May 2, 2019 – After being closed for 20 years for renovation, the stage of the oldest public theatre in Europe is entertaining audiences again on Hvar, Croatia.
It is a remarkable island, best known for its sun, lavender, beaches and nightlife, but the island has much more to offer, with several attractions which often surprise.
It is, for example, the island with the most UNESCO heritage in the world, the birthplace of the grandfather of dactyloscopy (that is fingerprinting to you and me), and the place where organised tourism began way back in 1868.
Oh yes, and it is also the home of the oldest public theatre in Europe, dating back to 1612.
That’s right, a Dalmatian island was ahead of the likes of Paris and Vienna in providing a public theatre. To learn more of the fascinating story, check out the recent TCN interview with Mirjana Kolumbic, art historian professor, senior museum curator, and author of a book on the first 400 years of the Hvar theatre.
And last night, finally, the theatre was open again,
A packed audience was able to enjoy a range of Hvar culture, from theatre performances, to traditional dance and klapa music.
The theatre itself is located on the top floor of the imposing Arsenal building, which guards the entrance to Hvar’s majestic main square, the largest in Dalmatia at 4,500 m2. The Arsenal will also be reopening this year, as will the Palace Elisabeth, hvar hertiage hotel across the square, the first 5-star hotel on this premier Croatian island.
The theatre will be open to the public, with ticket prices for visiting, combined with the Arsenal, recently announced by the local authorities.
The theatre will be hosting its second performance tonight with a performance of Judita. Entrance is free, but all tickets have already been allocated.
A magnificent addition to the Hvar tourism offer, and the reopening of the theatre, Arsenal and luxury Palace Elisabeth are in line with Hvar’s new direction towards luxury tourism, as outlined in a recent TCN interview with new Hvar Tourist Board director, Petar Razovic.
To learn more about the island of Hvar, check out the Total Croatia Hvar in a Page guide.
To follow the latest news from Hvar, follow the dedicated TCN page.
