum wird hier die Zeit, was the first to perform.
Against the backdrop of city buildings, an asymmetrical glass crown 110 meters high, built on the brick foundation of the old warehouse of the architect Kalmorgen, stands out. All rooms downstairs have been redesigned, and now the main hall can accommodate more than 2 thousand spectators. Above - a platform for exploring the city.
The entrance to the excursion and the observation deck is free, but at the box office you need to get a free ticket for a certain time. You can go upstairs by elevator or escalator. A guided tour is offered at a cost of 10 euros or more.
Address: Platz der Deutschen Einheit 4 | At the Magellan-Terrassen. Bus number 111 goes to the Philharmonic on the Elbe, metro line U4, ferry number 72.
Theater Onzorg
Onsorg is a cultural phenomenon in Hamburg and Northern Germany, created to preserve the spoken German dialect Platt, which is now used by several million people in Germany. The collective was founded at the beginning of the twentieth century by Richard Onzorg, who later gave the theater its name. Here the talent of the actress and musician Heidi Kabel was revealed, after whose name the square where the theater is located is named.
Comedies, skits, participation in performances of TV stars make the "carefree theater", as the Hanseatic people call it, one of the most popular and beloved in the city.
The best productions of the Onzorg Theater have remained in the repertoire for decades, such as the famous play Seine Majestaet Gustav Krause by Erich Kestner.
In 2021, the team received a new building near the Bieber House. The stylish 7-storey building accommodates a hall with 440 seats, and a bronze figure of Heidi Kabel stands at the glass entrance.
Ticket offices are open daily from 10.00 to 19.00, on Sunday - from 14.00 to 18.00. The performances run daily from 19.00 hours, on Sunday - from 20.00.
Address: Heidi-Kabel-Platz 1. Metro: lines U1, U2, U3, S1, S2, S3, stop at the railway station.
Kampnagel theater
Among young people with non-standard outlooks on life, the Kampnagel Theater located on the Oosterbekkanal embankment is popular. Foreign performers of contemporary music often perform here as well.
Since 1981, the team has been working in the premises of an old machine-building enterprise, which was built in the middle of the 19th century. The ancient building was loved by informal theater companies that have held festivals here since the end of the 20th century.
In the building of the Kampnagel Theater, a cultural center works in parallel with the collective, and lovers of modern dance gather.
Outside, the theater is an unremarkable production building with a glass façade and the Campnatel logo, while inside it is unfinished, with plain brick walls, untreated beams and wooden floors.
Performances run from 13.00 to 19.00, tickets are sold one hour before the start.
Address: Jarrestr. 20, you can get there by city buses # 172, # 173, stop Kampnagel.
Theater in the port of Hamburg
This theater gained fame in 1994, when a theater building was built on the site of the Stülken shipyard in the port. The premiere in it was the musical "Buddy", so the theater was named musical. At the beginning of the XXI century, the building was reconstructed, and the hall now accommodates over 2 thousand people.
From a distance, yellow ceilings, a dark extension of the entrance resemble port facilities, but inside the Theater in the port of Hamburg is quite comfortable and modern premises.
For about fifteen years, the most famous production of the collective is the musical "The Lion King", which has already been visited by the 10 millionth viewer. Tickets for this performance in 2021 start at 87.30 euros.
Address: Norderelbstraße, 6. Nearby is the Philharmonic on the Elbe, so you can get there in the same way.
Ernst Deutsch Theater
Ernst Deutsch Theater is the largest German entertainer. More than 60 years ago, actors Friedrich Schütter and Wolfgang Borchert founded the Junges Theater, which has become a creative laboratory for young artists. Since 1973, the theater has been named after the famous Jewish actor Ernst Deutsch, who gave the theater many years of his life. The role of Nathan the Wise in Lessing's play of the same name became the pinnacle of his work.
The main task of the Ernst Deutsch Theater is to smooth out the differences between the classics and the youth subculture.
Since 1964, the theater has been housed in a former cinema building on the Friedrich-Schütter-Platz. There is a large hall for 740 seats, a small one for 80, as well as a youth platform for working with teenagers. The prices for the performances are democratic, since they are attended by schoolchildren, students, young people.
The theater is located in the Hamburg suburb of Uhlenhorst, Hamburg-Nord, in the former palace cinema UFA Mundsburg, on Friedrich-Schütter-Platz.
Schmidt Theater
Hamburg residents consider the Schmidt Theater to be the heart of the St.Paule district, in which Tim Fischer, Helge Schneider and Stefan Gwildes performed brilliantly.It was founded by a private entrepreneur Korney Litmann, who gave the theater two buildings: one for 420 seats and Tivoli for 620. The first performances were "Mister Smith", "Lilo Wanders".
Midnight shows were played here, cabaret-style numbers were shown. The show was organized by the now famous Olivia Jones, Georgette Di, Marianne Rosenberg, Christina Light, Andre Yeserman, Ray Kay. Today, performances by local and foreign artists take place here every day.
In 2005, a new building was built for the troupe in flashy red colors with large windows, LED signs, but inside the architects have preserved the classics: red velvet, gold, white background.
Address: Spielbudenplatz, 24. Tickets for performances are sold at the box office from 11.00 to 19.00 hours. You can order by phone: (040) 31 77 88 99.
Theater New Flora
Another musical theater in Hamburg, the New Flora, is located in the Altona area. It opened in 1990 with the musical The Phantom of the Opera starring Peter Hoffmann and Anna-Maria Kaufman. The play has been staged almost 4.5 thousand times, gathering millions of spectators.
The building of the New Flora theater, designed in the style of the 1920s, today can be called one of the landmarks of Hamburg.
It was built in the late 1980s according to the plans of architects Uwe Könholdt and Konstantin Kleffel: a foyer on four levels, an impressive theater hall with 2 thousand seats, planned in the style of an amphitheater, the Hanse Lounge and Cardoza restaurants with an open glass fireplace.
For backstage tours, excursions, ticket purchases, you should contact the service center, which is open on weekdays from 8.00 to 21.00.
Address: Stresemannstr. 159-A. Phone: +49 180 5 4444.
Talia theater
Talia is one of the three state theaters in Hamburg. It was founded in the middle of the 19th century by Charles Schwarzenberger, and was named after Thalia, the muse of comedy and light poetry.
Today, the Talia Theater is home to a troupe producing up to ten premiere musicals and plays per season.
The chief theater manager is Joachim Lux.
The theater has two buildings: one on rue Raboisin in the Old Quarter, and the other on Gerhart-Hauptmann-Platz, in the inner city of Hamburg. There is also a stage for experimental plays on Gauss Street in the Altona area.
The Talia Theater is a place with a long tradition, its musicals are considered to be works of art of the highest quality, and their moderate ticket prices make this collective very popular in Hamburg.
Contact phone: +49 40 32814444. Official website.
Other famous theaters in Germany
The Bavarian Opera House has become a symbol of the cultural life of the German nation. This beautiful building with a special aura is located in the center of Munich, has a luxurious auditorium and unique interiors that rival Milan's La Scala.
Ticket prices: from 10 euros for the right to stand in the hall, average prices for seats in the stalls are 75-200 euros.
An old building in the center of Dresden, not far from the famous Zwinger, is occupied by the opera house, which is called the Semperoper in honor of the architect Gottfried Semper. The project uses neo-baroque and renaissance styles.
The theater has affordable prices: ballet can be seen for 20-80 euros, opera - for 21-120 euros.
The Opera House on the Rhine was the name of the theater built in 1875 by Ernst Giese in Düsseldorf. The white stone building with columns and a portico in the city center attracts the attention of numerous tourists, and the theater troupe is considered one of the best in the country. In the Opera House, as a rule, classical opera and ballet performances are staged.
Conclusion
German theaters offer contemporary audiences a variety of productions, from classics to avant-garde, in which local and foreign artists perform. The performances take place in buildings with unique interiors, which makes visiting theaters in Germany an especially enjoyable and educational event.
