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Leon Kruczkowski Lubuskie Theatre

alias Teatr Ziemi Lubuskiej (1951-1964), Stadtshalle (30s. XX c.)
history of the theatresupplementtechnical dataHistoric equipment

Important events

(detail)24.11.1951 | inauguration of the stage with the comedy "Zemsta" by Aleksander Fredro
(detail)18.12.1964 | theatre has been named after Leon Kruczkowski
(detail)19.9.1965 | inauguration of the Chamber Stage
(detail)1.4.1931 | opening of the theatre (Stadthalle)
city ​​orchestra concert; Don Carlos in the implementation of Schlesische Landestheater
(detail)1962 | installation of central heating

(detail)1964 | installation of neon advertisement THEATRE

(detail)1973 | renovation

renovations inside the building: chained plaster, painting walls, woodwork replacement door, repair the roof of the main building, replacement of fixtures and tile in both toilets near the chamber hall


(detail)1976 | renovation of the Main Stage

increasing the level of the ceiling; change in the number of door openings auditorium of the original twelve to six


(detail)1981 | change the appearance of the facade of the main building
cover the facade of rectangular slabs of asbestos from the first floor to the balcony
(detail)1992 | adaptation of the fifth floor of the building for guest accommodation

(detail)2002 | removal of asbestos panels from the facade

(detail)2006 | installation of air conditioning equipment

People

(detail)Oskar Kaufmann |architect
Hungarian-Jewish architect. He was an ex­pert of construction and design and played an ac­tive part in Berlin since 1900. His most well-known works are the Krolloper in Berlin, the Hebbel Theater and the Renaissance Theater in Berlin, the Neue Stadttheater in Vienna, and the Habima Theater in Tel Aviv.More theatres

(detail)Marek Okopiński |theatre director
Actor and director. He was assistant of Kazimierz Dejmek.More theatres

History

            The present building of the Leon Kruczkowski Lubuski Theatre was erected in 1931, according to the design of Berlin architect Oscar Kaufmann, who drew up the plans for the Volksbühne. The design of Stadthalle itself was drawn up as early as in 1928. The building is the only example of Kaufmann’s work in the territory of today’s Poland. GerhardSchliepstein, a German sculptor and a specialist in Art Deco sculptures was hired along with Kaufmann to work on the construction of Stadthalle. Schliepstein made the sculpture crowning the middle pier of the main entrance, which depicted four male and female characters emerging from flames (from the fires of creative thought), as well as the masks on the door, which have not been preserved.

Apart from the theatre, the building housed the headquarters of the City Savings Bank (Miejska Kasa Oszczędności), in premises that are today occupied by a restaurant. This layout of the edifice was imposed by the economic crisis going on in the 1930s. In addition to staging performances, Stadthalle was used to hold meetings and occasional celebrations. What is more, the building served as a cinema; apart from city subsidies, the profits from this activity formed the funds required to maintain the building.

The edifice was very modern for the standards of that period: it possessed a fully equipped auditorium with 723 seats and a modern backstage area. The walls of the house were covered with red wood and yellow velvet; originally as many as twelve doors led inside the auditorium. Next to the stage were dressing rooms for actors, a prop room and the office of the managing director, with heating and ventilation equipment located under the stage.

The building was ceremonially opened on 1 April 1931, with the city orchestra playing a piece by Beethoven, and with the Schlesische Landestheater performing “Don Carlos”. The first companies to regularly perform in the newly built Stadthalle were amateur groups of railway and textile company workers.

After the Second World War, the City Savings Bank was closed down, and in November 1945, Cezary Julski was appointed as the managing director of the theatre. However, a few months later he was transferred to Poznań and the Lubuski Theatre was closed down. Nevertheless, there was a strong demand for a theatre in the city, so successive theatre companies were set up. Among them, “Teatr Kolejarza” run by Andrzej Romańczak, and “Nowa Reduta” run by Józef Żmuda and Stanisław Cynarski deserve special attention. Not until 1951 did these companies unite, at the initiative of the Voivodeship National Council, and in this way the Lubuski Land Theatre (Teatr Ziemi Lubuskiej) was brought into being. The first managing director of the theatre, this time professional, was actress Róża Gella-Czerska. The theatre was inaugurated with “Revenge” by Aleksander Fredro.

The building of the theatre, simple in its architectural form, distinguishes itself with high narrow windows. In the post-war period, the elevation of the edifice was covered with asbestos panels, which were not removed until renovation works in 2002. The Large Room was thoroughly renovated between 1974 and 1978, during which time performances were played in dormitories, clubs and workshops – this is how the habit of night-time premieres for students with all-night discussions was born.

The block of the building is partitioned into three major parts: the main five-storey part, with slightly rounded corners, a three-storey administration building adjoining the main part, and a five-storey annex with a low catwalk leading to the main building. Behind the main part there is another building, which is a regular block. The building is made of bricks and cement-lime mortar, with a hip roof over the main part, and a basement under some parts of the building. The entrance portal is placed on the seven-axis front elevation and it is supported by five piers. Architectural details are confined to window cladding and a developed crowning cornice.[1]

The modernisation of the building was embarked on in 2009. The remodelling plan includes the renovation and thermomodernisation of the elevations, an upward extension of the low part of the theatre with a view to housing the backstage area of the small stage, the construction of a freight lift, as well as the modernisation of the central heating. By the end of 2011, the windows and heating installation had been replaced, and the dressing rooms and most of the bathrooms had been redecorated. Moreover, the theatre was adjusted to allow for disabled access, and finally both stages were equipped with modern lighting. The modernisation of the edifice was financed from EU subsidies.



[1] Data based on the records of the National Centre for Historical Monument Studies and Documentation in Warsaw.

 

Literature:

  1. Clauß E., Buch der Stadt Grünberg in Schlesien Obst - und Rebenstadt des Deutschen Ostens, Frankfurt a. M. 1957.
  2. Clauß E., Die Grünberger Stadthalle, [w:] “HeimatKalender fur die Kreise Grunberg und Freystadt auf das Jahr 1932”.
  3. Klose M., Werden und Arbeit der Stadtsparkasse Grünberg, Schlesien im Laufe eines Jahrhundert, 1937.
  4. Lubuski Teatr, dokumentacja 1971 – 2003, red. A. Buck, Zielona Góra 2003.
  5. Opaska J., Stadthalle Oskara Kaufmanna w Zielonej Górze [w:] „Kwartalnik Architektury i Urbanistyki” 2002, No. 4, pp. 342–360.
  6. Ribbeck W., Neue öffentliche Bauwerke in Grünberg, [w:] “Grünberger Wochenblatt”, h. 44,1931.
  7. Stein E., Monographien deutscher Stadte. Darstellung deutscher Stadte und ihrer Arbeit in Wirtschaft, Finanzwesen, Hygiene, Sozialpolitik und Technik, Bd 29 (XXIX) Grünberg in Schlesien; Berlin - Friedenau, 1928.
  8. Verwaltungsbericht der Stadt Grünberg in Schlesien; Grünberg 1926.
  9. XX lat Lubuskiego Teatru im. L. Kruczkowskiego w Zielonej Górze, ed. J. P. Gawlik, Zielona Góra 1971.

 

 

Author: Monika Jarzyna

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