Album Cinemas, theaters, bingo halls... from Martin M. Miles

Larnaca - Rex

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 19:30:35 +0000

With a population of over 50,000, Larnaca is one of the largest cities in Cyprus.

After the previous cinema, “Salon Pink,” burned down in 1948, the new Rex cinema was built in 1950, but it ceased regular cinema operations in 2018.

The municipality of Larnaca intends to convert the building into the “Larnaca Film Center.” Renovations are planned, but the characteristic retro façade will be preserved.

Reims - Cinéma Opéra

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sun, 18 Jan 2026 14:56:52 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

The original cinema, destroyed in a bombing raid in 1912, was rebuilt in 1922 with an Art Deco and Art Nouveau facade. The cinema is the work of architects Émile Thion and Marcel Rousseau.

From 2017 to 2019, the cinema was rebuilt approximately one kilometer to the northeast. This resulted in a larger and more modern multiplex cinema with eleven screens.

In 2021, an apartment building was constructed on the site of the former cinema, necessitating the partial demolition of the old cinema, although the listed facade was largely preserved.

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Over the years, I have already added many photos taken in and around the stunning Reims Cathedral. I will not be adding any more.

Paris - Cinéma Majestic Bastille

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 15:52:49 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Paris is the capital and largest city of France, with over 2 million inhabitants and more than 13 million in the greater metropolitan area.

Opened in 1933 under the name "Bastille-Palace" the cinema offered a 500-seat auditorium with a balcony. The cinema finally closed in 1987, and its facade fell into increasing disrepair over the years.

The cinema reopened in 1995 as the Majestic Bastille to screen arthouse and low-budget films. It has two halls which were completely renovated in 2007

Castres - Theatre Municipal

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 21:27:11 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

The theater was built near the bishop's palace according to a plan by Toulouse architect Joseph Galinier. The plans were approved in 1898. Construction lasted until 1904.

In 1931, it was converted for film screenings and fell into disuse after World War II. In 1982, it was renovated and subsequently reopened.

Montdidier - Cinema

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 21:32:16 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

The name of the town "Montdidier" comes from the fact that in 774 Didier, king of the Lombards defeated by Charlemagne, and his wife "Desiderada" were imprisoned on an estate belonging to the Abbey of Corbie, which was situated on a hill on the site where the town was later built, which was given the name "Montdidier".

The well known Hollywood Avenue

Neheim - Central Kino Center

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 22:38:42 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Neheim-Hüsten existed from 1941 to 1974. It was created by merging the town of Neheim and the municipality of Hüsten. The town was incorporated into Arnsberg in 1975 and continues to exist as a single district.

Neheim was first documented in 1202. The town was fortified in the 13th century. On July 25, 1358, the town was granted town rights by Count Gottfried IV of Arnsberg.

The first metalworking factories were established in the 1830s. Over time, entrepreneurs increasingly specialized in the production of kerosene lamps and their accessories. This industry experienced a boom, particularly after the connection to the railway in the 1870s. However, this phase ended, partly due to competition from electric lighting. Some entrepreneurs responded by switching to the new technology even before the First World War.

When the dam wall of the Möhne Dam burst during a bombing raid on May 17, 1943, a flood wave up to 12 meters high also destroyed the buildings in Neheim near the river. There were deaths among the civilian population and many victims among the people in the forced labor camp.

Central Kino Center is one of the two remaining cinemas in Neheim.

Essen - Lichtburg

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 20:44:21 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Essen is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr district, the largest urban area in Germany. Because of its central location, Essen is often regarded as the Ruhr's "secret capital".

The city dates back to the Essen women's monastery founded before 850. In addition to this monastery, Werden Monastery, founded by Liudger around 800, was a center of late antique and early Christian textual tradition. Elevated to the status of a free imperial city by Emperor Charles IV in the 14th century, Essen had been an arms manufacturer since the late Middle Ages and, with industrialization, rose to become one of the most important centers of the mining industry. After a massive decline in heavy industry from the mid-1960s onwards, Essen developed a strong service sector as part of structural change.

The cinema "Lichtburg" opened in 1928, and had around 2,000 upholstered folding seats. At the opening, the Wurlitzer cinema organ, which cost 150,000 Reichsmarks and was the largest ever installed in a European cinema, was played for the first time. It could already imitate traffic noise and thunder. The Lichtburg had hired two American organists to play this instrument. The 30-member Lichtburg Orchestra, under the direction of Italian conductor Franco Fedeli, some of whose musicians were borrowed from the Cologne Philharmonic, played Orpheus in the Underworld.

During WW II, the Lichtburg was almost destroyed. The screening hall burned down completely, but the facade survived.

The cinema was rebuilt between 1948 and 1950 in the style of the early 1950s. The reopening took place in 1950. During the 1950s and 1960s, the Lichtburg was considered the most important premiere cinema in Germany. When the Lichtburg was used as an event hall, artists such as Louis Armstrong with Velma Middleton , Count Basie and Juliette Gréco performed.

Today the Lichtburg has a hall, which seats 1,250 spectators, can also be used for cinema, theater and cabaret events, as well as readings and concerts.

Essen - Lichtburg

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 20:41:34 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Athens - Ivi Theater

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 20:40:25 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Athens, the southernmost capital on the European mainland, is one of the world's oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning over 3,400 years. According to Greek mythology the city was named after Athena, the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom. Classical Athens was one of the most powerful city-states in ancient Greece. It was a centre for democracy, the arts, education and philosophy, and was highly influential throughout the European continent, particularly in Ancient Rome. For this reason it is often regarded as the cradle of Western civilisation and the birthplace of democracy.

The Ivi Theater began as a unique open-air cinema on the roof of a small shopping center. The ground floor housed a gallery with shops on both sides, and the basement also housed commercial space. The conversion to a winter cinema radically changed the entire building design, with the exception of the preserved facade. Today, it is a modern cinema/theater with approximately 650 seats.

Holyhead - Empire Cinema

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:24:34 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

The centre of Holyhead, a town of over 11,000 people on Holy Island, is built around the church of St Cybi, which was founded by St Cybi around 540 AD and is housed in a 4th century Roman fort.

The Empire Cinema was built around 1920. The facade is a partial replica of the original stone houses that stood on the site.

After several sales and closures the Empire Cinema was reopened in 1999 under the management of the independent South Wales Cinemas chain. It underwent a complete refurbishment. The former stalls area became the Regal Bingo Club which closed in 2008. The cinema closed shortly after.

The building was finally taken over by the local council and refurbished. The former bingo club was converted into a children's play area. In November 2012 the Empire Cinema reopened.

Plasencia - Teatro Alcazar

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sat, 31 Aug 2024 21:33:46 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Today, Plasencia is a city with more than 40,000 inhabitants. The city was founded in 1186 by Alfonso VIII of Castile during the reconquest of the Moorish-occupied territories from the 10th century onwards and was elevated to the status of a bishop's see by Pope Clement III just three years later. However, the conflicts between Christians and the Almohads, who were dominant at the time, continued until 1212, when the city finally came under Christian rule after the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa.

The "Teatro Alcazar" was opened in 1928 with a capacity of 747.

Santa Olalla del Cala - Cinema Bravo

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sat, 27 Jul 2024 20:24:03 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Santa Olalla del Cala is a small town with a huge castle from the 13th century and the small "Cinema Bravo", which is little more recent.

Zamora - Cinema

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 21:14:44 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Zamora straddles the Douro River. The Romans named the settlement "Occelum Durii" ("Eye of the Duero"). For the Visigoths, the place was "Semure".

In the 710s the town was conquered and a Berber garrison was left in there, but some decades later it was seized by Alfonso I of Asturias. A diocese was established in the town in the early 10th century. Ibn al-Qitt unsuccessfully tried to invade the city in 901, Almanzor eventually seized the city in 966. The place returned to Christian control during the reign of Alfonso V of León.

Since the early 11th century the place saw planned repopulating efforts. City walls were also erected in the 11th century. The most notable historical episode in Zamora was the assassination outside the city walls of the King Sancho II of Castile in 1072. Ferdinand I of León had divided his kingdoms between his three sons. To his daughter Urraca, he had bequeathed Zamora. All three sons warred among themselves, till the ultimate winner, Sancho, was left victorious. Zamora, under his sister who was allied with Leonese nobles, resisted. Sancho II of Castile, assisted by El Cid, laid siege to Zamora. King Sancho II was murdered by Bellido Dolfos, a duplicitous noble of Zamora, Bellido Dolfos. After the death of Sancho, Castile reverted to his deposed brother Alfonso VI of León. Zamora is known for its medieval heritage. There are more than a dozen Romanesque churches and chapels.

Former Cinema

Braga - Theatro Circo

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sun, 10 Mar 2024 18:08:00 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

With around 200,000 inhabitants, Braga is the third largest city in Portugal.

The Romans conquered the country around 140 BC. In 3 BC, they founded the Roman city of Bracara Augusta on this site and made it the capital of a judicial district. In 283, the city became the capital of the province of Gallaecia. In the course of the Migration Period, Braga became the capital of the Suebi kingdom in 411, which became Visigothic in 586.

In 715, the region fell to the Moors, but the Christians succeeded in reconquering it in 868. In 908, Braga became the capital of the Kingdom of Galicia. In the 10th century, the Moors repeatedly waged war in the region. In 1112, the city became the seat of an archbishop. In the 16th century, it was redesigned in the Baroque style and partially remodelled in the 18th century with neoclassical buildings.
Braga is the center of one of the oldest dioceses of the iberian peninsula, dating to the back to the Migration Period, when Martin of Dumio was able to christianize the invading Suebi tribes.

In 1906, a group of people from Braga founded the Theatro Circo. This project was a response to the wishes of the city, which was experiencing a major theatre development, similar to the rest of the country.

The project for the new theatre was carried out by architect Moura Coutinho and was built in a part of the space previously occupied by the defunct Convento dos Remédios. Work began in 1911 and was completed in 1914. The main room had a capacity of 1500 seats. Due to its size and architecture, it was considered one of the largest and most beautiful theatres in the country at the time. In the 1930s, sound film was added to theatre. This renewed art marked a turning point in the Theatro Circo. The screening of films led to the decline of the then traditional arts.

After the Carnation Revolution, all plays focused on the central theme of freedom. However, the opening of new cinemas and the advent of television in the country led to the economic decline of the Theatro Circo. In order to regain a certain level of profitability, the Café Bristol was sold to a bank. In 1974, a "studio" cinema was opened. In 1987, the Braga Theatre Company opened a branch in the Theatro Circo. In 1988, Braga City Council acquired the building.

At the end of the 1990s, Braga City Council and the Ministry of Culture drew up a plan to restore the original design and remodel the foyer and main auditorium (now with 899 seats). Work began in 2000. The theatre reopened in 2006

Porto - Coliseu do Porto

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 20:28:24 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

With around 250,000 inhabitants, Porto is the largest city in the north of Portugal. More than 1.7 million people live in the "Greater Porto area", the metropolitan region.

The historic centre of Porto was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. Port wine is named after Porto because the wineries of Vila Nova de Gaia on the south bank of the Douro River are the centres for packaging, transporting and exporting the fortified wine.

I have uploaded many photos from previous visits.
So I will limit myself and only upload a few.

After an older concert hall had been demolished, the erection of the "Coliseu do Porto" started in 1938. The new building opened in December 1941. In 1971 the old concert hall was transformed into a cinema. After a fire had destroyed the stage and principal hall, the venue was reopned end of 1996.

Here seen late in the evening.

www.coliseu.pt

Lisboa - Cinema São Jorge

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 22:25:34 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

The Phoenicians founded bases in Portugal from 1000 BC. They and later the c are said to have called the site "Alis Ubbo" and used it as the only large natural harbor on the Iberian Atlantic coast. According to Pliny the Elder, Lisbon was later regarded as a foundation of Odysseus.

Under Roman rule, from around 205 BC, the city was initially called Olisipo. Julius Caesar succeeded in breaking the last resistance of the local tribes in 60 BC. Under Caesar, Roman veterans were settled here to control the area. The town was granted Roman city rights in 48 BC and subsequently became a larg town in the province of Lusitania. From 409 A.D. onwards, barbarian tribes advanced into the Iberian Peninsula. Alans, Suebi, Vandals and Visigoths attempted to occupy Lisbon. In 468, the Roman city commander surrendered the city to the Suebi, but shortly after the earthquake of 472 the Visigoths began to rule.

In 719, Lisbon was conquered by Muslim Moors and later became part of the Emirate of Córdoba. After this, the city experienced its first major boom. Although Alfonso II conquered the city for a short time in 798,[ Lisbon soon fell to the Moors again. During the Caliphate of Córdoba, the city was one of the most important ports, while Christian Galicians and Leonese repeatedly attempted to conquer it. Vikings devastated the city and the surrounding area in 844.

In the 11th century, Lisbon belonged to the Emirate of Badajoz. From 1093, Raymond of Armous, a son of William I of Burgundy, was given the rule of Galicia. From there, he undertook campaigns against the Moors in the south. He succeeded in temporarily entering Lisbon after the Muslim ruler of Badajoz had submitted to King Alfonso, but even this conquest was was not permanent, nor was the occupation of Lisbon by Norwegian crusaders under Sigurd in 1108.

Even when Alfonso I came to power, the south of the Iberian Peninsula was still held by the Moors. However, in 1147, the siege of Lisbon finally led to the capture of the city. External support for the attackers was decisive: the successful siege of the city by an army of crusaders from the Second Crusade secured Alfonso I the basis for his rule over the entire surrounding area.

An earthquake struck on the morning of 1 November 1755.Along with a major fire and a tsunami, the Lisbon earthquake destroyed the Portuguese capital almost completely. With 30,000 to 100,000 deaths of the 275,000 inhabitants, this earthquake is one of the most devastating natural disasters in European history. About 85 percent of all Lisbon's buildings were destroyed,
The Cinema São Jorge officially opened in 1950. It has three rooms that have a capacity of over 800 people.

www.cinemasaojorge.pt/programacao

Lisboa - Eden Teatro

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 21:31:24 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

The Phoenicians founded bases in Portugal from 1000 BC. They and later the c are said to have called the site "Alis Ubbo" and used it as the only large natural harbor on the Iberian Atlantic coast. According to Pliny the Elder, Lisbon was later regarded as a foundation of Odysseus.

Under Roman rule, from around 205 BC, the city was initially called Olisipo. Julius Caesar succeeded in breaking the last resistance of the local tribes in 60 BC. Under Caesar, Roman veterans were settled here to control the area. The town was granted Roman city rights in 48 BC and subsequently became a larg town in the province of Lusitania. From 409 A.D. onwards, barbarian tribes advanced into the Iberian Peninsula. Alans, Suebi, Vandals and Visigoths attempted to occupy Lisbon. In 468, the Roman city commander surrendered the city to the Suebi, but shortly after the earthquake of 472 the Visigoths began to rule.

In 719, Lisbon was conquered by Muslim Moors and later became part of the Emirate of Córdoba. After this, the city experienced its first major boom. Although Alfonso II conquered the city for a short time in 798,[ Lisbon soon fell to the Moors again. During the Caliphate of Córdoba, the city was one of the most important ports, while Christian Galicians and Leonese repeatedly attempted to conquer it. Vikings devastated the city and the surrounding area in 844.

In the 11th century, Lisbon belonged to the Emirate of Badajoz. From 1093, Raymond of Armous, a son of William I of Burgundy, was given the rule of Galicia. From there, he undertook campaigns against the Moors in the south. He succeeded in temporarily entering Lisbon after the Muslim ruler of Badajoz had submitted to King Alfonso, but even this conquest was was not permanent, nor was the occupation of Lisbon by Norwegian crusaders under Sigurd in 1108.

Even when Alfonso I came to power, the south of the Iberian Peninsula was still held by the Moors. However, in 1147, the siege of Lisbon finally led to the capture of the city. External support for the attackers was decisive: the successful siege of the city by an army of crusaders from the Second Crusade secured Alfonso I the basis for his rule over the entire surrounding area.

An earthquake struck on the morning of 1 November 1755.Along with a major fire and a tsunami, the Lisbon earthquake destroyed the Portuguese capital almost completely. With 30,000 to 100,000 deaths of the 275,000 inhabitants, this earthquake is one of the most devastating natural disasters in European history. About 85 percent of all Lisbon's buildings were destroyed,

The Eden Teatro was once Lisbon's most magnificent large-scale cinema. The creation of architects Cassiano Branco and Carlo Florencio Dias in the Art Deco style was opened in 1931 and closed in 1989.

A renovation followed in the mid-1990s and the building housed a Virgin Megastore for a while. In 2001, the Eden was converted into a large hotel with 134 rooms. Only the listed façade with its ornamental friezes was preserved, and the large hall was demolished.

Lyon - Rue de la République

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Mon, 10 Dec 2018 22:59:26 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

The "Rue de la République" (aka "Rue de la Ré") is a boulevard, created mid 19th century, that runs from the Place Bellecour to the Place Louis Pradel, where the opera is located. The "Rue de la Ré", dotted with luxury shops, is one of the busiest streets in Lyon. The cimena "Pathé Bellecour" surmounted by a belfry and a golden rooster at the top, was was completed in 1933. There are 10 "salles". 2120 moviegoers can find a seat inside.

Aachen - Theater

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Fri, 14 May 2021 13:55:46 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Aachen, the westernmost city in Germany. Due to its numerous thermal springs, Aachen has been a bathing and spa town since ancient times. Even the Romans used the hot springs to run spas.

Pepin the Short had a castle residence built in the town, due to the proximity of the hot springs and also for strategic reasons between the Rhineland and northern France. Charlemagne´s coronation as king of the Franks took place here in 768. Aachen became the preferred Imperial residence of Emperor Charlemagne. He spent most winters in Aachen between 792 and his death in 814.

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The theatre is the successor of Aachen's first public theatre, the former "Altes Komödienhaus" ("Old Comedy House") at the Katschhof erected in 1751.

The neoclassical building, designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel and Johann Peter Cremer on Aachen's Kapuzinergraben, opened on May 15, 1825.

During WWII the theatre was largely destroyed. The reconstruction in the old style started after the war - and the theatre was reopened already in December 1951.

The large horse to the right is a work of Gerhard Marcks. It is named "Fröhlicher Hengst" (Happy Stallion). Aachen has traditional connections to the equestrian sport and is home to the yearly international horse show CHIO (Concours Hippique International Officiel).

Berlin - Metropol (PiP)

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Tue, 26 May 2020 20:04:31 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Berlin is the capital and largest city of Germany. The city is one of Germany's 16 federal states.

The first records of towns in the area of present-day Berlin date from the late 12th century. The central part of Berlin can be traced back to two towns. Cölln on the Fischerinsel is first mentioned in 1237 and Berlin, across the river Spree in 1244. The two towns over time formed close economic and social ties, and profited from the staple right on the two important trade routes Via Imperii and from Bruges to Novgorod.

In 1415, Frederick I became the elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg. His successors established Berlin-Cölln as capital of the margraviate, and subsequent members of the Hohenzollern family ruled in Berlin until 1918, first as electors of Brandenburg, then as kings of Prussia, and eventually as German emperors.

The Thirty Years' War between 1618 and 1648 devastated Berlin. The city lost half of its population. Frederick William, known as the "Grosse Kurfürst" initiated a policy of promoting immigration and religious tolerance from 1640 on. In 1685, Frederick William offered asylum to the French Huguenots. By 1700, approximately 30 percent of Berlin's residents were French Huguenots. Other immigrants came from Bohemia and Poland.

The Industrial Revolution transformed Berlin during the 19th century; the city's economy and population expanded dramatically, and it became the main railway hub and economic centre of Germany. Additional suburbs soon developed and increased the area and population of Berlin. In 1871, Berlin became the capital of the newly founded German Empire.

In 1933 the Nazi Party came to power. After the "Kristallnacht" pogrom in 1938, thousands of the city's Jews were imprisoned in the nearby Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Starting in 1943, many were shipped to death camps, such as Auschwitz.

During World War II, large parts of Berlin were destroyed by Allied air raids and the 1945 Battle of Berlin. Around 125,000 civilians were killed. After the end of WWII , by Berlin received large numbers of refugees from the Eastern provinces. The victorious powers divided the city into four sectors, analogous to the occupation zones into which Germany was divided. The sectors of the Western Allies formed West Berlin, while the Soviet sector formed East Berlin.

The Berlin Wall was a barrier that divided the city from 1961 to 1989, when it fell. In October 1990, the German reunification process was formally finished.
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What is known under the name "Metropol" today, started under the name "Neues Schauspielhaus" (New Theatre) in 1905. The theatre later became an operetta stage named "Theater am Nollendorfplatz" and in 1928 it was known as "Piscator-Bühne". For two years Erwin Piscator and his co-artists (eg Bertolt Brecht, Tilla Durieux, George Grosz, John Heartfield, Fritz Kortner..) created the most avant-garde theatre in Berlin. During WWII the theatre was badly damaged, but the facade had been largely preserved. It got rebuilt and was renamed Metropol in 1951. Since 1977 it has been used as a discothèque and became a famous music club during the 1980s, frequented by bands like Depeche Mode. For a short time in 2000, it was the location of the KitKatClub, a techno and fetish club, named after the Kit Kat Club from the musical "Caberet".