The Lost Cinemas of Rotterdam: Alhambra

thelostcinemas1

My search for cinemas that were lost to time continues. This week with the Alhambra cinema, which opened in 1979 and closed in 1995, had 195 seats and was located on the Coolsingel. It’s a cinema I do remember because it was converted to a “riskbioscoop”, which meant that it showed older movies which you could watch for just 2 and a half guilder (which would be around 1 euro 10). As a teenager it meant a very cheap way to get out of the house and watch a movie and I would be there often.

The cinema wasn’t that big, but it really didn’t matter. It was cheap entertainment, so expectations weren’t that high anyway. It’s also the cinema in which the first sparks were ignited with my first girlfriend during The Bodyguard. I didn’t see her very long, but it makes me remember the place well. It was torn down and replaced with a new building, which looks like this:

Matching it up with a picture from the archives:
Coolsingel Cinema Alhambra Rotterdam

This is a shot from the other side of the building, where the Alhambra sign is clearly visible:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNDR4GOEx4I]

2 thoughts on “The Lost Cinemas of Rotterdam: Alhambra

    • Yeah, this really is a personal project of mine. It seems not as many people read these posts and comment, but it’s something I really enjoyed doing so I really want to share that.

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