Koblenz was once one of the most powerful fortress systems in Europe. Today, mainly post-war buildings dominate the picture. Almost 90 percent of the city's area was destroyed during the Second World War. But in the midst of it all stands - miraculously spared - a gem of classicist architecture and a monument to European theater history: the Stadttheater.
The first path in Koblenz almost always leads to the Deutsches Eck, where the Moselle flows into the Rhine. High above, Kaiser Wilhelm is enthroned and looks over to Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. He fought three wars to unify Germany, was first erected here in 1897 - and was deliberately shot off his pedestal by an American bomb in 1945.
After the night of bombing in 1944, not much is left of Koblenz, but the theater is saved; there is only damage caused by extinguishing water to repair. And so it can be reopened as early as the summer of 1946. In the 1980s, the building is then extensively renovated - the original state of 1787 according to the designs of Peter Josef Krahe, including artistic illusion painting, reappears.
In general, the Theater Koblenz is characterized by continuity: There have only been six artistic directors since the war, and they usually stay in Koblenz for a very long time, Hannes Houska even for over 20 years. In the 1980s, he brought the young dramaturg and director Thirza Bruncken to Koblenz, who quickly attracted attention in the national press. Her specialty: premieres of unwieldy texts.
Annegret Ritzel's directorship at the Theater Koblenz is based primarily on big plays and big names, bringing important guests to Koblenz - and opera to Ehrenbreitstein Fortress: "Aida" and "Fidelio" as gigantic open-air spectacles.
Today, Markus Dietze is in charge of the oldest surviving rank theater in Germany, the youngest boss Theater Koblenz has ever had.
First broadcast: 2 March 2010, 19:00, ZDFtheaterkanal.
Theatrescapes: Theater Koblenz
Koblenz was once one of the most powerful fortress systems in Europe. Today, mainly post-war buildings dominate the picture. Almost 90 percent of the city's area was destroyed during the Second World War. But in the midst of it all stands - miraculously spared - a gem of classicist architecture and a monument to European theater history: the Stadttheater.
