Babylon Berlin

Rosa-Luxemburg-Str. 30, 10178 Berlin

Erected in 1929 by the visionary expressionist architect Hans Poelzig, the Babylon stands as a protected landmark on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz in the heart of former East Berlin. Its single auditorium, seating around 400, retains the spatial drama of late Weimar cinema architecture -- a rare survivor of the era's grand picture palaces. The original Schuke organ remains in place, and its pipes still fill the hall during regular silent film screenings accompanied by live musicians. In summer, a rooftop open-air cinema offers a second screen beneath the Berlin sky. The programme favours repertory, classic and independent work, drawing audiences who seek cinema as cultural event rather than mere entertainment. Few venues in the city so vividly embody the continuity between Berlin's turbulent twentieth century and its present-day film culture.