WEBVTT FILE

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100 years
WELTSPIEGEL COTTBUS

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Restauration of the oldest 
cinema in Germany

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Back then as a young boy 
I was here often,

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with my grandpa,
my parents 

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and with my friends.

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And I even finished 
the elementary school here.

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This is obviously a significant event,

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which left deep memories in me.

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In 2005 when I first 
entered this place again,

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all these old memories came up.

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We had long discussions with the team,

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whether we do it or not.

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After all, we decided

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to acquire the cinema

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rehabilitate it and open it.

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From the inside it actually looked  
pretty good.

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However, I didn’t notice,
that among other 

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all the cable lugs, 
the technology

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and the fire protection is missing.

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Of course I went naively 
to the building authority:

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"I bought this cinema,

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the Weltspiegel 
in the downtown area,

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we put a team together


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and now we would like to open it“.

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And that was where this whole procedure started.

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Of course there is a meeting places-regulation

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which determines "What do we 
have to do in order to comply?"

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and then came 
all the conditions.

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This could not be dealt with 
in this extent.

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There were then discussions 
with the building authority again,

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so that we can open the cinema 

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with some limitations.

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This was then granted,

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with a time limit of about 3 years.

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Until then we had to fully rehabilitate 

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and meet all the technical requirements 

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in the course of the constructions.

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We were able to open 

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the cinema in November 2006.

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This was of course a great start for us.

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It was also well taken.

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And there came 

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the first problems in November

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or in December

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which we did not foresee.

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These were the heating

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and the poorly isolated house.

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Of course we ordered coke 
and coal 

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and everything that worked.

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We were constantly heating,

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however, when it was 
minus 20 degrees outside,

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we only had 
plus 14 degrees inside.

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This led us increasingly to the fact

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that we had to renovate the cinema 

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since this was not 
a permanent solution.

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Also the building authority stressed 

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that we need to address 

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this matter seriously 

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and rehabilitate properly 
in accordance with

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the meeting-place regulation.

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Yes, and then it all started.

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The things that were in fact necessary 

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and a precondition 

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for continuing operations 

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are actually installations,

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which are not visible at all.

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The most annoying is
that these things cost the most.

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These are the heating system,

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the new toilet facilities 

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and of course the main part is 

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the new ventilation system,
including the air conditioning 

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and the smoke ventilation.

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These installations are 
hidden all around here.

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In order to do this 
it was necessary

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to empty the entire hall.

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The whole stage had to be removed,

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this inclined level and 
all the boards were removed as well.

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Then we rolled an excavator 

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and a wheel loader inside.

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We definitely dug up 3 meters 
of topsoil or debris

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and moved it outside.

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Then we were 
progressing gradually,

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we laid down the ventilation ducts

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these are all 
in the ground now,

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and the new smoke exhaust channels,

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which go along the rooftop.

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We made an opening in the roof,

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in order to install 
this huge ventilation system,

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which weighs two and a half tons

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and cannot even be seen 
from the outside.

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It is hidden directly 
behind the Weltspiegel sign.

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So that the Monuments Office

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also gave us its consent.

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Yes, and then of course the things 
that are actually visible now.

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We worked mainly in collaboration 

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with the heritage conservation 

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and with our restorer Ms. Dürrschmidt. 

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Some details were found and exposed.

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Especially the varnish on the side walls,

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that was hidden behind the fabric.

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We discovered this and removed the color.

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Ms. Dürrschmidt noticed

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some faint patterns 

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which supposedly 

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used to be ornamentation.

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This was then taken up 
with parchment paper 

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and pinpricks 

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and was repainted very carefully.

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The same can be said about the ceiling.

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The ceiling was previously 
painted completely white.

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And during the restoration findings 

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we discovered that under that are cassettes 

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in a gold-bronze tone

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and the curved surfaces 
in a copper color.

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Now the big question was,

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whether we really make this effort 


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- and of course, 
financial investment -

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and expose the whole ceiling.

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But after long discussions,

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also including the Heritage O

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and a certain amount of support,

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we decided to 

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scaffold the entire hall 

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and Ms. Dürrschmidt and her team 

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got 6 months 

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to expose the whole ceiling.

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They started to work with sponges, steam 

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and mostly with the scalpel 

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to damage or to remove   

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as little color as possible,

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in order to preserve I guess about 80, 
maybe even 90 percent

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of the original color 

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which must have been 

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under the white paint.

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As for the architects, that’s actually 

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a very interesting story

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when it comes to interior design.

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I was looking on the internet.

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That’s really cool these days,

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with Google: "And what kinds 
of cinemas are there 

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and are there any interior designers 

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who deal specifically with 3D cinemas".

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I came across a site

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where a young guy, 
at that time still a student

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his thesis about a cinema

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in Wismar wrote.

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It was about an old East German theater.

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As part of his thesis 

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he reconstructed it into a 3D cinema

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and put some of his visualizations online.

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I saw that and I was 
immediately impressed.

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I sent him an email 
and then came the young student,

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just finished with 
his studies, to Cottbus.

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I showed him the building

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this nice old house,

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and asked if he would 
be up to the challenge 

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to develop the concept 
together with the building architects

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of this theater in Cottbus 

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and to provide a draft

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of a possible interior design.

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Das war immer im Zusammenarbeit

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We cooperated in this regard with the 
Heritage Office and with our restorer.

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After all we came 
to the conclusion

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that the old façade should 

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remain as it is and should 
rather be restored

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to its original condition from 1911

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and the same is true 
to some extent 

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for the hall.

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However, the foyer, 
the upper foyer,

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and also the toilets 

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were completely removed 

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- there was nothing left of them.

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Back then in the 50's
in the foyer area 

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old earthenware plates 
were installed on the walls

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and under that we couldn’t 
discover anymore 

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how it looked in 1911.

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We then decided 

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with the Heritage Office:
„Okay, these areas,

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as sections, from the outside 

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one sees the old cinema,

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and then comes in, then 
is surprised,

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by this modern architecture,

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and comes back to the old hall,

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and sees this beautiful interface.

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We did something similar 
with the foyer as well.

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We maintained there 
the basic geometry.

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But we decided

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to adjust the dynamics of both the left 

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and the right side just a little bit.

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We narrowed down the entrance a bit

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in order to achieve some 
kind of a pulling effect 

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towards the hall.

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I think we managed to do that really well.

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And further into the hall,

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we have an auditorium 
with 500 seats.

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It’s very large, even 
for a new cinema building,

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actually quite large,
they are no longer built like this,

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because the diversity of 
the films also got very large.

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In average there are 50, 80,

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maybe even 200, 300 
visitors if it’s a good movie

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but 500 is a room size

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that is actually no longer accepted.

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o ensure, however, 
that we operate economically

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haben wir uns entschlossen,

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we decided to remove 
this old inclined level,

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to straighten it out into a horizontal position,

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and put down oak parquet on the floor 

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in order to install a mobile stage

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where we can put the chairs down.

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And now we have the possibility 

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to shrink the whole stage

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when we have certain events going on.

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And then we have a really big floor surface,

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which we can put the tables 
and the chairs on

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and thus dancing is 
also a possibility.

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I think that is a good solution 

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to use the hall in this dimension

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with this atmosphere

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and aura for other events as well.

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We wanted to create something 

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modern with this construction

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which is not in contrast

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or in strong opposition,

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but something that 
creates a symbiosis.

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Consequently, we kept for example 

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the moviebar relatively modern in design

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and the 2nd hall, which lies 
directly above it 

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with its 83 seats, very cozy.

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Similar to the old hall, 

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this is also more about 
a pleasant atmosphere

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with beautiful blue cuddle seats,

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lots of wood was 
used for the walls.

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The wall design includes 
an old camera,

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which forms an arc 

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behind the projection surface 

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and an old folding camera 
looks at the visitors,

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so it’s pretty cozy here.

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And the 3rd hall above that,

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it has a quite modern style,

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we also call it the black box,

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it’s completely black, with neon lights,

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so that one has the impression 

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that one might be sitting in 
the cinema hall of a spaceship.

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Above that we have 
the roof terrace

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which again has its own charm.

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It also has a cozy bar 
and wooden chairs

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so that you can sit nicely
under the starry sky 

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with a glass of wine 

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and as I said, it gives a nice blend 

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of old and new,

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without any 

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huge contrasts 

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or contradictions.

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Hinsichtlich der Kinotechnik
sind wir auf dem neusten Stand.

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Dazu haben wir uns eine neuste
Digitalmaschine gekauft,

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die den Anforderungen
entspricht.

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We are now in the position, 
because of the new, beautiful screen,

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to project movies in digital 2k 

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and in 3D quality.

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We are able to play all formats 

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and to deliver the latest movie releases 

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nd to let them flicker on the screen.

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I think that this is definitely an asset 

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und nicht nur für die Stadt, ich denke mal

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for the city and the region as well

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to attract tourists and visitors 

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from far away, so that they can see 

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a cinema which is not 
only beautiful from the inside

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but also from the outside and their evening 

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can be combined with a movie night.

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So in the new hall among other things

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we can now offer cinema, of course

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and even dancing events.

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Within the dancing events 

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we organize everything from regular disco

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to standard dances.

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Then just like in the past 
we organize readings, which are also a success, 

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as well as concerts. 
The concerts are kept rather small

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and in a specific context

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in the lyric / songwriting area.

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And of course, like in the past

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we organize political cabarets,

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which always have many attendees 
and are well accepted.

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Here we can see everyone from 5-year-old 
children to the 90-year old grandmas.

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 I discovered that their interactions are 

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very harmonious and very warm.

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Not like we know it from 
the tram or the subway,

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the old lady gets help with the stairs 

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and everyone can feel here very comfortable.

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Sometimes I really get the impression 

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that this all happens 
because of the old building.

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That somewhere with 
its glory and charm,

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it teaches certain discipline 
to the young people 

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to take care of the elderly.

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And the elderly visitors like it here,

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they feel at home here, because they know 
the house well from their youth,

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und deshalb denke ich immer, dass das
Haus dazu einen Beitrag leistet,

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acting harmoniously 
among the generations.

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Of course, I am very pleased.

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Camera Baugeschehen DIETER BERKAU

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Editoral Interview Cut ERIK SCHIESKO

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Cut 2 SEBASTIAN WIESNER

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Camera Weltspiegel Neu CLEMENS SCHIESKO

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Weltspiegel