HNK - the Croatian National Theatre, Zagreb

3 more images

The Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, commonly referred to as HNK Zagreb, is a theatre located in Zagreb, owned and operated by the Ministry of Culture. The theatre evolved out of the first city theatre built in 1836 housed in the present-day Old City Hall. 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 Marshal Tito 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. The building itself was the project of famed Viennese architects Ferdinand Fellner and Herman Helmer, whose firm had built several theatres in Vienna including the Vienna Staatsoper. Celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the building were held on October 14, 1995.

Zagreb is full of historical buildings. Some of them good preserved or restored. The others need to be restored and day by day they they are restoring by the goverment. I liked the buildings of Zagreb. Statues and reliefs make this buildings attractive and worth to see.

1 more image

Croats seem to love their theatres. The theatres in both Zagreb and Rijeka are large and grandiose, and one could even argue that this obsession is a long-standing one if you include the Roman amfitheatre of Pula in the list. The Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, in the ironically named Marshall Tito Square, is a huge yellowish building that dominates your view from every direction in the square. It was opened in 1890 by the Emperor Franz Josef and is in splendid neo-Classical style. Some muse that the Theatre is a sign of Croats growing self-confidence in their own autonomy and culture. The interior of the Theatre was done by Mestrovic. I'm unsure whether you can simply enter the Theatre as a tourist or if you have to buy tickets to a performance to marvel at its architectural treasures.

The Croatian National Theatre is located in Zagreb the capital of Croatia. It was established in 1840. The following year it gained government support putting it on par with many of other national theatres around Europe. In 1870 a national opera company was formed based out of the theatre.

From the very beginning, the repertoire of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb was very rich and various including the world classics, national tradition and contemporary works. Even though it was basically founded as a national cultural centre, the Croatian National Theatre has never stayed closed within itself, but it readily accepted and created diverse cultural links, opening its space to all theatrical cultures and giving guest performances all around the world, from America, throughout Europe, to the Far East. In its soon to be 150 years of history, the Croatian National Theatre has given a pleiad of the greatest artists and writers, actors and directors, set and costume designers, world famous opera and ballet principals, conductors and choreographers.

1 more image

This is a Croatian National Theatre, the biggest theatre in Croatia and a home of ballet,opera and drama. It is also probably the most beautiful building in Zagreb. There are shows during the whole year,so if you want to enjoy in croatian cultural scene, this is the right place to go.

One of Zagreb's many wonderful turn-of-the-century buildings is its National Theater. If you've been to Vienna, you won't be surprised to learn that it was built by Viennese architects Ferdinand Fellner and Herman Helmer, as the style is very similar to that of the Austrian capital. They also built several theaters in Vienna.

2 more images

Croatian National Theatre, our greatest architectural pride and joy and most beautiful heritage from the old ages! Built in Austro-Hungarian monarchy and opened by the emperor Franz Josef himself, this beautiful building and its surrounding is actually the cultural centre of the city. As it is grand and beautiful from outside, its also glamurous from iside! Make sure you stop by and look from close and, even better, book some interesting concert or a play!

Zagreb's theatrical history goes back into the far 11th century, when, like in most European towns, a certain type of medieval theatre performances used to take place in churches and town squares. In the 16th century performances took place in religious schools on Kaptol and on the streets of the neighbouring Gradec.

As the town was spreading, the need for a new theatre space was obvious and it was decided that a new national theatre must be built on a spacious square in the Lower part of the town that, according to the urban plan, would become a certain cultural centre.

The blueprints were ordered from the famous Viennese architects Ferdinand Fellner and Herman Helmer, authors of 40 more European theatre buildings. After only 16 and half months of construction works, the theatre building was finished according to plans and it was ceremoniously opened by the emperor Franz Joseph.
The neo-baroque building of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb is surrounded by numerous buildings that have a great monumental value and which represent the Croatian architecture of the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.