L'Eden-Cinéma in Lons-Le-Saunier

 

The 1913 sent postcard shows "L'Eden-Cinema" on the Promenade de la Chevalerie in Lons-Le-Saunier (Jura). 

Le Progrès writes about this place: Cars are now invading “Promenade de la Chevaliere”. It was once a pleasant place for walks, as its name suggests, with large trees. There was a charming bandstand there, built in 1878 and disappeared less than a century later, in 1974, without us really knowing under what circumstances. The band of the 44th infantry regiment garrisoned in Lons or the Municipal Harmony gave concerts there on Sunday afternoons and Thursday evenings in the summer.

Next door was the Chalet café where the Lédoniens stopped for refreshments. In 1908, it covered and closed his upstairs terrace. Particularly for thermal spa guests, the café sets up a stage and gives shows, taking the name Kursaal. In 1912, he succumbed to the cinema craze and became “Eden-Cinéma”. This was the first cinema in Lons-le-Saunier. Later, it took the name “The Regent”, until 2014 when it fell under the blows of excavators and demolition workers to transform into a modern multi-room: “The Mégarama”.

The Mégarama multiplex with 7 rooms and 990 seats was designed by the Carril architectural firm. 

Theater des Friedens in Letschin / Germany

Letschin is a small town in the Oderbruch on what is now the Polish border. The place was badly damaged in the last days of World War II. To my knowledge, the cinema in Letschin is the first cinema building built in the GDR. It opened in 1950  with the name Theater des Friedens - Theater of Peace.  There was a cinema, a cultural center and restaurant. The restaurant closed in 1958.

In 1960 the cinema was converted into a cinema for widescreen films. The last cinema event was in 1991. The cinema finally stopped operating for cost reasons and unclear ownership.

In 1993 the building and land could be purchased by the municipality of Letschin. it was possible to renovate the outer facade a year later.

In 1995, the association Altes Kino e.V. was founded with the intention of revitalizing this venue and creating a center for different generations to live together, promoting social integration and cultural life in the community and beyond. After the reopening on January 29, 2000, the “Altes Kino e.V.” association took over the use of the building and also the recommissioning of the cinema technology.

Today, the house with the name Haus Lichtblick has a small café and also houses the municipal library. A blockbuster is shown every month in the cinema, and interesting special programs (including eco-film tour, children's film festival, Brandenburg film discussions) take place regularly. Thanks to its flexible furnishings, the cinema hall is also a venue for theater and cabaret performances, concerts, readings, discussions and cabaret performances and much more. Back to its roots as a cultural center.

The postcard was printed in 1961. 

Vörösmarty Mozi in Budapest / Hungary

This cinema was opened in Budapest in 1935 with the name Savoy and 400 places. From the 1960s, it was closed several times for longer periods. It did not work between 1970 and 1984. It was used as an office and warehouse for subway construction at this time. It reopened in 1984 and became an art cinema, then a café-cinema, but in 2016 it closed permanently as a cinema.

Today the building is used for theater and music in two halls with 120 and 53 places still with the name Vörösmarty Mozi.

If you want to know more about cinemas in Budapest look at the well done Wikipedia-list and about Hungarian cinemas at all look at mozivilag.com.

Lichtbild-Theater in Varnsdorf / Czech Republic

 

Varnsdorf (German: Warnsdorf) is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic and lies on the border with Germany.

The cinema was built by the Varnsdorf company Schmidt & Röttig as the first permanent cinema in the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1912. The owner Ferdinand Pietsch used the building as a cinema and concert hall. 

Later there was a Kinoklub and Kinokavárna (Cinema Café). Now closed, but still standing.

Today there is the cinema Centrum Panorama in Varnsdorf, opened in 1971 and famous for its 70mm-film projection.

Cinematographe in Marseille / France

 

"Marseille - Rue de la République" is written on the 1920 sent postcard. But the address of the cinema in the middle of the picture was not "Rue de la République" - it was "2, Quai du Port". 

Under the large letters “Cinematographe” you can read “Bar de la Samarite" - today "La Samaritaine", a brasserie since 1910 at Quai du Port, opposite the old port.

You can see the Gaumont-logo over the large letters.

Salles-cinema.com tells that Gaumont has shown films directly in the "Bar de la Samarite".

"La Samaritaine" was a filming location for 1971 US-American neo-noir action thriller film "The French Connection".