Royal Theater

The Royal Theater is a former cinema in Heerlen.

The cinema is located across from the train station. The egg-shaped building dates back to 1938. It was designed by Frits Peutz and J. Bongaerts. The buildings behind the Royal were built later. Among them is another building by Peutz, the Rivoli from 1958.

Originally, the Royal hall had 1180 seats. This was later reduced to 743 to create more legroom. Since mid-2010, after thorough renovation, the total number of seats has been reduced to about 725 (450 in Royal, 200 in Rivoli, 75 in Maxim).

In 1903, Laurentius van Bergen decided to start a traveling cinema next to his existing fairground attractions. 20 years later, he transferred the business to his sons Alexander, Max, and Mathieu. The sons saw more promise in the cinema activities than in the fairground attractions. In 1932, they built their first cinema in Roermond, which was a great success. Heerlen was at that time a city on the rise due to the mines and seemed a good place for a new cinema. There were already several cinemas in Heerlen (Stadsschouwburg, Hollandia, and Universal), but they all belonged to the same owner, the Verenigde Bioscoop-Theaters in Heerlen-Hoensbroek, a company of Erwin Hirschberg and his brother Curt. The Dutch Cinema Bond allowed the construction of a new cinema.

Max van Bergen commissioned Frits Peutz to design a cinema. The construction of the Royal Theater began in 1937, and in less than 100 days, the building was erected from the concrete and glass that Peutz so loved. The theater opened on January 29, 1938, with the opening film Mutterlied, a German/Italian production. At the opening, the Royal immediately surpassed the Hollandia Theater, which had been renovated just two weeks earlier.

During World War II, the Royal continued to do reasonably well, despite the regular fines the owner received for not showing propaganda films, playing banned room music, and insulting NSB members.

The resistance used the cellars of the cinema as a storage space for weapons, and in the dressing rooms, Allied pilots were hidden. On June 11, 1942, the swastika-adorned Royal was the stage for a Nazi meeting where Seyss-Inquart and Mussert gave a speech.

After the liberation on September 17, 1944, the Royal was used by the Americans. Heerlen was a 'Rest Centre' from late September 1944 to August 1945, a resting place where American soldiers could seek entertainment and rest for a few days away from the front. At night, the theater hall was used for interrogations of prisoners of war, and during the day and evening, large shows were held with famous artists like Marlene Dietrich and Bob Hope.

When the rest of the Netherlands was liberated in 1945, the Royal returned to everyday life. In 1948, the Van Bergen brothers opened a third Royal Theater in Weert. They then owned four cinemas (also the Scala cinema in Heerlen since October 1940). Max van Bergen took charge of the two Heerlen cinemas. Max's son Laurentius (Lou) was already involved in the business at an early age and gradually took over more tasks from his father. In the post-war years, many innovations took place, especially in technical areas. In 1958, the theater was renovated, the dressing rooms of the Royal disappeared, and a second theater hall was built.

On September 1, 1973, Lou van Bergen ceased the operation of Royal, Rivoli, and Scala. The lean years and the rise of the sex film led the Van Bergens to decide that there was no longer any future in the cinema industry. Scala closed permanently, and Royal and Rivoli were rented out to Tuschinski. This did not improve the situation, and in 1984, the family took the business back into their own hands. In 1986, a third hall was added with 75 seats, named Maxim in tribute to Max van Bergen.

When cinema visits in the Netherlands began to decline again around 2003, the Royal decided to take a new direction. The theater function needed to return, and they experimented with music and theater. The formula seemed successful, particularly due to the prolonged closure of the Stadsschouwburg for extensive renovations. From late 2004 onward, the Royal was not just a cinema but remained active with special events.

In February 2009, Royal Theaters started digital 3D screenings. As the first cinema in the Netherlands, Royal offered digital and 3D projection in all halls. In July 2009, it was announced that the municipality of Heerlen would buy the building and thoroughly renovate it; a leaseback period of five years was agreed upon with the current operator. About simultaneously, a major renovation of the halls and interiors began. Royal, Rivoli, and Maxim received new, larger movie screens, new sound systems, and new projectors. The balconies were remodeled, and the number of seats was further reduced to offer more (leg) room. The renovation of the halls and foyers lasted until July 2010.

On July 1, 2011, Royal operator Laurens van Bergen acquired the competing H5 Theaters from operator Henk Winkens, who retired. This enabled Royal to present a significantly broader film offering with eight halls. Some critics raised questions about the renovation of the three Royal halls and the purchase of H5, as the purchase of the Royal building by the municipality of Heerlen created the impression that all of this was subsidized. However, the renovation and purchase of H5 were fully financed by the operator itself. The municipality of Heerlen, as the new owner of the monumental building, did choose a number of necessary interventions. For example, the building was fitted with better fire safety measures and the old oil-fired heating system was replaced with district heating. It was also decided to clean the façade, tainted by coal soot, to restore its original color. However, the municipality of Heerlen has never interfered in the operation of the cinema.

In September 2013, Royal Theaters faced fierce competition with the arrival of JT Parkstad in Kerkrade. The new megacinema in the neighboring municipality immediately drew a large percentage of visitors away, causing attendance at the Royal Theater to plummet. At the end of 2013, a major round of layoffs occurred in an attempt to keep the company afloat, but it was in vain. On July 15, 2014, the operator announced that the Royal Theater would permanently close its doors on August 1, 2014, after more than 76 years. He would continue the business in the former H5 complex acquired in 2011. Thanks to its monumental status, the Royal Theater will remain as a building.

Michel