Südalinna Theatre

Südalinna Theatre is located in the former luxury cinema Gloria Palace. The building is characterised externally by a rather small volume, somewhat inadequate for such a large urban square, which is covered with historicist decoration. The interior decoration of the building is significantly more impressive. The festive cinema building was constructed by a/s Royal-Film in 1925–1926 and was designed by the Latvian architect Frīdrihs Skujiņš. The bas-reliefs on the façade were made by sculptor Jaan Koort.

At the heart of the building is the former cinema hall, seating 700, covered by a suspended ceiling imitating vaults with abundant gilding and ceiling paintings. The representative spaces surrounding the hall were decorated just as lavishly. The building’s luxury is highlighted by the fact that at the time it was the only cinema in Tallinn with a cloakroom. In 1929, the first sound film in Tallinn was shown here. Since 1948, the building has been used by Südalinna Theatre and its predecessors. During World War II – in 1944 – the building was used by the Estonia Theatre.