Landestheater Gotha

Landestheater Gotha

Das Neue Theater in 1900
Interactive map of Landestheater Gotha
Location	Gotha, Thuringia, Germany
Construction
Opened	2 January 1840 (1840-01-02)
Demolished	1958

The Landestheater Gotha was a neoclassical theatre in Gotha, Thuringia, Germany. It was built in the 1830s as Hoftheater Gotha (Gotha court theatre) and renamed in 1919. The building was destroyed by fire in 1945 during World War II and was demolished in 1958.

History

Design by Schinkel for the Gotha court theatre

Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, planned two new theatres for his residences in Gotha and Coburg. He fought for his projects with the parliaments of the two areas. The building of the Neues Theater in Gotha, designed in neoclassical style by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, began in 1837. It was erected by the architect Gustav Eberhard. After three years of construction, it was opened on 2 January 1840, the Duke's 56th birthday.

The theatre features a foyer, a mirror hall, a hall with three tiers and a stage. It was expanded in 1861/62. A southern expansion held the foyer.

Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, initiated a second period of theatre, with a new focus on drama. The company usually played alternating in the two residencies, in Gotha normally from January to end of April, during the Duke's attendance at the place. In 1919, the theatre became the Landestheater Gotha.

On 3 April 1945, munition exploded near the theatre, and it was destroyed by fire. The ruin was demolished in 1958, against protest from the citizens and replaced by a highriser meant to serve as a hotel for a sports event. the highriser was demolished in 1998 and replaced by a department store.

Further reading

• Günther Grossmann: Die Geschichte des Hof- und Landestheaters Gotha. 2. Januar 1840 bis 3. April 1945. Verlag Rockstuhl, Bad Langensalza 2018, ISBN 978-3-95966-315-1
• Selma Kracht: Schinkel in Gotha? Das klassizistische Hoftheater von 1840. In: INSITU. Zeitschrift für Architekturgeschichte 5 (1/2013), S. 81–88.
• Harald Sandner: Das Haus Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha. Neue Presse, Coburg 2002, ISBN 3-00-008525-4.