Zinar Castle

One of the most famous and distinguished Polish stages, operating continuously since 1893. Theater of Juliusz Słowacki is one of the most valuable monuments of theater architecture in Europe.

The theater building was erected in the years 1891-1893 on the site of the demolished monastery buildings and the church of St. The spirit. This caused considerable indignation among Krakow historians, conservators and artists: the painter Jan Matejko, who fiercely fought to leave medieval monuments in this place, resigned as an honorary citizen of the city as a sign of protest.

The new building of the City Theater of the project. Jana Zawiejski was the largest construction investment in nineteenth-century Krakow and - interestingly - the first facility in the city that was equipped with electric lighting. The building is kept in an eclectic style, with a predominance of neo-renaissance and neo-baroque elements. It was here that in 1901 the premiere of Stanisław Wyspiański's national drama Wesele took place.

Initially, the City Theater was to be named after the Polish comedy writer Aleksander Count Fredro, which can be seen in the bust in front of the main entrance. Finally, in 1909, the theater was named after Juliusz Słowacki on the centenary of the birth of the national poet and poet.

On November 14, 1896, the first screening of cinematography in Poland, i.e. the invention of the Lumière brothers, took place here. A set of twelve films was presented. The screenings took place before the evening theatrical performance and were very popular - during the next two months at least ten thousand Cracovians, i.e. every eighth resident of the city, participated in them.

Nowadays, Teatr im. Juliusz Słowacki is of course the Big Stage, as well as the Miniature Stage, which has been operating since 1976 in the former building of the theatrical power plant, the Małopolska Garden of Arts, the House of Theater Crafts, as well as the Krakow Poetry Salon of actress Anna Dymna.