[fr] 
[es]The Cinema Theater Varia
| Type | Country | Date | Status | Rating |
 Public building |  Belgium | 2005-08-01 | Reconverted | ***** |
One More Abandoned Wonder
Built from 1910 to 1913 by the architect E.Claes, this theater is made from reinforced concrete.
It has an impressive Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) façade. This is one of the last cinema theater dating from before the first World War remaining in Belgium.
Architectural details. click to enlarge!
The "Ciné Varia" is today a derelict building. All the interior design have disappeared. Yet the place is still beautiful with its large interior volume, wide balconies and great red curtain.
Infiltrating the building is difficult, so the place has remained protected from vandalization, theft and taggers.
Interior panoramic view. Click to enlarge!
And then what happened? 1986 is the year of the abandonment of the building. In year 1992, the main façade and parts of the roof of the theater are listed as an historical monument. In 2000 the Walloon heritage institute owns the building. Facades should recover their aspect from the beginning of the XXth Century, but the works start only end of 2004!
Mid-2005, date of the exploration of the Theater. Due to lack of funds, the works are stopped. Projects of a new cultural center? Home for the childhood? Whatever... These best intentions seem futureless now...
More about Belgian Art-Nouveau style? Here!
peter de koninck
– Antwerp
This is an unbelievable beautiful building. It MUST be restored!!!
With a good project, it can be used again for many new purpouses, think about the cinema Roma here in Antwerp...
I wonder if that pigeon was trapped there or just for fun and found a way out...
i have warm memories of thgis building, since i have been to a big cultural underground party there when i was studying in brussels. this was in 1998/99. If it was for me , they 'd let it be in thsi state forever...
I just love the building! It's awesome and it has a lovely red stagecurtain. The façade doesn't get me exited but it may be seen. I'm even desperate to buy it =D The interior is really great with the hugh balcony and the big sit-and-watch-space on the ground level. I would love to make a great theater of it where al the great pieces are going to play, if I had the money and the permission =) We salute thou, King Stijn I
hi, i've been at the cinema in May 2007 and it's completely sealed due to the renovation that was planned there. I don't know how far the work is done by now, but in May the whole front was covered by scaffolding and the back site is not accessible. Before the scaffolding was erected there was a way in i heard... greetz www.tdv.dl.am
How on earth did you get in? It looks so selad off completely...it would be a DREAm to have a look inside and make some photos.
Great place to go to. Just put the name on the internet and you find the adress of the abandoned place...
Very intersting description, but where is it ??