National Theatre "I. L. Caragiale", Bucharest

The National Theatre Bucharest (Romanian: Teatrul Naţional "Ion Luca Caragiale" Bucureşti) is the national theatre of Romania, located in the capital Bucharest. The statue of Ion Luca Caragiale in front of the Bucharest National Theatre Ion Luca Caragiale (January 30, 1852 - July 9, 1912) was a Romanian playwright, novelist, and short story writer. ... Several countries have a National Theatre. ... Status Capital of Romania Mayor Adriean Videanu, since 2005 Area 228 km² Population (2003) 1,929,615[1] Density 9131. ...

Founding and the old theatre

The old building of the National Theatre in 1866

It was founded as the Teatrul cel Mare din Bucureşti ("Grand Theatre of Bucharest") in 1852, its first director being Costache Caragiale. It became a national institution in 1864 by a decree of Prime Minister Mihail Kogălniceanu, and was officially named as the National Theatre in 1875; it is now administered by the Romanian Ministry of Culture. 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Costache Caragiale (29 March 1815 - 13 February 1877) was an actor and manager that had an important role in the development of the Romanian theatre. ... Categories: Lists of office-holders | Romanian Prime Ministers | History of Romania ... Mihail Kogălniceanu Mihail Kogălniceanu (September 6, 1817, Iasi - July 1, 1891, Paris) was a Romanian statesman, historian and publicist, he became the first Prime minister of Romania October 11, 1863, after the union of Moldavian and Wallachian principalities. ...

In April 1836, the Societatea Filarmonica — a cultural society founded by Ion Heliade Rădulescu and Ion Câmpineanu — bought the Câmpinencii Inn to build a National Theatre on the site, and began to collect money and materials for this purpose. In 1840, Obşteasca Adunare (the legislative branch established under the terms of the Imperial Russian-approved Organic Statute) proposed to Alexandru II Ghica, the Prince of Wallachia, a project to build a National Theatre with state support. The request was approved on June 4, 1840. Prince Gheorghe Bibescu adopted the idea of founding the theatre and chose a new location, on the spot of the former Filaret Inn. There were several reasons to favor this locations: it was centrally located, right in the middle of Podul Mogoşoaiei (today's Calea Victoriei); the earthquake of 1838 had damaged the inn beyond repair, and it needed to be torn down. Ion Heliade Rădulescu - (1802-1872 ) Romanian academician, writer, editor, prolific translator of foreign literature into Romanian, politician, teacher at the Saint Sava College in Bucharest, considered by most the foremost Romanian culture representative of the first period of the 18th century. ... A legislature is a governmental deliberative body with the power to adopt laws. ... Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start... Regulamentul Organic (-Romanian name, translated as Organic Statute or Organic Regulation; French: Règlement Organique, Russian: Oрганический регламент, Organichesky reglament)[1] was a quasi-constitutional organic law enforced in 1831-1832 by the Imperial Russian authorities in Moldavia and Wallachia (the two Danubian Principalities that were to become the basis of... Below is the list of Wallachian rulers, since the first mentioned until the unification with Moldavia in 1859. ... This article is about the region in what is now Southern Romania. ... June 4 is the 155th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (156th in leap years), with 210 days remaining. ... 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Gheorghe Bibescu (1804-1873), was a hospodar (Prince) of Wallachia between 1843 and 1848. ... Calea Victoriei in 1935. ...

The August 13, 1843 report of the commission charged with building the theatre determined that construction would cost 20,300 Austrian guilder (standard gold coins, a sum worth about US$45,000 at the time^{[citation needed]}), of which only 13,000 gold coins were available. In 1846, a new commission engaged the Vienese architect A. Hefft, who came up with an acceptable plan. August 13 is the 225th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (226th in leap years), with 140 days remaining. ... 1843 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The gulden was the currency of Austria-Hungary between 1754 and 1892. ... Gold coins are one of the oldest forms of money. ... The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ... Inhabitants according to official census figures: 1800 to 2005 Vienna in 1858 UN complex in Vienna, with the non-affiliated Austria Center Vienna in front - picture taken from Danube Tower in nearby Danube Park. ...

Construction got under way in 1848, only to be interrupted in June by the Wallachian revolution. In August 1849, after Prince Barbu Dimitrie Ştirbei took power, he ordered that construction be completed. Barbu Dimitrie Åžtirbei (1796 ? - Nice, 1869) was a hospodar of Wallachia twice, between 1848-1853 and 1854-1856, member of the Bibescu boyar family. ...

The front of the Bucharest Novotel, under construction in Calea Victoriei 2006, replicates the exterior of the old Romanian National Theatre approximately in its original location

The theatre was inaugurated on December 31, 1852 with the play Zoe sau Amantul împrumutat, described in the newspapers of the time as a "vaudeville with songs". The building was built in the baroque style, with 338 stalls on the main floor, three levels of loges, a luxurious foyer with staircases of Carrara marble and a large gallery in which students could attend free of charge. For its first two years, the theatre was lit with tallow lamps, but from 1854 it used rape oil lamps; still later this was replaced by gaslights and eventually electric lights. In 1875, at the time its name was changed to Teatrul Naţional, its director was the writer Alexandru Odobescu. Novotel Logo Novotel is a chain of hotels owned by the Accor group. ... Calea Victoriei in 1935. ... December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Vaudeville is a style of multi-act theatre which flourished in North America from the 1880s through the 1920s. ... Adoration, by Peter Paul Rubens. ... Carrara is a city in the Massa Carrara province of Tuscany, Italy, famous for the white or blue-gray marble quarried there. ... Tallow is rendered beef or mutton fat, processed from suet. ... Gas lighting (or gaslight, gas light) can refer the use of piped gas, most often either natural gas or coal gas, as a light source. ...

The historic theatre building on Calea Victoriei — now featured on the 100-leu banknote — was destroyed during the Luftwaffe bombardment of Bucharest on August 24, 1944 (see Bombing of Bucharest in World War II). Calea Victoriei in 1935. ... The Romanian leu (plural: lei; ISO 4217 code ROL) is the national currency of Romania. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... August 24 is the 236th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (237th in leap years), with 129 days remaining. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... The bombing of Bucharest (the capital of Romania) in World War II comprised operations by the Allies and Axis Powers at separate intervals in 1944. ...

The modern theatre

The current National Theatre is located about half a kilometre away from the old site, just south of the Hotel Intercontinental at Piaţa Universităţii (University Square), and has been in use since 1973.

It forms part of a complex that also includes the Romanian National Operetta, an art gallery and exhibition space, and several of the city's most prominent bars, including the massive rooftop terrace La Motoare. The present facility includes the Sala Mare ("the Large Hall"), with 1,155 seats; the Sala Amfiteatru ("the Amphitheatre Hall"), with 353 seats; Sala Atelier ("the Studio Theatre") with no fixed stage, with 94-219 seats depending on how it is configured; and Sala Studio 99, also without a fixed stage, seating 75-99 people.

See also

• List of concert halls

A Concert hall is a cultural building, which serves as performance venue, chiefly for classical instrumental music. ...

References

• Constantin C. Giurescu, Istoria Bucureştilor. Din cele mai vechi timpuri pînă în zilele noastre ("History of Bucharest. From the oldest times to our days"), Ed. Pentru Literatură, Bucharest, 1966, p.128, 141.
• This article draws heavily on the corresponding article in the ro: Romanian Wikipedia, accessed 20 July 2006. That, in turn cites:
  • George Potra, Din Bucureştii de altădată ("In Old Bucharest"), ed. Ştiinţifică şi Enciclopedică, Bucharest, 1981.

External links

• Official site (Romanian)