Hans Otto Theater, Potsdam, Germany
N 52° 24.183 E 013° 04.517
33U E 369063 N 5807610
The biggest theater in the German State of Brandenburg
Waymark Code: WM5TQ9
Location: Brandenburg, Germany
Date Posted: 02/12/2009
Views: 21
Theater in Potsdam has a long tradition. The first theater in the residence of the Prussian kings was founded in 1795 by King Friedrich Wilhelm II. It was the first theater in Germany that was open to common people (until then, only noble members of the aristocracy were allowed to visit theaters). This theater was in use for almost 150 years, but was heavily damaged and eventually demolished at the end of World War II.
A new theater, named after actor Hans Otto who was executed by the Nazis in 1933, was founded in 1946. It was "temporarily" located in the New Palace but due to a number of bureaucratic snafus, this temporary solution lasted 60 years. Finally, in September of 2006, the theater found a home in a new building in downtown Potsdam.
The design looks a little bit out of place, but it fits 250 years of architectural history in Potsdam. Ever since the time of King Frederick the Great, Potsdam has tried to recreate great pieces of the World's architecture. So, in addition to French, Italian and Scottish style castles, Brandenburg's capital has a Russian Church, a Roman style pleasure garden and even an old Egyptian Obelisk. So it was only fitting that architect Gottfried Böhm modeled his building after the Sydney Opera. It is, of course, a lot smaller, but after two generations of wait, Potsdam can finally continue its tradition of great theater.
During our visit, we weren't able to watch a performance, but we got a good look at the building during a scenic river boat tour, which is from where we took our pictures. Also, it is not common in Germany to have big name plaques (it is just assumed that everybody knows the name, which actually is true most of the time.) But the name is evidenced in this great wikimedia picture and also on this poster of one of the recent plays.