The building was inaugurated on September 7-8, 1906 and a year before the actor and stage director Jenô Janovics was named director25. On May 14, 1919 the National Theatre was taken over by the Romanian Dirigent Advisory Body26, represented by Onisifor Ghibu, general secretary for the Instruction and Arts department. On September 18, 1919 Zaharia Bârsan was named director of the National Theatre. After the Second World War the theatre was extended. The first extension sketches had been ready since 1949 but the extension was made only after 1958. The new facades followed the exact style of the original building but there was a clear difference in quality. The facade of the extended body was more damaged than the original body of the theatre until its restoration in 2006. The Cluj City Hall Planning Department planned to arrange the park around the theatre. In older representations of the theatre, the facades and large perspectives were distiguishable. As in many other cases nowadays, the building, having architectural value, is covered by tall vegetation that has got out of control. Nevertheless, the space around the theatre was reduced to enlarge the traffic on two long sides of the square. In the 70's and 80's, two monumental statues of Eminescu and Blaga were placed in front of the theatre. Then, the access, which had been on a covered perron, was altered. The walkway was replaced by marble and heightened to the level and aspect of that of the inside. The stone stairs were also replaced by marble stairs with a more difficult incline. This change was made in order to fill the space between the two horizontal alleys on different levels. Initially, the length of the staircase was only half of this. In the 80s, an idea arose to replace the statues with allegorical chariots pulled by lions placed between the two towers. In the county Planning Institute a strange proposal was made to replace the statues with a circular colonade. Fortunately, this abberant idea was given up and, after a minor restoration, the statuary groups were placed back on the towers.
The National Theatre represents one of the most valuable architectural monuments of the city. In the first list of historical monuments, from 1955, the building was not included, - understandable given the aesthetic mentality of that time. In the full expansion of modernism in architecture, the 1900 style was too recent and often perceived as kitsch. Let's not forget, for instance, that in Brussels, La Maison du Peuple made by Victor Horta - a masterpiece of the Secession style - was demolished in 1965. However, nowadays, throughout Europe, the buildings of Fellner & Helmer are considered a valuable heritage and are protected.
translated by Amalia Verde
1 Bauer A., Das Theater in der Josefstadt zu Wien, 1957; Schimscha, B. R., Das Josefstadtertheater als Opernbühne, doctoral thesis. Vienna, 1965. Klingenbeck, F. (ed) and Reinhardts, Max, Theater in der Josefstadt, Eines der schönsten Theater der Welt, 1972; Bauer, A. and Kropatschek, G., 200 Jahre Theater in der Josefstadt 1788-1988, 1988.
2 Melicson, Marcel, Modern Architecture, Bucharest: Editura Enciclopedică, 1977.
3 The style is characterized by different authors influences, such as, neo-renaissance, neobaroque, eclectic, neo-classic, etc.
4 Ludwig, Wolfgang, Die Theaterfabrik. Das Architekturbüro Fellner & Helmer versorgte halb Europa mit Schauspielhäusern, în Wiener Zeitung, Gen, 7, 2000.
5 Wurm-Arnkreuz, Alois von, Architekt Ferdinand Fellner und seine Bedeutung für den Theaterbau. Wien/Leipzig: Verlag für Technik und Industrie, 1919.
6 Ţoca, Mircea, Clujul baroc (The Baroque Cluj). Cluj: Dacia, 1983.
7 Imre, Sándor, Dr. Janovics Jenô és a színház. Cluj, 1924.
8 *** Színházi Újság, October 18, 1901.
9 *** Kolozsvári Hírlap, January 31, 1904.
10 *** Kolozsvári Hírlap, February 2, 1904.
11 Imre, Sándor, op. cit., p. 44.
12 *** Kolozsvári Hírlap, March 3, 1904.
13 *** Kolozsvári Hírlap, March 18, 1904.
14 Imre, Sándor, op. cit., p. 44.
15 *** Kolozsvári Hírlap, May 17, 1904.
16 *** Kolozsvári Hírlap, May 21, 1904.
17 *** Kolozsvári Hírlap, June 10, 1904.
18 *** Kolozsvári Hírlap, July 16, 1904.
19 *** Kolozsvári Hírlap, August 4, 1904.
20 *** Kolozsvári Hírlap, September 11, 1904.
21 *** Kolozsvári Hírlap, September 15, 1904.
22 *** Kolozsvári Hírlap, September 23, 1904.
23 *** Napló, December, 25 1904.
24 Lukács, József, Vechile statui ale Naţionalului clujean (Old Statues of the National of Cluj in Apostrof, no. 4, 2007.
25 Imre, Sándor, Dr. Janovics Jenô és a színház. Cluj, 1924.
26 Buteanu, Aurel, Teatrul românesc în Ardeal şi Banat (Romanian Theatre in Ardeal and Banat vol. Edited by The National Theatre of Cluj, [1945], pp. 144-147.
