Kino Babylon
A historic arthouse and revival cinema in Berlin's Mitte district, known for its protected Hans Poelzig architecture, silent-film presentations and cultural programming.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Kino Babylon is a historic cinema and cultural venue at Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz in Berlin's Mitte district. It occupies part of a listed residential and commercial complex designed by architect Hans Poelzig in the Neue Sachlichkeit style and constructed between 1927 and 1929. The cinema opened in 1929 as a silent-film theater equipped with an orchestra pit and cinema organ. Its architectural setting, long association with film culture and later restoration have made it one of Berlin's best-known specialist cinemas. The building was commissioned within a larger development of eight blocks containing apartments and shops. The Babylon block occupies a triangular site bounded by Hirtenstraße, Kleine Alexanderstraße and Weydingerstraße, with the principal entrance at Rosa-Luxemburg-Straße 30, opposite the Volksbühne theater. Its exterior uses horizontal bands of windows, an ochre-colored rendered façade and a broad projecting roof molding. The interior was designed around restrained geometric forms and a carefully controlled palette of grey, red, yellow, blue and copper tones. The complex survived the Second World War intact, although its functions and equipment changed substantially afterward. After the war, the cinema reopened on 18 May 1948 as a premiere theater under the German operation of Sovexportfilm. During the period of East Germany, from 1949 to 1989, it operated primarily as a specialist cinema, showing films from the GDR State Film Archive and productions associated with state film and television institutions. In the 1980s, its program included documentaries made by the state-owned DEFA studios. The cinema also has a documented connection with anti-Nazi resistance: projectionist Rudolf Lunau used the projection room for meetings of an illegal Communist Party of Germany resistance group and helped shelter people in hiding before his arrest in 1934. A plaque commemorating him was installed in the foyer in the early 1980s. Structural deterioration eventually threatened the building. In 1993, authorities closed the principal auditorium because of the risk of collapse, and the foyer was temporarily converted into a small 68-seat performance space. A major redevelopment began in 1999 and lasted approximately two years. The project repaired the roof and auditorium ceiling, replaced inadequate wooden structural members with steel girders, restored the façade and renewed technical equipment and seating. Public support included German government funding and lottery development funds. The restoration deliberately preserved layers from different periods rather than reconstructing a single historical moment: the foyer was treated in relation to its opening-era appearance, while the main auditorium drew on its 1948 character. The restored venue reopened in May 2001 with a screening of Orson Welles's Othello. Its original cinema organ, a J. D. Philipps instrument, was restored and returned to service on 26 May 2001 during a presentation of The Golem: How He Came into the World, a film connected to Poelzig's earlier work as a film and theater designer. The restoration received the German Foundation for Monument Protection's Silver Hemisphere, also described as the German Award for Monument Protection, in 2002. Today, Kino Babylon is principally a revival house and a venue for film festivals, silent-film screenings with live musical accompaniment, concerts, literary events, political programs and discussions. The original single auditorium, which held about 1,200 people, was reorganized into three screens with capacities of approximately 500, 68 and 43 seats. The venue hosted Berlinale programming from 2008 through 2010, including the Generation 14plus section, and has also hosted specialist festivals such as the Berlin Independent Film Festival, Türkisches Film Festival Berlin and DocBerlin. Its identity combines heritage architecture, repertory cinema and event-based cultural programming rather than the multiplex model.
History
Kino Babylon was built as part of Hans Poelzig's redevelopment of the area around what is now Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz. Building contractor Alfred Schrobsdorff commissioned Poelzig to design eight blocks between 1927 and 1929. The development contained roughly 170 apartments and 80 shops, while the Babylon occupied a triangular block along Hirtenstraße, Kleine Alexanderstraße and Weydingerstraße. The building opened in 1929 as a silent-film cinema with a large auditorium, orchestra pit and cinema organ. The architecture reflects Neue Sachlichkeit, with a strongly horizontal façade, bands of windows, an ochre surface and a projecting roof line. Inside, the original design used economical forms and a distinctive color scheme rather than elaborate ornament. The Babylon block was the only part of Poelzig's planned neighborhood to survive the Second World War completely intact. Poelzig's wider interest in cinema and theater architecture also linked the building to the period's developing relationship between modernist design and film culture. The venue's early history included both cinema and theater functions. During the Nazi period, projectionist Rudolf Lunau used his workplace to support an illegal Communist Party of Germany resistance cell. He held meetings in the projection room and hid people who had gone underground until his arrest in 1934. A memorial plaque was later installed in the foyer. After the war, the Babylon reopened on 18 May 1948 as a premiere theater operated under the German Sovexportfilm organization. With the establishment and consolidation of East Germany, it became a specialist venue rather than a conventional commercial first-run cinema. From 1949 to 1989 it showed material from the GDR State Film Archive and films produced by state film and television organizations. Its 1980s program included documentaries from DEFA studios. The principal auditorium was closed by building authorities in 1993 because of the danger that it could collapse. The foyer served temporarily as a 68-seat stage. A comprehensive restoration started in 1999. The project replaced weakened ceiling timbers with steel supports, constructed a new roof, repaired the façade and renewed seating and projection technology. The work was financed principally through public support, including German government assistance and lottery development funds. Rather than impose a single period style, the restoration retained features associated with different phases of the building's life: the foyer was brought closer to its 1928 appearance, while the auditorium evoked its 1948 refurbishment. The auditorium reopened in May 2001 with Orson Welles's Othello. The restoration also revived the original J. D. Philipps cinema organ, which was relaunched on 26 May 2001 with a screening of The Golem: How He Came into the World. Because the film had been associated with Poelzig's work in the 1920s, the event connected the restored instrument and building with the cinema's architectural heritage. Silent-film concerts with pianist Stephan von Bothmer followed. The German Foundation for Monument Protection recognized the restoration in 2002 with its Silver Hemisphere award, also referred to as the German Award for Monument Protection. Since 2001, Kino Babylon has operated mainly as a revival and arthouse cinema, while also functioning as a venue for festivals, concerts, literary events and political discussions. The original approximately 1,200-seat auditorium was divided into three screening rooms of about 500, 68 and 43 seats. It hosted Berlinale programming between 2008 and 2010, including Generation 14plus, and has hosted other specialist events such as the Berlin Independent Film Festival, the Türkisches Film Festival Berlin and DocBerlin. The venue's contemporary role is therefore broader than film exhibition alone: it combines repertory programming and festival work with live music, public debate and the conservation of a significant Berlin cinema interior.
- 2010
Berlinale venue period ends
[1]The cinema's documented Berlinale venue period ended after the 2010 festival.
- 2008
Berlinale venue period begins
[1]Kino Babylon became a venue for the Berlin International Film Festival, including Generation 14plus.
- 2002
Restoration receives monument-protection award
[1]The German Foundation for Monument Protection honored the restoration with its Silver Hemisphere award.
- 2001
Restored cinema reopens
[1]The principal auditorium reopened, and the historic cinema organ returned to service during a silent-film presentation.
- 1999
Major restoration begins
[1]A two-year conservation and redevelopment program began, including structural, architectural and technical work.
- 1993
Main auditorium closed for safety reasons
[1]Structural instability led authorities to close the main auditorium and the foyer became a temporary small venue.
- 1949
Specialist-cinema role under East Germany
[1]The Babylon began its long period as a specialist cinema showing archive, documentary and state-produced film programs.
- 1948
Postwar reopening
[1]The venue reopened on 18 May as a premiere theater under the German Sovexportfilm organization.
- 1929
Kino Babylon opens
[1]The cinema opened as a silent-film theater with an orchestra pit and cinema organ.
- 1927
Poelzig-designed residential and commercial complex commissioned
[1]Construction began on the larger development surrounding the future Babylon cinema at Bülowplatz, now Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz.
Products and positioning
A heritage-led Berlin arthouse cinema combining repertory film, specialist festivals, silent-film music programs and multidisciplinary cultural events in a protected 1920s building.
Cinema programming · 2001
Repertory and arthouse screenings
The Babylon's central offering is curated film exhibition outside the standard multiplex model. Since its restoration, it has primarily functioned as a revival house, presenting historic, specialist, documentary and arthouse films alongside selected cultural programs. Its three-screen arrangement supports different audience sizes and makes it possible to combine regular repertory screenings with festivals and one-off events.
Live cinema · 1929
Silent-film concerts
The restored orchestra pit and cinema organ enable screenings of silent films accompanied by live music. The organ was restored to its original location and returned to public use in 2001. The venue has also presented silent-film concerts with pianists and chamber ensembles, connecting film preservation with live performance.
Festival venue · 2008
Film festivals
Kino Babylon hosts film festivals and specialist festival programs. It served as a Berlinale venue from 2008 through 2010 and has also been associated with the Berlin Independent Film Festival, Türkisches Film Festival Berlin and DocBerlin. Festival use complements the cinema's regular revival and documentary programming.
Cultural venue · 2001
Cultural and public events
Beyond film exhibition, the venue presents musical and literary events, political programs, panel discussions and public conversations. This event function reflects the building's historical relationship with both cinema and theater and broadens its role within Berlin's cultural infrastructure.
Brand decisions
2008
Participate in Berlinale programmingStrategyBackground
As a restored specialist cinema with multiple screens, the Babylon was suitable for international festival programming.
Action taken
The cinema joined the Berlin International Film Festival venue network, including the Generation 14plus event.
Aftermath
It remained documented as a Berlinale venue through 2010 and subsequently continued to host other specialist festivals.
2001
Reconfigure the cinema into three screensGeneration changeBackground
The original cinema had one auditorium with approximately 1,200 seats, while the restoration also created an opportunity to add a smaller space behind the screen.
Action taken
The venue was reorganized into three auditoriums with approximate capacities of 500, 68 and 43 seats.
Aftermath
The new configuration supported both large repertory screenings and smaller cultural, festival and discussion events.
1999
Undertake conservation-led restorationStrategyBackground
The main auditorium had been closed since 1993 because of serious structural concerns, requiring a substantial intervention before the historic cinema could resume full operation.
Action taken
A two-year redevelopment repaired the roof and ceiling, introduced steel structural supports, restored the façade, renewed technical equipment and seating, and preserved design elements from several historical periods.
Aftermath
The auditorium reopened in 2001, the organ returned to service and the project received a German monument-preservation award in 2002.
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