The Helena Modrzejewska National Stary Theater in
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
(Polish: ''Narodowy Stary Teatr im. Heleny Modrzejewskiej'') is one of the oldest public stages in Poland and a national
institution of culture, first opened in 1781. It was named after renowned Shakespearean actress
Helena Modrzejewska
Helena Modrzejewska (; born Jadwiga Benda; 12 October 1840 – 8 April 1909), known professionally as Helena Modjeska, was a Polish actress who specialized in Shakespearean and tragic roles. She was successful first on the Polish stage. After e ...
.
History
The theater was created by
Feliks Oraczewski
Feliks Oraczewski of Szreniawa coat of arms (14 January 1739 in Przybysławice – 12 August 1799 in Vienna) was a Polish writer, educational and political activist.
Feliks Oraczewski was a Member of the Polish Parliament from 1773-1775.
He part ...
, a member of the Polish Parliament (
Sejm
The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland.
The Sejm has been the highest governing body of t ...
), and the actor
Mateusz Witkowski. On October 17, 1781 the Cracow city authorities gave Witkowski permission to perform comedy under the condition that he pay fifty Polish zloty a month to the municipal treasury.
In 1798, Jacek Kluszewski, the starosta of Brzeg, took over the theater and converted two of his own buildings the corner of Szczepański Square and Jagiellonian Street into its permanent home.
The theatre is regarded as Poland's leading theatre.
[ In 1997 Krystyna Meissner became the director. Her term here was difficult and the following year she left at the request of the actors.]
References
External links
Theater website
Theatres in Kraków
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
Theatres completed in 1781
1781 establishments in Europe
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