The City Council OKs the acquisition of the legendary “Pionier”

Szczecin takes another major step towards acquiring the legendary “Pionier 1907” movie theatre as the City Council approves the deal.

The future of one of the world’s oldest movie theatres – “Pionier 1907” – has been the subject of discussions in recent months following the announcement that one of its owners is retiring. In line with the expectations of Szczecin’s residents, the city authorities have been making efforts to keep this unique location on Western Pomerania’s cultural map.

The last session of the Szczecin City Council voted on a draft resolution to allow the Municipality to acquire the real property that is now home to the movie theatre along with its equipment. The councillors gave their unanimous approval for the deal.

This comes as another milestone for the City towards preventing the shutdown of “Pionier 1907”. Earlier this year, Szczecin’s authorities decided to issue a local development plan for “Śródmieście – Zachód, Małkowskiego, Kosmos” to secure Pionier’s future existence. The document has a protective purpose, which means that in addition to setting out land use policies, it explicitly states that the address is intended for a cultural institution.

In addition, the October’s session of the Szczecin City Council allocated PLN 2,000,000 in Municipality funds for the acquisition of the real property that is now home to the movie theatre along with its equipment.

Officials are currently discussing the details with Pionier 1907’s owners. The City is expected to close the deal by the end of this year. Also, work will soon begin on an operational framework for the new municipal institution.