Freilichtbühne Loreley

The Freilichtbühne Loreley (Loreley Open-Air Theatre) is an amphitheatre located on top of the Lorelei rock in St. Goarshausen, Germany. Designed by Hermann Senf, it was built between 1934 and 1939 as one of the Nazi Thingplätze and is one of the best known of these. It has been used continuously since World War II, initially mainly for theatrical performances and since 1976, mainly for rock concerts.

Freilichtbühne Loreley
View of the stage at Freilichtbühne Loreley
AddressAuf der Loreley, 56346
LocationSankt Goarshausen, Germany
Coordinates50.142°N 7.731°E / 50.142; 7.731
OwnerLoreley Venue Management GmbH
TypeAmphitheatre
Capacity15,000
Construction
Built1934–39
Opened21 June 1939 (1939-06-21)
ArchitectHermann Senf
Website
loreley-freilichtbuehne.de

Third Reich

The arena was designed by Hermann Senf,[1] who referred to the Loreley rock as a "kind of shrine".[2] It is one of the best known of the Thingspielplätze, which were built by the Nazi regime for cultural events.[3][4]

Construction lasted from 1934 to 1939,[5] and the opening took place on 21 June with a performance of Schiller's Wilhelm Tell.[6][7]

Post-war

After World War II, the facility was the site of an international camp for European youth in the summer of 1951, and was then used for the presentation of classic drama from 1952 to 1967. In 1968, it began to be used for both orchestral and pop concerts, and since 1976, when Genesis played there, it has been used mainly for rock concerts, but also for films and religious services.[6] Other rock performers who have appeared there include the Ramones, Metallica, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Thin Lizzy, Joe Cocker, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, The Kinks, Eric Burdon, Marillion, Gary Moore, [6] R.E.M.,[8] and Muse. Since 1981, it has been a frequent location for Westdeutscher Rundfunk's Rockpalast[6][9] and from 1981 to 1985, it hosted the affiliated Loreley Open Air Festivals.[10] Since 2006, the annual Night of the Prog music festival has been held there, with the exception of 2020, when it was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Loreley theatre holds 5,000 seats[2] and has a capacity of about 15,000.[11] Formerly managed by SMG Europe,[11] the venue is now run by Loreley Venue Management GmbH, which was registered in 2010.[12] Since 2000, non-event visits to the arena have been permitted.[6]

References
  1. Werner Durth and Winfried Nerdinger, Architektur und Städtebau der 30er/40er Jahre, Schriftenreihe des Deutschen Nationalkomitees für Denkmalschutz 46, Bonn: Deutsches Nationalkomitee für Denkmalschutz, [1992?], ISBN 9783922153023, p. 72 (in German)
  2. Étienne François and Hagen Schulze, eds., Deutsche Erinnerungsorte, Volume 3, Munich: Beck, 2001, ISBN 9783406472244, p. 497 (in German)
  3. Frank Knittermeier, "Bad Segeberg: Heute vor 70 Jahren wurde in der Kreisstadt die Kalkbergarena eröffnet. Es begann 1937 - als Feierstätte der Nazis", Hamburger Abendblatt, 10 October 2007 (in German) (paywalled): "Neben dem Segeberger Freilichttheater sind die Berliner Waldbühne und das Freilichttheater an der Loreley die bekanntesten." - "In addition to the Segeberg open-air theatre, the best known are the Berlin Waldbühne [Forest Stage, built as the Dietrich-Eckart-Bühne, Dietrich Eckart Stage] and the open-air theatre at the Loreley."
  4. Helmut Weihsmann, Bauen unterm Hakenkreuz: Architektur des Untergangs, Vienna: Promedia, 1998, ISBN 9783853711132, p. 201 (in German): "Einer der eindrucksvollsten Thingplätze Deutschlands" - "one of the most striking Thingplätze in Germany".
  5. Christian Schüler-Beigang, Landesamt für Denkmalpflege Rheinland-Pfalz, Das Rheintal von Bingen und Rüdesheim bis Koblenz: eine europäische Kulturlandschaft, Mainz: von Zabern, 2001, ISBN 9783805327534, p. 835 (in German)
  6. Loreley - History, Loreley Aktuell, Touristinfo Loreley-Burgenstrasse, archived 1 June 2011 at the Internet Archive (in German)
  7. Rainer Stommer, Die inszenierte Volksgemeinschaft: die "Thing-Bewegung" im Dritten Reich, Marburg: Jonas, 1985, ISBN 9783922561316, p. 215 (in German)
  8. The Kelly Family,;;; R.E.M. Perform At Germany's Freilichtbuehne Loreley, photos, MTV Mobile, retrieved 2 May 2013.
  9. Chronological list at Rockpalast Archiv (in German)
  10. Die Open Air Festivals, Loreley 1981 bis 1985 at Rockpalast Archiv (in German)
  11. Ray Waddell, "SMG Inks Deal To Manage Germany's Loreley Venue", Billboard, 9 June 2004.
  12. Loreley Venue Management GmbH Archived 2013-07-03 at Archive.today, GermanCompanies.net, retrieved 2 May 2013.
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