Belgium Cine Theatre Varia - March 2019

[Urban Relics]

For a long time, this was the one that got away... Since 2015 I had tried several times to get in this pretty theatre, but never succeeded. I'm not the kind of "explorer" who will ... ehm ... "create an entrance". If it's closed, it's closed! So I had in fact already given up on this one, when a few months ago I got word that there was in fact a possible entrance. I pretty much leapt into my car and scurried over there before anyone got the chance to close it up again

Granted, it's not really all that spectacular as an urbex spot, but for me this is still a magnificent place! Beautiful natural decay, hardly any vandalism, some nice details here and there and most importantly: virtually zero chance of encountering other urban explorers, running in hordes to the latest, coolest, hippest spot. This one is so old already, no one cares about it anymore. Except for me, that is...

A bit of history:

Ciné Théatre Varia (popularly called Ciné Varia) is an atypical building in Belgian concrete history, a remnant of the golden age of silent cinema. The Liège architect Eugène Claes (1886-1947) designed the building in 1911, inspired by industrial exhibitions and international events, which took place simultaneously in the major Belgian cities. He resolutely opts for Art Nouveau, which was at the time flourishing throughout Europe. He uses concrete as decorative elements for the facade, consisting of beams and columns with brick filling and decorated with cement decorations. However, the auditorium, with a capacity of 1,100 spectators, is designed in steel, Art Nouveau style with a metal frame to crown the whole. For fire safety reasons when showing films, which was then done by a process with flammable resin (hence the name “film flamme”), the design had to be adapted at the eleventh hour and the concrete was extended to the complete design of the theater. Construction was completed in 1913, but the building wasn’t inaugurated until 1917. The Varia can look back with pride on celebrities such as Bourvil, Adamo, Fernandel and Johny Halliday, who populated the stage during the golden 1950s and 60s. In the 1980s, however, things went sideways quickly for the once popular theater. Partly due to concerns about the stability of the building, the curtain for the Varia finally falls permanently in 1986. The facade of the building was classified as a monument in 1992 and is currently still under construction for renovation. For the rest of the building, the future is not looking very good. After all, that part is not classified and estimates for its renovation amount to no less than 5 million euros…

Thanks for watching! ​

 

[AndyK!]

This is lovely. Even though it's stripped it's still really nice.

 

[obscureserenity]

Lovely photos! Nice to see a location that has been on the radar for this long and hasn't been vandalised.

 

[jones-y-gog]

I like the look of this and the way you've photographed it is superb.
Sounds a bit like me - once a place catches my imagination there is an urge to visit that won't go away!!

 

[The_Raw]

Wow that is an awesome set. I don't remember seeing half of these rooms when I went. I guess we didn't explore it properly. I usually check every single room without fail!