About This Location
The Juliusz Słowacki Theatre is one of Kraków’s grandest 19th-century buildings, standing on Plac Świętego Ducha at the edge of the Old Town. It was built in 1891-1893 to a design by Jan Zawiejski and opened on October 21, 1893 as the Municipal Theatre. Its elegant, ornate style was intentionally modeled on top European theatres of the time, including Paris’s Palais Garnier. This spot has a dramatic backstory. To build the theatre here, the city demolished the medieval Church and monastery of the Holy Spirit and parts of the old hospital complex that gave nearby Szpitalna Street its name. The decision caused a major public dispute, and the painter Jan Matejko protested so strongly that he gave up his honorary citizenship of Kraków. There are small clues to the theatre’s “almost-name.” It was first meant to be associated with Aleksander Fredro - and the bust outside the entrance is a reminder of that plan. In the end, the building was named after the Romantic poet Juliusz Słowacki in 1909, to mark 100 years since his birth. Inside, one of the most famous features is the painted stage curtain by Henryk Siemiradzki. It was unveiled on April 18, 1894, only a few months after the theatre opened. It is enormous - about 11.9 by 9.6 meters - and unlike many classic theatre curtains, it is lifted up above the stage rather than rolled.