Amsterdam is full of amazing architecture but one of my favorites is the Tuschinski Theater. Built-in a style that is a mixture of Art Deco and the Dutch Amsterdam School of architecture by Polish immigrant Abraham Icek Tuschinsk, the cinema first opened in 1921. The Tuschinski is considered one of the world’s most beautiful cinemas and one of the most cherished buildings in Amsterdam. When I first encountered the building there was no question as to why. The exterior of the building is designed down to the finest detail, stained glass windows, light fixtures, and even the door handles have been considered.
If you think the exterior is extravagant then the interior is nothing short of amazing. The lobby was designed to make theatergoers feel like they were stepping into an illusion. When it first opened, the theater contained electro-technical features, then considered revolutionary. Today it still has color-changing neon that lights the elaborately painted dome in the main lobby, plush colorful carpet hand-woven in Morocco, and a concession bar of bronze and marble.
No detail has been spared. In 2001-2002 the theater underwent a painstaking restoration to return it to its former glory. The Tuschinski’s main auditorium which has served as both a movie theater and a live performance space since its opening is still used today. In addition to the original screens of the old cinema, a modern annex has been added with three more screens. While in Amsterdam we took advantage of the fact that all films are played in their original format at the Tuschinski and took in a film ourselves. While the price may have been a little higher than at a modern-day cinema the view of the theater was worth the price.
