Croatian National Theatre, Zagreb
 Croatian National Theatre building in Zagreb | |
 | |
| Address | 15 Republic of Croatia Square Zagreb Croatia |
|---|---|
| Owner | Republic of Croatia (51 %) City of Zagreb (49 %) |
| Type | National theatre, opera and ballet house |
| Capacity | 715 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 22 May 1894[1] |
| Opened | 14 October 1895[1] |
| Renovated | 1967–1969[1] |
| Architect | Fellner & Helmer |
| Website | |
| www | |
The Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb (Croatian: Hrvatsko narodno kazalište u Zagrebu), commonly referred to as HNK Zagreb, is a theatre, opera and ballet house located in Zagreb.[2]
Overview
The theatre evolved out of the first city theatre built in 1836 housed in the present-day Old City Hall.[citation needed] The theatre was first established as the Croatian National Theatre in 1860, and in 1861 it gained government support putting it on par with many other European national theatres. In 1870 an opera company was added to the theatre and in 1895 it moved to the new purpose-built building on Republic of Croatia Square in Zagreb's Lower Town, where it is based today.
Austro-Hungarian emperor Franz Joseph I was at the unveiling of this new building during his visit to the city in 1895.[1] The building itself was the project of famed Viennese architects Ferdinand Fellner and Herman Helmer, whose firm had built several theatres in Vienna. Celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the building were held on October 14, 1995.
At the entrance of the theatre is located the wall fountain The Source of Life (Zdenac života), designed by Croatian artist and sculptor Ivan Meštrović in 1905.[3]
Many of Croatia's leading artist have worked at the theatre.[citation needed] Its first manager and dramatist was the Greek–Croatian poet Dimitrija Demeter, a leading activist of the Croatian national revival movement, with Ivan Zajc as first conductor. Jakov Gotovac was the Theatre's opera conductor from 1923 to 1958. The famous Croatian theatre director Branko Gavella began his career here, as did the first Croatian prima ballerina Mia Čorak Slavenska.
The theatre has also seen many international artists including Franz Liszt, Sarah Bernhardt, Franz Lehár, Richard Strauss, Gérard Philipe, Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, Jean-Louis Barrault, Peter Brook, Mario Del Monaco, José Carreras.[4]
There are also Croatian National Theatres in Split, Rijeka, Osijek, Varaždin and Zadar.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Povijest zgrade". hnk.hr (in Croatian). Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
- ^ "Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb". TripAdvisor. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- ^ "Meštrovićev "Zdenac života" izložen u Splitu". vijesti.hrt.hr (in Croatian). Croatian Radiotelevision. 3 May 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
- ^ "Povijest". hnk.hr (in Croatian). Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
External links
