History
"The amphitheatre in Banská Bystrici was opened around 1955, with a classical pojection screen. In 1960 it was rebuilt for widescreen projections, which lasted till 1973. In 1974 the amphitheatre was rebuilt for 70mm panoramic projections. In those days, the whole amphitheatre was reconstructed because of the 30th anniversary of the SNP (Slovak National Uprising). The benches, the electricity were replaced with new, a new screen and a projection building was built. The amphitheatre was mainly a culture center for the "Film festivals of the workers", which were those days a cultural-nationwide event. The amphitheatre was also a place, where various movie delegations, "culture workers" and movie makers met, who to large extent participated in the activities. Apart from movie events, many music groups and interprets entertained on the amphitheatre. There were various events planned every year. The amphitheatre was most overcrowded in the summer 1976, when the movie Jaws was projected on an "After-festival show". This movie was seen by almost 20 000 visitors, what then caused a two-week break with projections. After the state film monopol was closed in 1992, the regular movie projections stopped. The other distribution film companies projected movies on the amphitheatre till 1996-97. After this period, the movie projections have definitely ended." author: Pavol, 17th May 2013, from a discussion on: www.bystricoviny.sk
Timeline
1951 / begging of the construction of the amphitheatre
1960 / 1. renovation for widescreen projections
1974 / 2. renovation for 70mm projections
1996 / the end of regular projections
2008 / the amphitheatre being closed after the last festival
2010 – 2014 / efforts to renew its functioning
2014 / the amphitheatre being reopened
2015 / reconstruction of the projection technology
