Lviv theatre of opera and balle

Lviv theatre of opera and balle Originally built when Lviv was the capital of the autonomous province of Galicia in the

According to the inscription in the theater lobby, the building was constructed between 1897 and 1900, and has remained standing throughout several changes in history.

29/09/2021

The building of Lviv Opera and Ballet Theatre was completed in 1900 designed by talented architect Zygmunt Gorgolewski. Thetotal cost of construction of the theatre was more than 1,25 million Austrian crowns - 700 000 of them was given by the magistrate of Lviv, the rest of the money was donated by private benefactors.

Lviv in 1892 was left without a theatre. The previous Lviv theatre was built half a century before by count Stanislaw Skarbek. At that time the theatre was considered as the third largest in Europe. However count Stanislaw Skarbek gave to Lviv the building of the theatre free to use for only 50 years. Next Lviv magistrate had to pay the descendants of the count for theatre rent - large amount of money. By the way the building of the theatre is already need funds for reconstruction. So Lviv City Council decided to build a new theatre and announced a competition for the project of new Lviv Opera and Ballet Theatre.

Director of Local Industrial School Zygmunt Gorgolewski did not want the jury of the competition give preference for Lviv architect. Therefore Zygmunt Gorgolewski prepared the project of Lviv Opera and Ballet Theatre in secret and sent it draws from Germany. Soon Competition Commission declared the project of Zygmunt Gorgolewski as the best.

Zygmunt Gorgolewski proposed to build a new theatre on the site with poor conditions for construction - on the place of future theatre flowed Poltva river that a few years before was taken into drains. The architect took the risk - for the first time in Lviv has established a solid concrete foundation which was to protect the building from flooding.

Work on construction of the new theatre began on 5th of June 1897 and on 4th of October 1900 Lviv Opera and Ballet Theatre was officially opened.

Really incredibly interesting legend associated with a magnificent Parnassus Theatre Curtain of Lviv Opera and Ballet Th...
28/09/2021

Really incredibly interesting legend associated with a magnificent Parnassus Theatre Curtain of Lviv Opera and Ballet Theatrewhich regularly serves over a hundred years. When the construction of the theatre began the founders of the theatre decided that the theatre curtain should be the same pompous as well as the building itself. So it was sent experts in the theatres of Europe and they liked theatre curtains in Milan Theatre and Krakow Theatre. The author of both theatre curtains was well-known artist Henrik Semiradzki so it was decided to order him the theatrical curtain for Lviv Opera and Ballet Theatre.

Nearly four years while there was construction of the theatre Henrik Semiradzki worked on his masterpiece but when the work was finished it turned out that there was no money to buy theatre curtain. The new theatre was built largely on donations of patrons but they said they will not give more money.

Experts went to Italy and said Henrik Semiradzki that there is no money to pay for his work. The artist understood the situation, led experts to his studio, showed new theatre curtain and in few days made a perfect act - has presented his theatre curtain for Lviv Opera and Ballet Theatre for free.

The Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet is built in the classical tradition using forms and details of Neo-Renaissance and ...
28/09/2021

The Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet is built in the classical tradition using forms and details of Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Baroque styles. There are also elements of Art Nouveau. The stucco mouldings and oil paintings on the walls and ceilings of the multi-tiered auditorium and foyer give it a richly festive appearance. The Opera's imposing facade is opulently decorated with numerous niches, Corinthian columns, pilasters, balustrades, cornices, statues, reliefs and stucco garlands. Standing in niches on either side of the main entrance are allegorical figures representing Comedy and Tragedy sculpted by Antoni Popiel and Tadeusz Barącz; figures of muses embellish the top of the cornice. The building is crowned by large bronze statues, symbolizing Glory, Poetry and Music.[9]

The theatre, beautifully decorated inside and outside, became a centrefold of the achievements in sculpture and painting of Western Europe at the end of the 19th century. The internal decoration was prepared by some of the most renowned Polish artists of the time. Among them were Stanisław Wójcik (allegorical sculptures of Poetry, Music, Fame, Fortune, Comedy and Tragedy), Julian Markowski, Tadeusz Wiśniowiecki, Tadeusz Barącz, Piotr Wojtowicz (relief depicting the coat of arms of Lviv), Juliusz Bełtowski (bas-relief of Gorgolewski) and Antoni Popiel (sculptures of Muses decorating the façade).

The Lviv Opera opened on October 4, 1900. The cultural elite—painters, writers, and composers, as well as delegations fr...
27/09/2021

The Lviv Opera opened on October 4, 1900. The cultural elite—painters, writers, and composers, as well as delegations from various European theatres—attended the opening festivities. Among the guests attending the ceremony were writer Henryk Sienkiewicz, composer Ignacy Jan Paderewski, the painter Henryk Siemiradzki,[8] the Chief magistrate of Lviv Godzimir Małachowski, the provincial governor Leon Piniński and head of the provincial assembly Count Stanisław Badeni. A delegation from the city of Prague was headed by mayor Vladimir Srb and former director of the National Theatre, František Adolf Šubert. Due to recent deaths of both the Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic archbishops, the building was blessed by the Armenian Catholic archbishop of Lviv, Izaak Mikołaj Isakowicz, alongside rabbi Ezechiel Caro and the Protestant pastor Garfel.[citation needed]

The grand opening gala that evening included excerpts from:

The b***et Baśń nocy świętojańskiej (Tale of the Midsummer Night) by Jan Kasprowicz and Seweryn Berson
The opera, Janek by Władysław Żeleński, about the life of Carpathian mountain-dwellers, with an aria sung by the Ukrainian tenor, Oleksandr Myshuha, for whom it was specially written.[citation needed]
A comedy Odludki (Recluses) by Aleksander Fredro

27/09/2021

n June 1897, the cornerstone was placed. Gorgolewski oversaw construction, earthwork and design, employing the leading stonemasons from the city and beyond. Local materials were used wherever possible, however marble elements were manufactured in Vienna, special linen for painting in the foyer was imported from Belgium. The Austrian company Siemens was ran the electrical wiring and lights, while the hydraulic mechanization of the stage was built by the Polish railway workshop company in Sanok.[1]

Construction continued for three years. Funding came from the city, the surrounding communities, and from voluntary donations. The cost of the works totaled 2.4 million Austrian crowns.[6]

Stories remain that despite the engineering innovations used by Gorgolewski to construct the foundation of the building, it began to slowly sink because of the Poltva river running underneath it in a tunnel. In July 1903 he died suddenly of paralysis of the aorta of the heart.[7] After some initial settling, the building ceased 'sinking' and remains stable to this day, owing to the innovative design of Gorgolewski.

At the end of the 19th century, local leaders felt the need for a large city theatre to be situated in the capital of Ga...
26/09/2021

At the end of the 19th century, local leaders felt the need for a large city theatre to be situated in the capital of Galicia (Ukrainian: Галичина, Polish: Galicja). In 1895, the city announced an architectural design competition, which attracted a large number of submissions.[1] Among the participants were the renowned Viennese architects Fellner & Helmer, whose entry was rejected as too international and eclectic.[2][3][a]

An independent jury chose the design by Zygmunt Gorgolewski,[2][3][4][5] a graduate of the Berlin Building Academy and the director of city's Engineering Academy. Gorgolewski pleasantly surprised the jury by planning to locate the building in the center of the city, despite the area having been already densely built-up. In order to solve the space problem, he boldly proposed to enclose the Poltva River underground, and instead of using a traditional foundation, utilized a reinforced concrete base for the first time in Europe.[1]

Address

Улица Архитекторов, корп. 24, кв. 15
Kharkiv
3247837

Telephone

+380999247221

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