Teatr im. Juliusza Słowackiego w Krakowie | |
Teatr Miejski | |
Słowacki Theatre in Kraków Old Town District
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Address | 1 Holy Ghost Square Kraków Poland |
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Construction | |
Opened | October 21, 1893 |
Years active | 1893-present |
Architect | Jan Zawiejski |
Website | |
slowacki |
Coordinates: 50°3′50″N 19°56′35″E / 50.06389°N 19.94306°E
Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Kraków, Poland, (Polish: Teatr im. Juliusza Słowackiego w Krakowie), erected in 1893, was modeled after some of the best European Baroque theatres such as the Paris Opera designed by Charles Garnier, and named after Polish poet Juliusz Słowacki in 1909.
Designed by Jan Zawiejski, the theatre was erected on Holy Ghost Square (Plac Św. Ducha) in place of the former 14th century church and monastery of religious order 'Duchacy' or Order of the Holy Ghost (hence the name of the square). The church had been converted into a residential building due to secularization of the Polish male branch of the cloister in 1783. The city council of Kraków decided to demolish it in 1886 in order to make room for a new theatre. The church was dismantled in May 1892 – an event which caused much controversy, notably the emotive declaration of Polish painter Jan Matejko, that he would never exhibit his paintings in Kraków again.
The new theatre opened on October 21, 1893. It was an exquisite example of the Polish Eclectic architecture, the first building in Kraków designed for and equipped with electric light. Initially it was called Municipal Theatre (Teatr Miejski). Only in 1909 did it receive the name of Juliusz Słowacki, a Polish poet and playwright of Romanticism.