It almost never happens in Berlin that extensive renovation work on listed buildings is completed as planned. It worked at the Kino International on Karl-Marx-Allee in Berlin-Mitte. The traditional cinema is opening two months earlier than expected after an 18-month comprehensive renovation. The big gala – the Grand Opening – will take place on March 3rd, with performances starting on February 26th, shortly after the end of the Berlinale. “Remastered for Masterpieces” is written in capital letters on an oversized poster above the entrance and the addition: “The Kino International is back”. On Monday morning the press was invited to a tour.
What better thing can be said about the extensive, listed renovation of an architectural landmark of post-war modernism than: You can see next to nothing of it. That was exactly the promise made two years ago by the Yorck Cinema Group, which bought the International in the mid-1990s. And for once you have to use the phrase “in new splendor”: Right in the entrance area, the so-called gold ceiling shines wonderfully – that’s what it must have looked like at the opening in 1963. The reclaimed brass plates shimmer golden and are illuminated by 242 LED bulbs. Their sockets are still the original ones, made of porcelain and of high quality, now all rewired.
The spacious hall with the striking wavy ceiling, the famous sequin curtain and the blue seating have been renovated. Observant people will notice that two rows of chairs are now missing. They were sacrificed for legroom. The cinema now has 506 (instead of 551) seats.
Architecturally highlighted by the residential buildings all around and as radiant as it was when it opened in 1963: the Kino International
Photo:
Britta Pedersen/dpa
The panoramic bar, with its wooden paneling, parquet floors, crystal chandeliers and dark red armchairs, also looks like it used to. “Like when the house opened in 1963,” says Christian Bräuer, one of the two managing directors Yorck Kinogruppevisibly pleased with this “amazing project”. He thanks the sponsors – from monument protection to the lottery – “without whom it would not have been possible”. Bräuer says that the budget fortunately remained “within limits”, without giving any specific figures. Later in an interview with the taz, he became more precise: everything together cost around 10 million euros, according to Bräuer – many different funding sources were used for the various renovation work from the basement to the roof.
Every single cable came out and was replaced
The cinema was prepared for the future, which made it necessary to close it completely. From July 2024 onwards, the technical infrastructure that saw the cinema was renewed during the months of renovation partly looks like a shell with wall openings and cable ducts. Everywhere, the wooden slats that characterize the house had been completely removed from the walls in order to first store them and then restore them piece by piece – and to get to the wall or behind it. Every single cable came out and was replaced.
Impressive figures illustrate the extent: 40 kilometers of installation, 20 kilometers of telecommunications and 3.5 kilometers of pipelines were laid. The ventilation, which was a somewhat stuffy weak point before the renovation, was brought up to modern standards thanks to so-called “long-range nozzles”. The new heating technology now reduces energy requirements by around 70 percent. And finally, the cinema can be used barrier-free according to today’s standards with an elevator to the hall and wheelchair-accessible sanitary facilities.
Of course, the new cinema technology is at its finest, which is briefly demonstrated to the press in three trailers: Wow, the sound experience has depth and power. A laser projector enables projections “at Cannes level,” as Heinrich-Georg Kloster, also managing director of the York Cinema Group, puts it.
One focus was on the manual restoration of the historical furnishings. The many wall slats (around 7 kilometers in total) made of cherry, elm and ash were individually refinished. If you look closely, you can see small additions here and there.
The original shine of the cinema was gone – now it’s back
Christoph Rauhut, state curator
A lot of manual work was also required for the limestone strips, the narrow, elongated stones in the stairwell and the staircases. They were cleaned, partly dismantled and then reassembled by the construction business Michael Fischer from Berlin because new cables had to be pulled to the old stair lamps. Here and there there are still small pieces of paper stuck to a lamp with notes like “Screws won’t tighten” – some remaining work still needs to be done.
Christoph Rauhut emphasizes that the smooth cooperation on such an outstanding monument is anything but normal. The state curator and director of the Berlin State Monuments Office is particularly enthusiastic about the coordination of the timing, praise for the architect Daniel Dickmann and his team.
The original shine of the cinema was gone – now it is back. “The construction history of the building is receiving a new chapter of success – now in collaboration between private owners and state support – and Berlin is receiving a monument renovation that shows how easily this can be achieved when a project is supported by the enthusiasm and professionalism of everyone involved.”
One of the most beautiful cinemas in the world
The English Magazine Time Out has included Kino International in the list of the 50 most beautiful cinemas in the world – and rightly so. This was true before the renovation and even more so afterward.
Berliners can see for themselves in just a few days. On February 22nd, Kino International invites you to an open day. And with pre-opening screenings of the Oscar contender “Marty Supreme” by Josh Safdie with Timotheé Chalamet in the lead role, the cinema will start regular operations again on February 26th – all tickets for the first few days are already sold out.
State Minister Wolfram Weimer, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media, was among those scheduled to attend the Grand Opening on March 3rd. This is appropriate for the reopening of a building icon from the GDR days, which is now completely renovated and “pretty unique in Berlin”. “almost as it was in GDR times”as Heinrich-Georg Kloster so beautifully says.
So raise the curtain! The iconic silver sparkling premiere curtain was of course also extensively restored and reconstructed true to the original. A mammoth project: A 20-person team of specialists from a Berlin textile restoration company were busy working on the 400 square meter textile cultural asset. Over 40 million sequins were arranged largely by hand and sewing machines were deliberately avoided in many places.