Great fire in Dresden's old state operetta: investigations into vandalism!

Great fire in Dresden's old state operetta: investigations into vandalism!

On Friday evening, June 7, 2025, a devastating major fire broke out in the old state operetta in Leuben. The fire alarm went in at around 7:30 p.m. when the roof structure was already burning in light. A video of an eyewitness indicates the front rows of seats as a possible cause of fire. In advance, the building, which has been empty since 2016, had already been the target of vandalism. Despite the intensive extinguishing work of around 150 firefighters, a total fire could not be prevented. The auditorium collapsed and the main building has largely burned out. The damage is estimated on a six to seven-digit amount, reports the Saxon .

The extinguishing work died until early Saturday morning, when the fire brigade finally reported at 5 a.m. that the fire was deleted. Nevertheless, around 35 emergency services remained on site to combat any embers. "We had to burn the roof structure in a controlled manner in order to better get the focal of fire," said a fire brigade spokesman.

accident or arson?

The police have started the investigation and does not exclude an accident or willful arson. At least there is no evidence of a natural cause of fire. A fire cause investigator is on site and will try to bring light into the dark. Incidentally, past investigations by the Institute of Damage Control have shown that vandalism is a common cause of fires - and similar incidents could not be completely excluded.

reinforced need for security in the city

Security in the city is currently in focus. Security has been improved in the Dresden Neustadt, but there are some crime main areas. "We have to take further prevention measures," said the district manager. Against this background, the currently planned new Tempo 30 zones in Dresden appear particularly important, since 377 new positions have been created in the past ten years in order to protect endangered facilities.

What is behind the plans of Saxony-Energy?

At the same time, Saxony energy with its plans ensures discussions for an 80-metered heat storage at the Nossener Bridge power plant. Critics see the planned construction work as a possible visual impairment on the historic old town. There are several construction sites for the residents, both in the literal and figurative sense.

While the city deals with a collected look at the tense situations and the necessary conversions, the memory of the traditional state operetta remains alive. With more than 240 years of history as a musical folk theater, she has conquered many Dresden hearts, and although the ensemble has been playing at a new location in the center of the city since December 2016, the grief for the old building is felt.

difficult traffic situation and public security

Due to the major fire, the Pirnaer Landstrasse was closed until Saturday afternoon and residents within a radius of one kilometer were asked to keep windows and doors closed. Two adjacent residential buildings also had to be evacuated as a precaution. The Dresden transport companies reported failures and detours from several lines, which continued to complicate the already tense traffic situation. There were also problems with drones that disabled the use of the fire brigade.

The events show that both security concerns and the inheritance of the city keep coming to the fore. While the investigation into the fire continues and the declaration of causes is still pending, it remains exciting to observe how the city will deal with the challenges. Further information on the causes of fire in Germany can be read in detail on Statista