Kroll Opera House

The Kroll Opera House was an opera building in Berlin, Germany, located in the central Tiergarten district on the western edge of the Königsplatz square , facing the Reichstag building. It was built in 1844 as an entertainment venue for the restaurant owner Joseph Kroll. During its eventful history it was redeveloped as an opera house in 1851 and was used by various owners and directors for opera, operetta and drama. It was later operated by the Prussian state opera and drama companies and served as the assembly hall of the German Reichstag parliament from 1933 until 1942. On 19 July 1940, the opera house was used to host the 1940 Field Marshal Ceremony. Severely damaged by bombing and the Battle of Berlin in World War II, it was finally demolished in 1951.

The Kroll story began in the Silesian capital Breslau, where the entrepreneur Joseph Kroll had opened the "Kroll Winter Garden" in 1837. The Breslau authorities chose this reputable establishment to entertain the new Prussian King Frederick William IV when he visited the city in 1841. The King was impressed by the splendid, flower-decorated rooms and suggested that something similar should be initiated in Berlin to become the social hub for the nobility in the Prussian residence.

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