Located in Rosa Luxemburg Street next door to the Volksbühne theatre building, Kino Babylon is one of the independent picture theatres in the territory of the former East German capital. The Modernist building was designed by the architect and set designer Hans Poelzig; interior, like the façade, is quite laconic and lacks any decorative elements. The film house opened in 1929 when a screening of the Fräulein Else silent movie was accompanied by a ballet performance taking place on the stage. The building survived World War II intact and later became the main venue of Soviet and East German film premieres. The 1960s saw the orchestra pit closed and the old screen replaced by a giant wide-screen. In 1993, as the auditorium ceiling threatened to fall down, it was closed and screenings were held in the lobby. The film theatre reopened in 2001 after a reconstruction, now featuring two auditoriums and the renovated original Philips organ, regularly used in silent film screenings. While the Kino Babylon repertory includes some of the latest flicks, it does focus on classic movies and a variety of retrospectives. The adjacent bar is a pleasant place featuring an unpretentious yet nice décor and a youthful crowd.
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