Kino Varšava

Kino Varšava is a historic single-screen cinema in Liberec, Czech Republic, recognized as the oldest permanent cinema in the city. The building, designed in Art Deco style by German architects Effenberger and Noppes in 1922, originally opened as Städtische Lichtspiele Reichenberg. Over the decades it was renamed Kino Kapitol during World War II, briefly Kino Mír after the war, and finally Kino Varšava in the 1960s. Regular film screenings ceased in 2008 when the city of Liberec withdrew financial support and planned to sell the building. In response, a civic initiative formed, leading to the establishment of the association Zachraňme kino Varšava (Save Kino Varšava) in 2012. The association leased the building and has since operated it for cultural purposes, gradually restoring it. A major renovation of the foyer and the opening of a café in 2015 earned the Grand Prix of the Czech Chamber of Architects. In 2023, the cinema building with its garages was listed as a cultural monument. Since October 2024, the cinema has been closed for a large-scale reconstruction, with reopening planned for autumn 2026. The venue also hosts the Three-Country Film Festival (Czech Republic, Germany, Poland).

Kino Varšava is the oldest permanent cinema in Liberec, Czech Republic. The building, located on a plot between Mariánská and Frýdlantská streets, was designed in 1922 by the German-Liberec architects Effenberger and Noppes in Art Deco style. It originally opened under the name Städtische Lichtspiele Reichenberg (Reichenberg being the German name for Liberec). During World War II, the cinema was renamed Kino Kapitol. After the war, it was briefly called Kino Mír, and in the 1960s it received the name Varšava, which it has kept. Also in the 1960s, the hall was rebuilt for widescreen projection, but this led to a degradation of the building from an architectural and aesthetic standpoint: ingenious ventilation ducts were walled up, and PVC flooring was laid in the hall. Regular screenings at Kino Varšava ended in 2008 when the city of Liberec stopped financially supporting the facility and planned to sell the building. A spontaneous group of people opposed this intention and in 2012 founded the association Zachraňme kino Varšava (Save Kino Varšava). Its founding members were Petr Hubáček, Zuzana Koňasová, Ondřej Pleštil, Vlastislav Trubač, and Jiří Žid. The association leased the building and began operating it for cultural purposes. At that time, the building had no heating, wooden parts were infested with dry rot, and all technical infrastructure networks were in a state of emergency. In 2015, with contributions from the Statutory City of Liberec, the Liberec Region, sponsorship donations from local companies, and the efforts of volunteers, the foyer of Kino Varšava was repaired and a café was opened there. The foyer reconstruction attracted public attention and was awarded the Grand Prix of the Czech Chamber of Architects for 2015 in the category of architectural design, small architecture, and artistic work in architecture. The association Zachraňme kino Varšava has been running cultural activities in the building since 2012 and is preparing plans for the reconstruction of the entire Kino Varšava building. In 2023, the cinema with its garages was listed as a cultural monument in the Central List of Immovable Cultural Monuments of the Czech Republic. Since October 2024, the cinema has been closed for a large-scale reconstruction, with reopening planned for autumn 2026. The venue also hosts the Three-Country Film Festival (Czech Republic, Germany, Poland), whose 23rd edition took place even while the cinema was closed, with screenings held at the MUZA hall of the North Bohemian Museum, supported by the Liberec Region.

• 2024

  Closes for major reconstruction; reopening planned for autumn 2026.

• 2023

  Cinema building with garages listed as a cultural monument.

• 2015

  Foyer renovated and café opened; project wins Grand Prix of the Czech Chamber of Architects.

• 2012

  Association Zachraňme kino Varšava founded; leases and operates the building.

• 2008

  Regular screenings end as city withdraws support.

• 1960

  Renamed Kino Varšava; hall rebuilt for widescreen projection.

• 1922

  Building designed by architects Effenberger and Noppes; opens as Städtische Lichtspiele Reichenberg.

• Renamed Kino Kapitol during World War II.

• Briefly named Kino Mír after World War II.

Historic community cinema and cultural venue

• Film screenings

  Regular film programming in a single-screen cinema.

• Three-Country Film Festival

  Annual festival spanning Czech Republic, Germany, and Poland.

• Café

  Café opened in the renovated foyer in 2015.

1. 1Úvodní - Kino Varšava není jen kinokinovarsava.cz
2. 2Kino Varšava - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Kino Varšava - Wikipediacs.wikipedia.org