Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb

The Croatian National Theatre (Croatian Croatian Narodno Kazalište, HNK ) is located in the Croatian capital Zagreb.

It was founded in 1840 and funded by government agencies, together with other Croatian national theaters. In 1870 a national opera company was founded. In the cities of Split, Rijeka, Osijek and Varaždin also Croatian National Theatre were built.

The theater moved in 1895 to the present day in the occupied buildings. Also, the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I. ( Austria - Hungary) took part in the inauguration of the new palatial residence.

The building was designed by the Viennese architects Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer ( Helmer & Fellner see office ) who were responsible for numerous theaters throughout Europe. The Zagreb theater is largely identical with the Zurich Opera House (1891 ) and the 1892/94 established the Court Theatre in Wiesbaden, today Hessian State Theatre Wiesbaden.

Some of the greatest Croatian artists worked in this theater: Ivan Zajc was the first theater director. Jakov Gotovac led the Opera 1923 until 1958. Croatian director Branko Gavella The eminent began just as the first Croatian prima ballerina Mia Corak Slavenska and internationally renowned mezzo-soprano Dunja Vejzovic there their careers.

In the theater the following internationally renowned artists performed on: Franz Liszt, Sarah Bernhardt, Franz Lehar, Richard Strauss, Gérard Philipe, Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, Jean -Louis Barrault, Peter Brook, Mario del Monaco and many others.