Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb

The Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb stands on Republic of Croatia Square in the city centre. Its bright yellow façade makes it one of Zagreb’s best-known landmarks. The building opened in 1895 after a decade of planning and construction. It houses theatre, opera and ballet under one roof. As the country’s oldest national theatre, it stages works from classical, modern and contemporary repertoires. More than twenty new productions and twenty revivals fill the season with over two hundred performances. The theatre grew from a private venture begun in 1834 by Kristofor Stanković. Italian architects Christofor and Anton Cragnolini designed the first building in neoclassical style. The curtain was painted by Vjekoslav Karas and lighting moved from candles to gas and then electricity. In 1895 the present theatre opened with a prologue by Stjepan Miletić and music by Ivan Zajc. The entrance features Ivan Meštrović’s fountain Well of Life, installed in 1912. Inside, the auditorium ceiling was decorated by Alexander Demetrius Goltz. The foyer ceiling is by Ivan Tišov. Busts of Ivan Gundulić, Junij Palmotić, Dimitrije Demeter and Vatroslav Lisinski flank the front of the building. The theatre’s Chamber Stage, opened in 1957, introduced modern texts. After the Second World War the company reunited and expanded its repertoire beyond patriotic drama. Today the square around the theatre is lined with late 19th- and early 20th-century buildings of high architectural value.