Kino International

The Kino International on Karl-Marx-Allee was the premiere cinema of the DEFA and has been back in operation since February 2026 after a renovation costing around 15 million Euros. The floating foyer bar from 1963, the concrete relief on the side walls, and the panoramic bar have remained. For Ostalgie in Berlin, this is the place with the greatest contrast between concrete and glamour.

Kino International: The DEFA Premiere House on Karl-Marx-Allee

Kino International is located at Karl-Marx-Allee 33, one hundred meters from the Schillingstraße subway station and amidst the ensemble that the GDR had built as a socialist boulevard. Josef Kaiser and Heinz Aust designed the three-story reinforced concrete building, which opened on November 15, 1963. The foyer bar on the first floor projects far over the entrance and appears to float from the street. The fourteen-part relief titled Aus dem Leben heutiger Menschen (From the Lives of Modern People) spans the three windowless side walls.

As the DEFA premiere cinema, the house was a political place from the start. The state leadership had its own seats; in 1966, Frank Beyer’s Spur der Steine (Traces of Stones) was banned three days after its premiere, and on November 9, 1989, Coming Out, the first DEFA film with an openly homosexual theme, was shown here, while a few streets away the Wall fell. The building has been a listed monument since 1990 and has belonged to the Yorck Kinogruppe since 1992.

Renovation for 15 Million Euros and 506 Seats in the Main Hall

In 2024, Kino International closed completely for the first time in its history. Around fifteen million Euros were invested in the renovation by the Dickmann Richter office, financed by Yorck Kino GmbH’s own funds and public funding. The roof, heating technology, and kilometers of pipes were renewed, reducing energy consumption by about seventy percent. Around seven kilometers of wall lamellas made of cherry, elm, and ash were individually restored, and the over four hundred square meter premiere curtain with its millions of sequins was restored by a twenty-person team.

In February 2026, operations resumed, with the Grand Opening following on March 3. The hall now holds 506 seats instead of the previous 551 because the rows are further apart. Projection is done with a 4K laser projector, sound comes in Dolby 7.1; ceiling speakers were deliberately omitted so as not to affect the historic ceiling. In the panoramic bar on the first floor, the restored Bohemian crystal chandeliers hang again, and the view overlooks Karl-Marx-Allee.