Kronenlichtspiele

The Kronenlichtspiele opened its doors on February 2, 1919 by Otto Hildenbrand as a conversion of the former dance hall of the Gasthaus Krone and a creation for his daughter Emma Klausmann. Though there is not a lot of information about the Kronenlichtspiele during World War II, it was most likely darkened as other theaters do across Germany. In Triberg after the war, the Kronenlichtspiele served the French occupiers as quarters for their armed forces.

The Kronenlichtspiele received a brief closure in 1956 for expansion and remodeling, followed by a short closure in 1965 because of a lack of business. However, a family named Wagner would take over that same year who operated the theater until 1989 when the husband-and-wife team of Margarete and Anton Retzbach took it over just in time to start a long run of “Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade”.

Throughout their ownership, other films that ran at the Kronenlichtspiele include “Batman”, “Dances with Wolves”, “Pretty Woman”, “Jurassic Park”, “Star Wars Episode I”, “Star Trek Generations”, “Titanic”, and “Avatar” (yes in 3D) among many others. However, one of the most successful runs in the theater’s history is “The Lion King” five years later in 1994. On its German premiere, a total of 1,200 moviegoers came to the local premiere, and after the movie, Disney World prize giveaways were presented by card, with four people winning the drawings.

The entirety of the Kronenlichtspiele received major renovations in 1999, which also divided the theater into a 266-seat twin (with Screen 1 housing 196 seats and Screen 2 housing 70 seats), and redesigning the entrance.

After 31 years of ownership and 102 years of operation, the Retzbachs closed the Kronenlichtspiele for the final time on July 15, 2021, for retirement. Although the Coronavirus hit the fan for German cinemas in 2020, which also cause the brief closure of the Kronenlichtspiele, Retzbach’s retirement phase begins a little faster than they themselves expected when they reopened the theater on July 2, 2020, with the brief reboot lasting just one year and 13 days. The former theater was converted into a ballroom, event center, Escape rooms and cinema for hire, a short time afterward called “Tribergs Event Kino TEK”.

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