Deutsch-Sorbisches Volkstheater Bautzen, Großes Haus

About the location

At the end of the 18th century, the citizens of Bautzen established a new theatre on Lauengraben. A parallel Sorbian theatre had existed since 1862 and was located in inns. In 1963, the Stadttheater Bautzen and the Sorbische Volkstheater – the first Sorbian professional theatre Serbske Ludowe Dźiwadło founded after the Second World War – merged to form the Deutsch-Sorbischen Volkstheater Bautzen, which is still the only bilingual professional theatre in Germany today.

The old theatre building was demolished in 1969 due to the need for renovation and modernisation and a new building was erected. The figurative pediment »The dramatic art of poetry«, designed by Pulsnitz sculptor Ernst Rietschel – originally created for Semper's burnt-down Dresden opera house – has adorned the east side of the old municipal theatre building since 1905 and can now be admired at the castle theatre in Ortenburg. Today, the main building on Schilleranlagen/Seminarstraße hosts classical plays as well as musical theatre and concerts.