In 1891 Thomas Edison patented the first equipment to project movies. It was incomplete, because it only allowed one person to watch.

The Lumiere brothers bought Edison's instrument and made a few modifications. Their knowledge and creativity is attested by the fact that to improve the first projector they used the mechanism from a sewing machine. On 28th of December 1895, in Indian Salon on Kapucynów Boulevard in Paris, the brothers had the first film screening, "Exiting the factory",  which was watched by 35 people. Since that time things have only got better. Today we can go to the cinema whenever we want, and the only problem is choosing what we want to see.

Cinema Pionier in Szczecin is one of the oldest cinemas in the world which has functioned nonstop in the same place since it opened. The year of its foundation is uncertain.

Official documents state that the cinema opened on 26th September 1909, whereas others say it was 1907.

Otto Blauert was the founder of the cinema. One year later Albert Pietzke took over. In 1899 Jerzy Miśkiewicz and Wacław Szewczyk became co-owners. The cinema changed its name a few times. At the beginning it was "Helios", and then from 1945 it was called "Welt-Theater". From December 1945 to December 1950 it was known as "Odra" and finally the name was changed to Pionier. The first movie shown was "Iwan Groźny" (Ivan the Terrible) by Siergiej Eisenstein.

Pionier is situated in the city of Szczecin on Wojsko Polskie Alley – known before the Second World War as Falkenwalder Straße 2.

In 2005 an official Guinness World Records certification was published, testifying that Pionier is the oldest cinema in the world. Three years later this title went to "Korsør Biograf Teater", a cinema from the Danish town of Korsør which has been open since 1908. Currently, "L'Idéal Cinéma – Jacques Tati" from the French town, Aniche, is considered to be the oldest running cinema. The first film was shown in 1905.

Despite being renovated in 2002 and receiving modern equipment, the cinema retains its charm and attractiveness. There are now two rooms. The main room is bigger and traditional. "Kiniarnia" room combines a cinema with a retro style café. You watch films sitting at a table near a bar where you can order coffee, tea or wine and read a newspaper. The movies in Kiniarnia are played using an old cinematograph. An additional attraction is silent movies, which are accompanied by a piano from 1898.

In addition to the records described above, we can be proud of the fact that despite the existence of huge cinema complexes with multiple screens, and popcorn and fizzy drinks served in "buckets", this amazing place still exists. Pionier has its own established status on the cinema map. With a repertoire that includes movies from Europe, Asia and South America, this cinema belongs to the prestigious network of Europa Cinemas as well as the Studio Cinema Network.