Trianon Theater

Trianon Theater is the oldest cinema in the Dutch city of Leiden. It opened to the public on 19 August 1927 at Breestraat 31, originally consisting of one large auditorium with a balcony that could seat a total of 900 guests. Its interior was designed by Jaap Gidding, who had previously designed for the Amsterdam Tuschinski Theater. Unlike its competitors, the cinema never underwent a major renovation in its early decades, and combined with a programming of lower-quality films in the 1980s, this contributed to the cinema's diminished standing during that period. In the early 1990s the widow of former owner Robert van Praag sold the Trianon Theater to Jan Boer, who had already been a tenant for some time and had several decades of experience with a film house ("het Kijkhuis") in Leiden. After this sale in 1994, the dilapidated Trianon was completely renovated in stages. The large auditorium with balcony was reconfigured, ultimately resulting in three halls: one large and two small. Little of the original Art Deco interior remains, although the newly used architecture is based on it. Since 2006 the Trianon has been the main location of the Leids Film Festival, which has been organized annually since then. The former owner has also operated the former competitor Lido-Studio on Steenstraat since 2008. Because the Kijkhuis was already operating under the same wings, Leiden then had only one cinema operator. Today the Trianon operates as part of Bioscopen Leiden, alongside Lido and Kijkhuis, showing a mix of mainstream, arthouse and repertory films, with online ticketing and showtimes published on the Bioscopen Leiden website.

Trianon Theater opened on 19 August 1927 at Breestraat 31 in Leiden, making it the oldest cinema in the city. The original building consisted of one large auditorium with a balcony, accommodating a total of 900 guests. The interior was designed by Jaap Gidding, who had earlier designed for the Tuschinski Theater in Amsterdam. In contrast to its competitors, the cinema never underwent a major renovation in the following decades. Together with the programming of lower-quality films in the 1980s, this contributed to the cinema's lesser standing during that period. In the early 1990s, the widow of former owner Robert van Praag sold the Trianon Theater to Jan Boer, who had already been a tenant for some time and had several decades of experience with a film house ("het Kijkhuis") in Leiden. After this sale in 1994, the dilapidated Trianon was completely renovated in stages. The large auditorium with balcony was reconfigured, ultimately resulting in three halls: one large and two small. Little of the original Art Deco interior remains, although the newly used architecture is based on it. Since 2006, the Trianon has been the main location of the Leids Film Festival, which has been organized annually since then. The former owner has also operated the former competitor Lido-Studio on Steenstraat since 2008. Because the Kijkhuis was already operating under the same wings, Leiden then had only one cinema operator. The cinema also plays a role in the first chapter of Jan Wolkers' novel Kort Amerikaans. Today the Trianon operates as part of Bioscopen Leiden, alongside Lido and Kijkhuis, showing a mix of mainstream, arthouse and repertory films.

• 2008

  Former owner begins operating the former competitor Lido-Studio on Steenstraat.

• 2006

  Becomes the main location of the Leids Film Festival.

• 1994

  Sold by the widow of Robert van Praag to Jan Boer; renovation begins.

• 1927

  Trianon Theater opens to the public on 19 August at Breestraat 31, Leiden.

Historic arthouse and mainstream cinema in Leiden, part of the Bioscopen Leiden group.

• Cinema screenings

• Online ticketing

• Special film events

1. 1Bioscopen Leiden - Trianon, Lido en Kijkhuisbioscopenleiden.nl
2. 2Trianon Theater - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Trianon Theater - Wikipedia (NL)nl.wikipedia.org