Originally founded in 1837, the National Theater Budapest presently stands along the banks of river Danube. Venue of a number of Hungarian and English plays. Consists of several floors featuring various sections like the auditorium, studio theater, rehearsal rooms, refreshment bar etc. Most striking aspect is the moving performance stage.
Hungarian National Theater: A Retrospective
Theater may not have held a front stage in Hungarian culture, but the tradition of play acting find an expression in the National Theater Budapest. The theater, formerly known as Pest Hungarian Theater, was inaugurated in 1837. It got its present name, National Theater, in 1840.
The building of the National Theater Budapest was in a dilapidated condition and had to be demolished. The theater was shifted to the building of People's Theater in 1908 and remained there for the next fifty years, till 1965 when it was destroyed for construction of underground metro.
The National Theater of Hungary was shifted once again, this time to Nagymez? Street and then again to the present building of the theater in Sándor Hevesi Square. The current building, made public in 2002, is located on the banks of the Danube river and is the permanent address of the National Theater.
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Parts of National Theater
Quite a grand structure, the building of National Theater in Budapest covers an area of 20,844 square meters. The most important and significant part of the Hungarian National Theater in Budapest is the central part constituting the auditorium and studio theater. The auditorium contains several tiers and the studio theater has a seating capacity of 150.
The most significant feature of the theater, the main stage can accommodate 619 people. It is bordered by an apron stage and consists of a side stage. A singular characteristic of the stage is that the performance space is a moving stage which makes it one of its kind in entire Europe. The whole area in front of the stage is also moving.
The cloakroom is located at a central position on the ground floor right below the auditorium. First floor contains the refreshment bar and the gallery, from where visitors can get splendid views of the Danube, is on the third floor. Rehearsal rooms are located on the second, fourth and fifth floors. There is also a library, an archive and an actor's club in the building.
National Theater in Budapest is renowned for hosting Hungarian and English plays. Since the foundation of the National Theater along the Danube, in 2002, it has been pulling large crowds of people.
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