Copenhagen’s Palads Cinema Celebrates 100 Years

The historic Palads cinema in Copenhagen is celebrating its centenary on Friday 26th January with a special programme of events, including the classic Olsen Band movies, to be enjoyed with free popcorn.

Until 1911, Copenhagen’s main railway station was located on the site where the Palads theatre now stands. Then, between 1912 and 1916, it was used as a cinema, but was eventually demolished to make way for the current building in 1918.

Originally, the Palads was built with one large auditorium seating just over 1500 people, but as part of a renovation programme in 1978, 12 new screens were added and then in 1979 a further five, making it the world’s largest multiplex at the time.

In 1989, artist Poul Gernes adorned the Palads with its now legendary colour scheme, which proved divisive for some, but more recently, the future of the building has been under threat as views differ as to whether its preservation should outweigh new city plans.

Commercial Director of Nordisk Film Biografer, Vibeke Pallisgaard Wolfsberg, said: “The Palads represents the history of Copenhagen, but at the same time it points to the future. As a cinema, the Palads has had groundbreaking significance and for a number of years was the world’s largest multiplex.”

“The central location of the building is part of an ongoing discussion, but its history and relevance remain indisputable. The Palads deserves to be celebrated, and… we are convinced that we have a role to play as a cinema in the future of Copenhagen.”