Cinema Europa - Zagreb

Cinema Europa is Zagreb’s cult cinema. It was built in 1924/25 by the wealthy Müller family from Zagreb and designed by architect Srećko Florschütz with the aim of constructing the most beautiful, important and modern cinema in the region. Cinema Europa was officially opened on 8 April 1925 with Fritz Lang’sDie Niebelungen and the local film Dalmatia, Land of Sun.

The City of Zagreb acquired it in October 2007 after a successful action by Zagreb Film Festival andCroatian Film Association ‘Daj mi kino’ (Give Me the Cinema). The Croatian film and cultural public and all film aficionados appealed to the city government to acquire this theatre and allocate it for use to cinematic purposes.

Early in 2008, Cinema Europa management was trusted to Zagreb Film Festival, with the goal of making this cinema the regional centre of film and film art.

In 2013 the Ministry of Culture reached a decision to make Cinema Europa a protected cultural heritage site and Republic of Croatia national treasure. The cinema’s interior and its lavish stucco decorations and post-Art Nouveau classicist details are considered one of the city’s most beautiful spaces.

Cinema Europa’s programs are co-funded by the Zagreb City Office for Education, Culture and Sport,Croatian Audiovisual Centre and Europa Cinemas network.

The Müller hall is the mixed-use space at Cinema Europa, and also the movie theatre hall, screening regularly listed films in high resolution. The space also hosts exhibitions, book promotions, lectures, speeches and similar events.

The hall was named after the Müller family and its member Adolf Müller in particular, who built the Helios cinema, today’s Gavella Theatre, in 1913. In 1924 he commissioned a design for a cinema and a commercial-residential building, and gave the entire business to his son Alfred who managed the cinema all until its sale. Cinema Europa was officially opened on 8 April 1925 with the screening of Die Niebelungen by Fritz Lang and the Croatian film Dalmatia, Land of Sun. At that time the cinema had 1100 seats.

The Müller hall has around 40 comfortable armchairs and cutting-edge technical equipment. The films are screened in high resolution.