History of the Capitol

On the initiative of the head of the Jewish community, Dr. Max Goldschmidt, and the art expert Siegfried Guggenheim, construction of the new synagogue began in 1913. The building was constructed by 1916 according to the plans of Offenbach architects Fritz Schwarz and Karl Wagner. In contrast to what had long been customary in synagogue construction in this country, the architecture of the Offenbach synagogue was not based on the neo-Romanesque or Oriental style, but on Greco-Roman antiquity. The Second Jerusalem Temple was the model for the sequence of rooms.

Its most striking feature rises in the middle of the complex: the 30-metre-high domed building, flanked by two tower-like projections that form the transition to the lower side wings. The façade is made of shell limestone; the roofs and domes used to be covered with wooden tiles. Colored windows and a round window in the dome illuminated the interior with daylight. Access to the synagogue was through the portico in the west wing.

The synagogue, which was consecrated in April 1916, became a center of German Jewry. At the inauguration, community leader Goldschmidt spoke of "spiritual and cultural demands that flow beyond the walls of the old synagogue and require new rooms, but which correspond to the spirit of modern times", and he said: "We have conquered a place in the sun, and we want to maintain it". A variety of cultural activities filled the synagogue and its ballroom on the upper floor with life - for example concerts, theater performances and public lectures.

The synagogue not only stood for the emancipation of the Jews, it was also a symbol of the expulsion of Offenbach's Jews and the annihilation of the community. Even before the takeover of the German Reich, Offenbach's National Socialists had deemed the building suitable for the establishment of a theater. The synagogue was desecrated on Kristallnacht on November 9/10, 1938 - the fire destroyed the interior, Torah shrine, rabbi's room and library - but the shell of the building remained intact. In December 1938, the municipal council was forced to sell the building to the Ruttmann cinema operators at a price far below its value.

Georg Ruttmann moved his "National Theater" into the synagogue: it became the "most representative premiere cinema in Offenbach". The city had secured the right to use the building two days a week and every Sunday morning. This provided the opportunity to establish a "Stadttheater Offenbach" here - and the press headlined: "Offenbach gets a new film and theater house." The "National Theater" was also used for rallies and HJ celebrations. Everything points to the fact that the misappropriation of the synagogue had been planned and prepared by the National Socialists for a long time.

Although the building had survived the bombing raids on Offenbach without significant damage, the Jews who founded a new Jewish community in the summer of 1945 were too few to have the desecrated large domed synagogue repaired and maintain it permanently. Moreover, the building was not owned by the new community. The international trustee association "Jewish Restitution Successor Organization" (JIRSO), founded in 1948, had been awarded it in 1951 by the so-called Board of Appeal. At the time, the properties and possessions of Jewish communities that had been destroyed by the Nazis, including Offenbach, were in the care of this organization. After lengthy negotiations, the JRSO sold the former synagogue building and community center to the city of Offenbach towards the mid-1950s with the consent of the new Jewish community - on the condition that the building be used for cultural purposes.

The people of Offenbach loved their theater, to which they had also contributed with a "theater raffle" in 1954. Operas, operettas and plays from Giessen and Heidelberg were mainly performed. However, as the theater grew older, it became a burden on the public purse. Theater operations were only possible to a limited extent. In 1995, the solution seemed to be found: The dilapidated theater was transformed into a musical house with 1,125 seats without destroying its original charm.

In order to do justice to its cultural mission, Peter Rieger Theater GmbH, in consultation with the Jewish Community of Offenbach and the State Association of the Jewish Community of Hesse, set itself the goal of reviving the theater on Goethestrasse as a stage with upscale entertainment value. For 13 months, until June 1996, the musical "Tommy" by The Who attracted many spectators from a wide area. But just as Offenbach's reputation as "Tommy City" had spread, the company slipped into insolvency.

After the musicals went bankrupt, costing millions, the magnificent building stood empty for two years until the "Entertainment Center Rhein-Main GmbH" took over the building in 1998 and opened its doors as the multifunctional Capitol. A stylized female figure appears everywhere as a distinguishing feature, reminiscent of Emilie from Rolls Royce and Hollywood's film trophy, the Oscar. Following the four million mark renovation by Parisian architect Jean Pierre Heim, the performance space now boasts modern sound and lighting technology.

The E.C.O. Event Center GmbH Offenbach took over the running of the Capitol Theater in 2002 and developed it into a top location for companies, associations and a meeting place for fans, comedy stars, musicians and artists. Since then, the dedicated team led by Managing Director Birgit von Hellborn has organized everything from small, private champagne receptions to exciting large-scale events for up to 1,800 people. With success: capacity utilization is growing.

In 2005, the Capitol became the home of the Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt: the symphony orchestra has also performed its Capitol Classic Lounge here since 2006. Since 2019, the connection to the home venue has been even more evident in the name: the Capitol Symphony Orchestra (CSO) now performs here, with a few personnel changes. In 2015, those responsible decided to include the beautiful name of the venue in their company name. Since then, the limited company has been called "Capitol Theater Offenbach GmbH". The company, which also manages the Stadthalle Offenbach, is part of the Stadtwerke Offenbach's Veranstaltungen division.

Information courtesy of the Offenbach City Archive.