Unique theatres and cinemas in Antwerp, is a compact overview of places with a historical or cultural established value in Antwerp. It is not a complete list of theatres and cinemas in Antwerp. The article is to inform you about the rich history of Antwerp. And for those interested in alternative and cultural movies, theatre, music and dance.

Roma

The Roma is named after the Italian architect Jean-Baptiste Romeo. He constructed the movie theatre in 1928 with 2000 seats. For a few decades it was the biggest movie theatre in the city of Antwerp. In the 70’s the theatre became the most legendary rock-and-roll place in Belgium. There were performances of Cliff Richard, Olivia Newton-John, Iggy Pop, Paul McCartney and The Shadows. In 1982 the Roma was closed down. The Roma is listed as Flemish monument, and opened again 2002. A group of volunteers took responsibility for the renovation. During the renovation works the theatre was open for a few months per year. Today, the Roma is used for different kinds of cultural activities; concerts, dancing shows, cinema, theatre, National People’s Ball, flea markets and more public events.

Movie theatre Klappei

The Flemish neo-renaissance architectural building is constructed in 1875. It used to be a police office. Since 1987 the building is a movie theatre. Thanks to volunteers and the city of Antwerp the building is kept in a good condition. The movie theatre offers movies and shows for kids, documentaries and social/ cultural movies. It’s a very cosy movie theatre with only 50 seats.

Queen Elisabeth Theatre

This modern theatre has an interesting history story aligned with the Zoo of Antwerp. The Zoo of Antwerp is established in 1843. It is the oldest zoo in Europe. The objective to encourage zoological and botanical sciences, a museum was built to house the directors nature and historical collections. In 1985 the Royal Society of Animal Science came up with the idea to organise concerts in the zoo of Antwerp. They decided to built a concert hall and the museum was destroyed. In 1897 a concert hall is constructed next to the zoo.

The concert hall became the residence of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra. The second floor was used as museum. The idea of the concert hall and the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra came from the Royal Society of Animal Science. In 1960 the concert hall became the Queen Elisabeth Theatre. After an intensive renovation the theatre re-opened in 2016. Only the façade of the building has been preserved.

Flemish Opera House

The monumental Flemish Opera building was commissioned by the city of Antwerp in 1907.The architect Alexis van Mechelen constructed the Opera House in the Beaux-Arts architectural style. The architecture style is inspired by the Parisian flamboyant style and often used for grand public buildings. The Beaux Arts style is based on the principles of French neoclassicism. They also use gothic and renaissance elements and modern materials, such as glass and iron.

The design of the Opera House is related to the design of the Stadsfeestzaal at the Meir in Antwerp. The façade of the building is richly decorated with ornaments such as garlands, medallions, vases and masks.  

Bourla Theatre

The theatre is commissioned in 1827 by the city of Antwerp and designed by architect Pierre Bruno Bourla. Construction was finished in 1834 and the theatre is built in a neoclassical architectural style. Bourla still has the original wooden theatre mechanisms from 1834. It’s a miracle it still works today. The historical mechanisms is listed as endangered cultural heritage in Europe. Two London architecture proposed a design plan (2017) to renovate the historical mechanism and to combine the needs of modern day theatre. The implementation of their plans are scheduled between 2019 and 2024. Since 1994 Bourla Theatre is home to the Toneelhuis theatre group. At the front of the building you can see the name “Toneelhuis” displayed. The locals know the theatre as Bourla and Toneelhuis.  

Cartoons

This movie theatre is not as old as others in the city but popular for those looking for alternative and cultural movies and documentaries. Cartoons is established in 1978 and located behind the City Hall of Antwerp. Cartoons is loved by the citizens of Antwerp for the diversity of movies; award winning movies, modern classics, cultural audience movies and unconventional genre movies.

The Arenberg

The Arenberg theatre is designed by architects Joseph Hertogs and Gerard de Ridder in 1928. The interior style is art-deco. The original building has been around since 1852. In 1945 the building was partially destroyed by a V-bomb. Some parts of the 19^th century structure were integrated into the new design. There was an intensive renovation, in the 90’s, of the remaining 19^th century interior. The façade at the Arenbergstraat is re-constructed in 1929 and exists of white natural stone. The three bass reliefs above the entrance are made by sculptor Oscar Jespers. The three images represent the fine arts, performing arts and the study of sciences. The bass relief refers to the mission of the Cercle Royal Artistique, Littéraire en Scientifique d’Anvers, the owner of the Arenberg.

The Stadsschouwburg

The City Theatre (Stadsschouwburg) used to be a housing block of private homes. The Bonte Mantelstraat was bombed in 1944 and 71 persons died and 80 others were wounded. The destruction in the neighbourhood was severe. The Bonte Mantelstraat and the Kanonstraat were destroyed to construct a square and the City Theatre of Antwerp. Entire building blocks disappeared. The city made this decision after the fire in the basement of the Bourla Theatre in 1958. The city needed a new modern theatre. Due to the fire, the city council decided to close down all theatres in the city and setup stricter standards.

In 1968 they started building the new modernistic and transparent building. It took 12 years to built the theatre and the design is inspired by the Eastern European architecture, a concrete square building with a huge “parade square”. The citizens in Antwerp were not a fan of this ‘bunker look’ for their City Theatre. Despite the immense size, there were only 800 seats. During the 90’s the City Council decided to expand to 2100 seats.

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If you like to know more about Antwerp, check out the post, Monumental highlights of Antwerp, visit Rubens House or wander around at printing workshop and residence of Platin-Moretus. Check the website regularly for new articles about Antwerp.

Are you planning to travel around in Europe? Have a look at other destinations, such as Paris, Stockholm and Krakow.

Do you love to learn more about architecture? I have written an article about the European architecture, the Beginners guide to Architecture. Or take a look at the table of content to read about certain architectural styles you prefer to know more about.

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