125th ANNIVERSARY OF THE CROATIAN NATIONAL THEATRE BUILDING

Endeavours toward construction of a new theatre building in Zagreb, now 125-years old and situated at Trg Republike Hrvatske, date back to the time of Baron Eduard Jelačić of Bužim, who bequeathed a portion of his estate in 1871 for construction of this building. In the aftermath of the 1880 earthquake and partial damage to the old, so-called Stanković theatre in Gornji Grad, those endeavours were continued by the Chairman of the Theatre Committee Marijan Derenčin, who commissioned a conceptual design and procured the issuing of a construction act. The subsequently slowed-down efforts towards this construction project were then revived by Count Károly Khuen-Héderváry de Hédervár, only to be brought to a standstill again by disagreements about where the building should be built. Actual progress was finally made in 1893, at the initiative of Izidor Kršnjavi and upon acceptance of the Ban’s request that the theatre be built at the centre of the fairground, facing the University, which proved to be an ideal urban planning solution.
Negotiations were re-initiated with Vienna-based architects Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer, famous for designing numerous theatres across Europe and the US. Finally, works commenced and lasted for sixteen and a half months (from 15 May 1894 to 8 October 1895). The opening ceremony was held on 14 October 1895, on which occasion Emperor Franz Joseph I appeared on the balcony and made three symbolic finishing strokes with a silver hammer, the work of sculptor Robert Frangeš Mihanović, thus handing over the building to drama and opera artists, who gave a special performance later that evening.
The design of the theatre is characterised by three sections. The exterior is Neoclassical, while the interior is designed in the Neo-Baroque style. The sectional entrance is topped by a loggia and a fenced balcony, with two small towers above on either side and a dome in the middle, covering the auditorium. The first section of the building comprises the vestibule, with lateral stairways on both sides leading to the balcony and a gently swirling stairway leading to the mezzanine and the dress circle with a ceremonial foyer and loggia. The second section of the building comprises the auditorium and the dressing rooms on the first level, boxes in the mezzanine and dress circle, and boxes immediately to the side of the stage. The third section is comprised of the stage (main stage, side stage and back-stage for bringing in props), as well as offices and ancillary rooms. The historical allegory scenes painted on the ceiling of the auditorium are the work of Vienna-based painter and scenic designer Alexander Demetrius Goltz. The ceremonial curtain boasts a painting by Vlaho Bukovac known as “Hrvatski preporod”, showing a monumental composition with members of the Croatian national revival movement bowing down to poet Ivan Gundulić in the front. Thorough reconstruction of the building, which took place from 1967 to 1969, involved elimination of the balcony boxes and reduction in the size of the parquet, which resulted in the decrease of seating capacity from about one thousand to 829. In addition to that, the building also underwent technological improvements.
Ever since its opening, the building of the Croatian National Theatre, which saw the performances of numerous world-famous theatre groups and artists, has been one of Zagreb’s most loved cityscapes. Fortunately, the earthquake that hit the city in early 2020 only caused minor damage to its interior.
 
 
 Branko Hećimović, PhD
Scientific adviser with tenure
(retired)