municipal theatre was laid in 1806 by the Minister for East Prussia of the German Empire Friedrich von Schrötter on Paradeplatz (Königsberg)). The building, designed by , stood partly on the foundations of the that was still under construction. On 9 March 1808, director Carl Steinberg opened it in the presence of the court with the opera La clemenza di Tito. For unexplained reasons, the building burned down on 1 July 1808. The reopening took place in the presence of the royal couple in December 1809 with the festival The Consecration. The theatre premiered William Tell (Schiller) in 1810, and The Maid of Orleans in 1811. August von Kotzebue was the artistic director. In 1815, Iphigenia in Tauris and Götz von Berlichingen were performed. In 1819, director Hurray brought the first performances of Fidelio and Der Freischütz. After the collapse of the theatre in 1828 and the dissolution of the ensemble, The Broken Jug premiered in 1830 and Faust in 1832. The world premiere of The Last Held of Marienburg by Joseph von Eichendorff in 1831 was unsuccessful. The composer Richard Wagner was Kapellmeister at the city theatre from 1836 to 1837. In 1836 he married the actress Minna Planer, who was engaged there, in the Tragheim Church. In 1854 the theatre received gas lighting. For years, German Student Corps from and Corps Masovia acted as doormen. They had to make sure that only students who had been designated by the were allowed to enter the ground floor for 6 Silbergroschen. In return, they were allowed to watch the performance free of charge. In 1879, under the direction of Max Staegemann and conducted by Emil Paur, the German premiere of Bizet's Carmen began, with which it began its global triumph. After the theatre collapsed again after 1890, the foyer was rebuilt and restaurants were added in 1893. In 1903 the theatre was fitted out with electrical lighting. At the beginning of the First World War, the theatre was rededicated as a hospital. Reopened on 27 August 1918 as a pure opera house, in 1924 it was merged with the New Playhouse to form the East Prussian State Theatre. The first performance of Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss took place in 1927. In 1928 the city acquired both theatres. The history of the theatre ended in World War II when it burned to the ground during the air raids on Königsberg