The Coburg Riding Hall is a single-storey neo-Gothic sandstone block building with a gable roof on the Coburg Castle Square. The riding hall was built in 1852 on the orders of Duke Ernst II according to plans by the painter and architect Georg Konrad Rothbart. The building replaced the riding arena at the southern end of the stables building, which was demolished in 1835. The west façade facing the Coburg Castle Square is characterized by a wide pointed arch portal, above which is a tondo with a sculptural horse's head by Theodor Behrens, framed on the sides by two battlemented towers.
The first German Gymnastics and Youth Festival was held in the ducal riding hall in June 1860 and the first general meeting of the German National Association in September. Two years later, in 1862, the German Singers' Association was founded in the hall. Commemorative plaques on the façade commemorate the events.
After the abdication of the last Duke of Coburg, Carl Eduard, the riding hall was used as a backdrop store for the State Theater. Since 1985, after a general renovation, the riding hall has been used as a studio stage for the Coburg State Theater. The modern studio theater has 99 seats and a rehearsal stage.
Source: Wikipedia