Bad Berleburg. (ch) The – for the time being – final curtain rose on Wednesday evening at the Capitol Cinema Center in Bad Berleburg. As cinema operator Bernd Womelsdorf had already announced in 2019, the Capitol Cinema is now closed for health reasons. This marks the end of an era in Bad Berleburg. Bernd Womelsdorf had been running the Capitol Cinema since 1988. However, long before that, the Bad Berleburg native was already involved in the operation of his father Kurt Womelsdorf, who sadly passed away much too early in 1972. Even as a schoolboy, Bernd Womelsdorf helped his mother and ensured that stars from Europe and Hollywood flickered across the screens in Bad Berleburg.
Over time, the cinema was gradually modernized. The red wall drapes, the posters of stars and starlets, the lamps encased in film reels – nearly everyone in Wittgenstein has been to the cinema here, grabbed some refreshments at the counter, and then watched their favorite film at the “Capitol.” This was no different on the final day: on Wednesday, films such as “Spies in Disguise,” “I’m Off Then,” “Jumanji 2 – The Next Level,” “Frozen 2,” and “Star Wars – The Rise of Skywalker,” the latter in 3D, were still being shown at Herrengarten 8.
“The screenings were once again well attended,” reported Angelika Wetter, partner of Bernd Womelsdorf. Numerous former employees and other citizens came on Wednesday evening to experience the final screenings of the Capitol Cinema Center. Former staff members in particular, who had worked at the cinema as students 20 to 30 years ago, had coordinated their visit to surprise Bernd Womelsdorf. Old stories were shared – of small mishaps and great cinema moments.
Then the time had come: the last lightsaber was drawn, the final thrilling climax shown. “Now I hope things will continue. There are ongoing discussions – because otherwise it would be a real loss for Bad Berleburg. There is interest in the town to keep the cinema running. For my part, I would like to thank all employees and all visitors, young and old, for the wonderful time we shared,” emphasized Bernd Womelsdorf in an interview with the Wittgensteiner Wochenpost.
Photo: private
Newspaper article from the Wittgensteiner Wochenpost, November 2019.