Right on time for the 99th birthday of the imposing METROPOL cinema in Chemnitz, Germany, Kinoton helped it enter the digital age: in late July, the time-honored movie theatre was finally able to present a digital film.
Designed by architect Wenzel Bürger, the METROPOL was built in 1913 but is still in fine shape, integrating both Baroque and Art Nouveau elements in a monumental structure.
Kinoton equipped the METROPOL with a leadingedge Kinoton DCS Digital Cinema Solution. The system includes a top-of-the-line DCP 30 SX II DCinema projector based on projection technology supplied by Barco. 1.2-inch 2K DLP Cinema® Series II technology from Texas Instruments ensures highly precise color reproduction and brilliant contrast.
The projector is already fitted with an Integrated Media Block (IMB) for displaying higher frame rates (HFR). This significantly improves picture quality, especially with 3D content and rapid motion. The METROPOL also opted to install a Kinoton DCA Digital Cinema Automation system, which seamlessly links control of classic auditorium functions such as curtains, masking, and lighting with the new D-Cinema technology. The individual cinema technology components are connected to the Kinoton CAN bus via flexible modules to maximize versatility in everyday operation.
The METROPOL in Chemnitz looks back on a varied past. Originally constructed by architect Wenzel Bürger in 1913 to serve as a music hall, hotel, and restaurant, in the 1930s it was converted into a cinema. From 1936 until the end of the Second World War, it was called the “Filmpalast METROPOL”. In 1945 the building suffered severe damage during an air raid on central Chemnitz, which completely destroyed its roofs and towers. After 18 months of repairs and restoration work, the METROPOL reopened on April 22, 1947. “Die Fledermaus” (a filming of The Bat, an operetta by Johann Strauss II) was the first movie to dance on its silver screen.
In the 1980s the auditorium and façade were completely redone. After Germany’s reunification and the end of communist East Germany, Ufa (Universum Film AG) briefly ran the METROPOL, followed by “Kino Kino Entertainment” of Hamburg, although the latter then withdrew in late 2005. But the cinema had only been closed for 12 days when Evilin Paulat of Chemnitz reopened the METROPOL as a private operator. She proceeded to renovate the vestibule, the reception hall, and the auditorium and redesign the box office area.
All of this has enabled the movie theatre to continue operating successfully down to the present day. As a result, today the history of this impressive, venerable old building can still be vividly experienced after 99 years.
