A theatre’s secret history

Take a tour of the Croatian National Theatre and take a peek into all of its nooks and crannies in order to discover the numerous secrets about the theatre. These interesting tours of the theatre, organized once a month, will be guided by the theatre’s own actors.

The hallways, underground passages, the imperial salon and luxurious boxes, cloak-rooms, ballet halls, workshops and the stage itself are among some of the places that visitors will have the opportunity to see up close during the tour of the Croatian National Theatre. During this interesting tour, visitors will be encouraged to stroll through the areas that are usually closed to the general public, and take a peek into every nook and cranny of the theatre building which was opened back in 1895 by the Austro-Hungarian emperor, Franz Joseph I. The tours are guided by the theatre’s own actors, who will share all of the secrets, memories, personal experiences, as well as other interesting stories from the theatre’s past with their visitors. The theatre is housed in a beautiful neo-baroque building, nowadays considered a masterpiece of late historicism, designed by Austrian architect Ferdinand Fellner and German architect Hermann Helmer.

By launching this tour, the Croatian National Theatre offers visitors the opportunity to get to know its hidden side and discover everything that goes on behind the stage. The author of the tour script is Iva Sille, and the tours will be organized once a month, on Saturdays between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. The next tour is scheduled for December 13th. The visitors will be able to choose one of the three different ways to embark on the theatre tour. The full extent of each path will remain a surprise to add suspense to the event and maintain a certain mystique about the tour for as long as possible.

The tours will begin every full hour from three different entrances to the theatre. Three groups, consisting of ten or fifteen visitors each, will tour the theatre simultaneously, with one actor or actress as their guide. The admission price is 25 kuna, while children under the age of 14, who are accompanied by parents, may enter for free.

Tickets can be purchased at the theatre box-office or reserved by telephone by 2 p.m. every Friday at 01/4888 415 or 4888 413.