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Bühne der Kulturen

Intercultural theatre in Cologne's Ehrenfeld district, founded in 1983 as the Turkish Arkadaş Theater — closed its doors on 31 July 2017.

since 1983

InterculturalIndependent theatreArt & cultureArtHistory

Bühne der Kulturen (stylised: bühne der KULTUREN) was an intercultural theatre in Cologne-Ehrenfeld, celebrated for productions exploring multicultural coexistence and the immigrant experience in Germany.

to Wikipedia ↗to the website ↗

Source: Wikipedia

At a Glance

Type
Intercultural theatre
Location
Cologne-Ehrenfeld (Ehrenfeld borough)
Founded
1983, originally as Arkadaş Theater
Award
Cologne Children's and Youth Theatre Prize 2003
Closed
31 July 2017
Did you know?

When the Arkadaş Theater moved into its own building in 1986, it was the only theater of its kind in all of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Things to do here

  • Catch a play in the building (now home to the Urania Theater)
  • Trace Ehrenfeld's intercultural theater history
  • Discover and photograph the theater building
  • Stroll through lively Ehrenfeld around the venue

Age comparison

Age compared with other places in Cologne.

1716 yrs
Römerbrücke
1625 yrs
St. Ursula
1225 yrs
St. Cäcilien – Museum Schnütgen
1176 yrs
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1076 yrs
Alt St. Maternus
1052 yrs
St. Andreas
1025 yrs
Deutz Abbey
1024 yrs
St. Pantaleon
1006 yrs
St. Aposteln
967 yrs
St. Georg
964 yrs
St. Maria ad Gradus
926 yrs
St. Maria im Kapitol
876 yrs
Groß St. Martin
876 yrs
St. Kolumba
876 yrs
St. Nikolaus (Cologne-Dünnwald)
838 yrs
St. Laurenz (Cologne Old Town)
826 yrs
Alt St. Alban – Church Ruin and War Memorial at Quatermarkt
826 yrs
St. Amandus (Köln-Rheinkassel)
825 yrs
St. Gereon
43 yrs
Bühne der Kulturen

History

Necati Şahin founded the venue in 1983 under the name Arkadaş Theater as an independent Turkish theatre. In 1986 it moved into its own dedicated building — at the time the only theatre of its kind in the entire state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

© Raimond Spekking · CC BY-SA 4.0

Closure

In June 2017, the German Cultural Council placed the theatre on its Red List, classifying it in Category 1 (at risk of closure). On 31 July 2017, the final curtain fell at its long-standing home in Cologne-Ehrenfeld. Since October 2017, the building has been home to Urania Theater.

Timeline

  1. 1983
    Founded as Arkadaş Theater by Necati Şahin
  2. 1986
    Moved into own premises – first Turkish theater with own building in NRW
  3. 2003
    Won the Cologne Children's and Youth Theater Prize
  4. Juni 2017
    Listed on the German Cultural Council's Red List (Category 1: at risk of closure)
  5. 31. Juli 2017
    End of theater operations in Cologne-Ehrenfeld
  6. Oktober 2017
    Successor Urania Theater moves into the building

Map

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Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-26

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