National Theatre in Belgrade

National Theatre in Belgrade

National Theatre in Belgrade logo
Address	Francuska 3 Belgrade Serbia
Construction
Opened	1869
Rebuilt	1912, 1922, 1941, 1965, 1989
Architect	Aleksandar Bugarski
Website
www.narodnopozoriste.rs

The National Theatre (Serbian: Народно позориште у Београду / Narodno Pozorište u Beogradu) was founded in the latter half of the 19th century. It is located on Republic Square, at the corner of Vasina and Francuska Street in Belgrade, Serbia. With the raising of this building as well as with the implementation of the Regulations Plan of Town in Trench by Josimović from 1867, the conditions were made for the formation of today’s main Republic Square in Belgrade. Built back in 1868, the National Theatre, following the fate of its own people and the country, went through different phases of the architectural and artistic development, surviving as a symbol of Serbian culture, tradition and spirituality. Today, under its roof, there are three artistic ensembles - Opera, Drama and Ballet.

The National Theatre was declared a Monument of Culture of Great Importance in 1983, and it is protected by the Republic of Serbia.

In 1868, the Serbian National Theatre from Novi Sad (then the capital of Serbian culture in Austria-Hungary) performed in Belgrade (then the capital of the Principality of Serbia). Prince Michael, impressed by the performances he experienced, invited Jovan Đorđević (the founder of the Novi Sad Serbian National Theatre) to found a similar institution in Serbia. Having accepted, Jovan Đorđević came to Belgrade with half of his company of actors and founded the National Theatre in Belgrade, seven years after having founded the Novi Sad theatre.