The Femina cinema is a legendary venue on the map of Warsaw, which operated for more than seven decades, from 1938 to 2014. Located at 115 Solidarności Avenue, formerly known as 35 Leszno Street, it became an important part of Warsaw’s culture, passing through various historical stages – from pre-war times, through the tragic years of occupation, to the present day.
The history of the ‘Femina’ cinema dates back to the 1930s. The cinema was located in a tenement house built after 1935, owned by Dawid Bachrach. The architectural design of the building was developed by Juliusz Żórawski, a respected Polish architect, who created the cinema with a female audience in mind. “Femina” opened in 1938 and its repertoire was dominated by melodramas and romances, which attracted a predominantly female audience. After the capitulation of Warsaw in 1939, the cinema building was occupied by the German revue, and in 1940, when the area became part of the Warsaw ghetto, the cinema was transformed into the ‘Femina’ Theatre. This theatre, artistically directed by Jerzy Jurandot, became one of the five permanent theatres in the ghetto, offering shows, revues and operettas at a high artistic level. It featured well-known actors, and the repertoire referred to pre-war Warsaw cabarets.
The tenement house in March 1939. Source: National Archive in Warsaw
The “Femina” theatre functioned until August 1942, when the area where the tenement house was located was excluded from the ghetto and incorporated into the “Aryan” part of the city. Many of the artists performing in the theatre (including the famous Miriam-Marysia Ajzensztadt, known as the “Nightingale of the Warsaw Ghetto”) were murdered by the Germans in the Warsaw Ghetto or in extermination camps. Their tragic fate is commemorated by a plaque placed in the lobby of the present shop with the inscription: “In memory of the murdered actors and musicians of the Warsaw Ghetto. On the 50th anniversary of the “Femina” theatre and concert hall. Umschlagplatz Museum Foundation. 20 VI 1941-20 VI 1991″. After the liquidation of the ghetto, the Germans used the building as a warehouse, and in 1943 the “Figaro” concession theatre operated there.
The tenement in which the cinema was located survived the war in good condition. The neighbouring buildings, on the other hand, were destroyed. After the war, as a result of the reconstruction of the W-Z Route, the street was renamed Al. Karola Świerczewskiego, and the numbering of the buildings was changed. In 1958, in the place of the former theatre, a cinema was reopened, retaining the historical name “Femina”. In the 1970s, the “Femina” cinema became one of the first-category cinemas in Warsaw, with one auditorium accommodating 635 spectators. In the 1990s, as a result of modernisation carried out by the new owner, the Kinoplex company, the cinema was transformed into a multiplex with four screens. It was the first cinema of its kind in Warsaw and quickly gained popularity among the capital’s inhabitants.
In 2014, ‘Femina’ ceased its operations and the last film screened was ‘Miasto 44’. Plans for the future of the cinema site were controversial. The intention was to open a discount shop of the Biedronka chain there, which met with protests from residents and cinema lovers. Despite attempts to combine commercial and cultural functions, it was ultimately decided to only open a shop. In 2016, the former cinema building was partially demolished. Nevertheless, the neon sign of the ‘Femina’ cinema was preserved on the façade of the building, serving as a symbol of the old days. In the lobby of the new building, there are photographs recalling the history of this iconic venue.
Despite the building’s change of use, the name “Femina” remains alive in the memory of Varsovians. The “Femina Cinema” bus stop complex has kept its name, and the neon sign still reminds us of a place that for decades was an important point on the cultural map of Warsaw. The ‘Femina’ cinema is not just a building – it is the history of the city, its inhabitants and the changing times.
Source: sztetl.org.pl, jedenraz.wordpress.com
Read also: Architecture in Poland | Tenement house | Curiosities | History | Warsaw
