Schauburg

Two cinemas already operated on Breite Straße: the Modernes Theater, opened on 31 October 1912, and the Agrippina-Lichtspiele of 1913, housed in a building erected by the Agrippina insurance company and considered both popular and artistically distinguished. From November 1921, a new cinema was planned in the very next building, Breite Straße 90, intended to surpass the Agrippina-Lichtspiele's 925 seats.

On 12 April 1922, the Schauburg opened with 1,868 seats, making it the largest cinema in Germany. A contemporary account noted: "The Schauburg invited guests to a festive opening, and people followed the call with eager anticipation." The opening film was the drama "Hamlet," starring Asta Nielsen, which had already had its German premiere in Hamburg on 4 February 1921.

Around 1920, Cologne had a total of 39 cinemas. The oldest was the Thalia, opened in 1906 with 250 seats on Severinstraße 152, followed by the Union-Theater on Hohe Straße 23–25 that same August. Cinemas only spread to Cologne's working-class districts after first establishing themselves in the affluent city center. Today, Cologne's largest cinema is the Cinedom, with 3,748 seats across 14 screens.

The Schauburg was destroyed during the Second World War on 31 May 1942. When rebuilt, it was reduced to 370 seats and confined to the area of the former foyer, reopening on 3 December 1948. On 31 March 1963, the cinema closed for good, making way for a building project by broadcaster WDR.