The Freilichtbühne Loreley (Loreley Open-Air Theatre) is an amphitheatre located on top of the Lorelei rock in St. Goarshausen, Germany. Designed by Hermann Senf, it was built between 1934 and 1939 as one of the Nazi Thingplätze and is one of the best known of these. It has been used continuously since World War II, initially mainly for theatrical performances and since 1976, mainly for rock concerts.
Third Reich The arena was designed by Hermann Senf,Werner Durth and Winfried Nerdinger, Architektur und Städtebau der 30er/40er Jahre, Schriftenreihe des Deutschen Nationalkomitees für Denkmalschutz 46, Bonn: Deutsches Nationalkomitee für Denkmalschutz, [1992?], , p. 72 who referred to the Loreley rock as a "kind of shrine".Étienne François and Hagen Schulze, eds., Deutsche Erinnerungsorte, Volume 3, Munich: Beck, 2001, , p. 497 It is one of the best known of the Thingspielplätze, which were built by the Nazi regime for cultural events.Frank Knittermeier, "Bad Segeberg: Heute vor 70 Jahren wurde in der Kreisstadt die Kalkbergarena eröffnet. Es begann 1937 - als Feierstätte der Nazis", Hamburger Abendblatt, 10 October 2007 (paywalled): "Neben dem Segeberger Freilichttheater sind die Berliner Waldbühne und das Freilichttheater an der Loreley die bekanntesten." - "In addition to the Segeberg open-air theatre, the best known are the Berlin Waldbühne [Forest Stage, built as the Dietrich-Eckart-Bühne, Dietrich Eckart Stage] and the open-air theatre at the Loreley."Helmut Weihsmann, Bauen unterm Hakenkreuz: Architektur des Untergangs, Vienna: Promedia, 1998, , p. 201 : "Einer der eindrucksvollsten Thingplätze Deutschlands" - "one of the most striking Thingplätze in Germany".
Construction lasted from 1934 to 1939,Christian Schüler-Beigang, Landesamt für Denkmalpflege Rheinland-Pfalz, Das Rheintal von Bingen und Rüdesheim bis Koblenz: eine europäische Kulturlandschaft, Mainz: von Zabern, 2001, , p. 835 and the opening took place on 21 June with a performance of Schiller's Wilhelm Tell.Loreley - History, Loreley Aktuell, Touristinfo Loreley-Burgenstrasse, archived 1 June 2011 at the Internet Archive Rainer Stommer, Die inszenierte Volksgemeinschaft: die "Thing-Bewegung" im Dritten Reich, Marburg: Jonas, 1985, , p. 215
Post-war After World War II, the facility was the site of an international camp for European youth in the summer of 1951, and was then used for the presentation of classic drama from 1952 to 1967. In 1968, it began to be used for both orchestral and pop concerts, and since 1976, when Genesis played there, it has been used mainly for rock concerts, but also for films and religious services. Other rock performers who have appeared there include the Ramones, Metallica, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Thin Lizzy, Joe Cocker, Rainbow, the Kinks, Eric Burdon, Marillion, Gary Moore, R.E.M.,The Kelly Family,;;; , photos, MTV Mobile, retrieved 2 May 2013. and Muse. Since 1981, it has been a frequent location for Westdeutscher Rundfunk's RockpalastChronological list at Rockpalast Archiv and from 1981 to 1985, it hosted the affiliated Loreley Open Air Festivals.Die Open Air Festivals, Loreley 1981 bis 1985 at Rockpalast Archiv On 20 August 1983, the Irish rock band U2 performed at the amphitheatre. Five of the songs played that night ended up on their live album Under a Blood Red Sky. Since 2006, the annual Night of the Prog music festival has been held there, with the exception of 2020, when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Loreley theatre holds 5,000 seats and has a capacity of about 15,000.Ray Waddell, "SMG Inks Deal To Manage Germany's Loreley Venue", Billboard, 9 June 2004. Formerly managed by SMG Europe, the venue is now run by Loreley Venue Management GmbH, which was registered in 2010.Loreley Venue Management GmbH , GermanCompanies.net, retrieved 2 May 2013. Since 2000, non-event visits to the arena have been permitted.
References
External links
Geoff Walden, Thingplatz / Thingstätte Sites, Third Reich in Ruins: photographs from the 1930s and 1940s Night of the Prog official website