Festspielhaus Hellerau

Festspielhaus Hellerau (English: Hellerau Festival House or Hellerau Theatre) is a theatre/studio building/classroom building located in Hellerau, the famous garden city district of Dresden, Germany. Built in 1911 it was an important center for early modern theatre up until the rise of the Nazi party, World War II and afterword when the area became part of Communist-occupied East Germany. After the German reunification and the departure of the Red Army, efforts were begun to restore the building, then nearly in ruins, to much of its original grandeur. The theatre was reopened to the public in September 2006 and restoration is currently ongoing.

Inception and Early History: 1909-1939

Inovations in Modern Theatre and Performance Arts

Years of Occupation and Decay; 1939-1992

1939, the year of the start of World War II, saw the Fespielhaus buildings commendeered by the Nazis and turned into a police adademy. It served this function until the end of the war when Russia's Soviet army took control of East Germany. Taking advantage of the fortifications the German's had added to the property, the Festspielhaus continued to serve various military functions, first as a hospital and later a baracks. Nither the Germans or the Soviets gave much care to preservation of the building; rooms were rebuilt to suit while the Soviets tore down the ying yang symbol on the front pediment and replaced it with a red star.

By the time the Soviets ultimately left in 1992 the building was in a very poor state. Roofs were caving in with many parts colapsed completely, the exterior stucco was stained and falling off in places and most of the original furnishings had been stripped.

Restoration: 1992-Present

ee also

*Hellerau
*Adolphe Appia

Infobox Theatre
name = Festspielhaus Hellerau

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caption = The Hellerau Festspielhaus, circa 1913.
address = 56 Karl-Liebknecht Street, D-01109 Dresden, Germany
city = Dresden
country = Germany
designation =
latitude = 51.06498
longitude = 13.45111
architect = Heinrich Tessenow
owner =
capacity = 560 seats (1911)
type = German Festspielhaus
opened = 1911
yearsactive = 1911-1939, 2006-present
rebuilt = 1992-2006 and ongoing
closed = 1939-2006
website = http://festspielhaus-hellerau.com Festspielhaus Hellerau (German)