Open-Air Cinema Słubice – Frankfurt/Słubice Summer of Culture

Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice — A Divided Twin City

Frankfurt (Oder), with around 57,000 inhabitants, is Brandenburg's fourth-largest city and lies directly on the Polish border. Until 1945, Dammvorstadt (today Słubice) was a district of Frankfurt — after the end of the war, the Oder became the state border, and Dammvorstadt became the independent Polish town of Słubice (today around 17,000 inhabitants). Since the EU enlargement in 2004 and Poland's accession to Schengen in 2007, the border has been open — the two cities function again as a twin city: joint European University Viadrina/Collegium Polonicum, joint Summer of Culture, joint marketing strategy.

Plac Bohaterów — Słubice's Heroes' Square

Plac Bohaterów ("Heroes' Square") is the central square in Słubice, located a few hundred metres from the Oder bridge. In summer, it becomes an open-air stage — hosting concerts, festivals, and the open-air cinema during the Summer of Culture. Its location allows for a 10-minute walk from Frankfurt hotels and restaurants to the cinema square: a typical element of the twin city identity, where the border is barely visible in everyday life.

Frankfurt/Słubice Summer of Culture — Established Format

The Frankfurt/Słubice Summer of Culture runs annually from May to September and brings together numerous events on both sides of the Oder: concerts, theatre, readings, open-air cinema, city festivals, art events. It is supported by the city marketing initiatives of both cities (Frankfurt: MuV — Marketing und Veranstaltungs-GmbH; Słubice: City of Słubice) along with numerous cultural institutions, universities, and associations.

Open-Air Cinema Programme July 5-9, 2026

One film will be shown each evening for five nights on Plac Bohaterów. The selection mixes film classics (often related to German-Polish or European history) and current productions from Germany, Poland, and other European countries. Films are shown in their original language with subtitles in the other language (German films subtitled in Polish and vice versa). The detailed programme will be published in early summer 2026 at kultursommer.frankfurt-slubice.eu.

Symbol of the Twin City

The open-air cinema on Plac Bohaterów is more than a summer event — it is a symbol of German-Polish reconciliation and cultural cooperation on the Oder. Visitors from Frankfurt spontaneously cross the bridge, often without thinking about their passports — a matter of course that has grown over 30 years of cross-border cooperation.