Gloria Cinema

Architect Ernst Flemming designed the Gloria Cinema, which was constructed from 1953-54. The house opened on February 18, 1954, with a showing of Paul Martin’s Die Privatsekretärin (1953). Located in one of the first buildings to be reconstructed on Friedrich-Ebert-Straße (former Hohenzollernstraße) during the postwar period (the groundwork of two houses that were destroyed in 1943 during the bombing of October 22nd are still visible underneath the cinema hall), it was conceived as a "Kammerspieltheater" (intimate theater) aimed at constituting a sign of modern entertainment in post-World War II Kassel. Until 2000 Filmtheaterbetriebe Georg Reiss ran the cinema. The theater was renovated in 1980 resulting in its capacity being reduced from 640-seats to 340, yet the typical 1950s flair, with the prominent round chandelier and matched wall lighting, was preserved. In 2001 the Bali GmbH, who also run the Bali cinemas in the Kulturbahnhof, took over as management. Equipped with a new projection and sound system, the Gloria is still popular today due to its unique ambiance. The cinema is one of the venues of dOCUMENTA (13).