Passage Kino

Passage Kino (also known as Passage Lichtspiele, Passage Theater, or simply Das Passage) is a historic cinema located at Mönckebergstraße 17 in the heart of Hamburg, Germany. Founded by Julius Cohn and opened on 1 November 1913, it is the oldest continuously operating cinema in Hamburg. The cinema originally featured a grand hall with around 1,000 seats, marble and Persian carpet interiors, and a full orchestra pit for silent film accompaniment. Over its long history, it has undergone multiple changes in ownership and renovation, including a period under the UFA, a post-war closure by British occupation forces, and modernization in the 1960s and 1970s that split the main auditorium into multiple screens. In 1988 it was acquired by Hans-Joachim Flebbe and integrated into the CinemaxX AG, which renovated it into what was described as "the most beautiful cinema in the city." However, rising rents and a strategic shift toward multiplexes led to its closure on 11 November 2009. In 2010, entrepreneur Heinz Lochmann acquired the cinema, invested €1.7 million in renovations, and reopened it on 25 May 2010. Today, Passage Kino operates three screens with a total of 635 seats, featuring Art Deco interiors that echo the original early 20th-century design. Its programming includes current blockbusters, European arthouse films, and special screenings of music films, ballet, opera, and concert recordings, as well as sneak previews. The cinema is equipped with modern 3-D, 4K, and high-frame-rate projection technology and offers accessibility features for visually and hearing-impaired patrons.

Passage Kino was founded by Julius Cohn and opened on 1 November 1913 in the courtyard of the commercial building at Mönckebergstraße 17 in Hamburg. The cinema was lavishly appointed with marble, Persian carpets, and fine woods. Its main auditorium, with a surrounding balcony, seated approximately 1,000 people. A notable feature was a full orchestra pit where the house orchestra accompanied silent films. The programming initially catered to wealthy, educated audiences. The opening performance featured a film biography of Richard Wagner, with Enrico Caruso as a guest of honor in the loge. In 1917, James Henschel took over the cinema, selling it to UFA a year later. After four more years, Hans Struckmeyer and Wilhelm Behnke of Münchner Lichtspielkunst AG (MLK, today Bavaria Film) acquired the theater. Following a thorough renovation, the Passage Lichtspielhaus reopened on 23 July 1925 as one of the most distinguished houses in the German Reich. On 20 December 1929, the first sound film in Hamburg, Lloyd Bacon's musical drama The Singing Fool, was shown there. Even before the Nazi seizure of power, the operators aligned their programming ideologically with the new rulers, showing propaganda films such as Volk ohne Raum alongside regular films. In early 1934, a planned takeover by UFA to increase political influence over programming failed due to high compensation demands from the owners. As World War II progressed, the number of "Durchhalte" (perseverance) films increased. The planned world premiere of Helmut Käutner and Hans Albers' Große Freiheit Nr. 7 at Passage Kino was cancelled because the film was denied approval for Germany. On 20 March 1945, two aerial bombs hit the building but did not detonate, allowing operations to continue. After the war, British occupation forces confiscated Passage Kino along with the Lessing-Theater and Urania-Kino and closed it to the public. While other Hamburg cinemas gradually reopened, lengthy negotiations between cinema owners and the British military government ensued; finally, on 4 July 1951, the cinema was released. Before handover, the occupiers stole the Art Nouveau decorations from the foyer. After a three-week renovation, operations resumed on 28 June 1951 with the older film Irrwege zweier Herzen due to a lack of current productions. In 1964, the cinema was modernized. The balcony of the main auditorium was split during ongoing operations to create a second screen, giving the house two auditoriums with 522 and 271 seats. In April 1977, a former office was converted into a third "box cinema" with just 52 seats. In 1980, Heinz Riech took over Passage Kino and made the programming less sophisticated. On 31 May 1988, Hans-Joachim Flebbe acquired the Passage into his CinemaxX AG and had it renovated into "the most beautiful cinema in the city." A special feature is a retractable and fold-out screen for widescreen films. Numerous premieres and world premieres followed with international celebrities in attendance. After the rent was increased in 2009, economic operation was no longer possible; the CinemaxX group increasingly focused its investments on multiplex cinemas, to the detriment of traditional venues like the Passage. Finally, Flebbe closed the Passage on 11 November 2009. The city also made no efforts to preserve the cinema, despite the progressive evening desolation of the city center outside shopping hours. In 2010, Baden-Württemberg entrepreneur Heinz Lochmann took over the cinema. He had it renovated for €1.7 million, luxuriously furnished, and equipped with the latest projection technology. It reopened on 25 May 2010. Regular operations started the next evening with a preview of Sex and the City 2. After the closure of Streit's Filmtheater on Jungfernstieg in April 2013, popular program items such as sneak previews, English original versions, and press screenings were moved to Passage Kino.

• 2013

  After closure of Streit's Filmtheater in April, popular program items moved to Passage Kino.

• 2010

  Acquired by Heinz Lochmann; reopened on 25 May after €1.7 million renovation.

• 2009

  Closed on 11 November by CinemaxX due to rent increase and strategic shift.

• 1988

  Hans-Joachim Flebbe acquired the cinema into CinemaxX AG on 31 May.

• 1980

  Heinz Riech took over the cinema.

• 1977

  Third screen (52 seats) added in April.

• 1964

  Modernized; balcony split into a second screen.

• 1951

  Released by British occupation forces on 4 July; reopened on 28 June after renovation.

• 1945

  Hit by two aerial bombs on 20 March that did not detonate; operations continued.

• 1934

  Planned UFA takeover failed due to high compensation demands.

• 1929

  First sound film in Hamburg, The Singing Fool, shown on 20 December.

• 1925

  Reopened on 23 July after thorough renovation as one of the most distinguished cinemas in Germany.

• 1922

  Acquired by Hans Struckmeyer and Wilhelm Behnke of Münchner Lichtspielkunst AG (MLK).

• 1918

  Sold to UFA.

• 1917

  James Henschel took over the cinema.

• 1913

  Opened on 1 November as Passage Lichtspiele, founded by Julius Cohn.

A historic premium cinema offering a mix of mainstream blockbusters and sophisticated European arthouse films, with a focus on special event screenings.

• Klassik im Kino series

  Recordings from Royal Ballet & Opera London, including Manon, Carmen, Der Nussknacker, Götterdämmerung, Cosi fan tutte.

• Rammstein – Live in Mexico City

  Concert film screening.

• Heimsuchung – Eine Jahrhundertgeschichte

  2026 German-French drama film directed by Volker Schlöndorff, starring Lars Eidinger, Martina Gedeck, Susanne Wolff.

1. 1Passage Kino Hamburgdas-passage.de
2. 2Heimsuchung - Eine Jahrhundertgeschichte - Filmbeschreibung - Passage Kino Hamburgdas-passage.de
3. 3Passage Kinowikidata.org
4. 4Passage Kinode.wikipedia.org