Croatian National Theater
Croatian National Theater
4.5
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
About
The theater building was built in 1893, and since 1940, HNK Split has been operating as an institution. With opera, drama and ballet ensembles, the Croatian National Theater Split prepares and performs music-stage and dramatic programs of contemporary works, works of national and international music-scene and drama heritage.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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4.5
61 reviews
Excellent
31
Very good
24
Average
3
Poor
1
Terrible
2
CatharineB
Ottawa, Canada1,642 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
The Croatian National Theatre in Split (or HNK Split) originally opened in 1893, the theatre is owned and operated by the City of Split and is one of the oldest surviving theatres in Dalmatia.
The theatre building was originally constructed as the Split Municipal Theatre in 1893 during the tenure of then mayor Gajo Bulat. The building was designed by local architects Emilio Vecchietti and Ante Bezić while the interior decoration was done by Eugenio Scomparini, Napoleone Cozzi and Josip Varvodić.
The theatre, which had a capacity of 1,000 (at a time when Split had a population of 16,000) was the biggest theatre in Southeast Europe at the time of its completion. The building was initially used to stage performances by traveling troupes (mostly Italian), as there was no full-time drama ensemble in the city of Split.
The theatre was closed for a period of time during WWII and reopened in September 1945 with a performance of a play by Croatian author Mirko Bogović. The theatre has been operating ever since.
However, in February 1970 the building was nearly completely destroyed in a fire. During the following decade the house ensembles performed plays at other venues in Split until the newly rebuilt theatre opened its doors again in May 1980.
We were not lucky enough to view any performances – next time!
The theatre building was originally constructed as the Split Municipal Theatre in 1893 during the tenure of then mayor Gajo Bulat. The building was designed by local architects Emilio Vecchietti and Ante Bezić while the interior decoration was done by Eugenio Scomparini, Napoleone Cozzi and Josip Varvodić.
The theatre, which had a capacity of 1,000 (at a time when Split had a population of 16,000) was the biggest theatre in Southeast Europe at the time of its completion. The building was initially used to stage performances by traveling troupes (mostly Italian), as there was no full-time drama ensemble in the city of Split.
The theatre was closed for a period of time during WWII and reopened in September 1945 with a performance of a play by Croatian author Mirko Bogović. The theatre has been operating ever since.
However, in February 1970 the building was nearly completely destroyed in a fire. During the following decade the house ensembles performed plays at other venues in Split until the newly rebuilt theatre opened its doors again in May 1980.
We were not lucky enough to view any performances – next time!
Written 26 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Val C
Dublin, Ireland27 contributions
May 2023 • Family
Not really into dancing but wanted the experience of the theatre. Also wanted to watch to watch the performance from a box. Really good deal. Sixteen euros. The bar was amazing. Went there before the performance. Quiet and airy with a great view of the square.
Written 2 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wrighton53
Saltash, UK408 contributions
Sept 2011
An old worldly Theatre in the centre of Split, it sits all majestic apart from the rest of the building around it. The outside looks very stately and inside it is very grand from the inner entrance till the stage and its sunken orchestra pit. There are plays and ballet shows along with Drama and comedy shows, they are all in Croatian the ones I have seen. So without a knowage of basic Croatian it would be very impractical to go and see a play, drama or comedy, but the Ballet, Orchestra and even an Opera is well worth seeing. There are the stalls to watch from, but for a few pennies more you can sit in one of the many boxes on level two and three, I myself have been to see the opera and orchestral concerts and found them to be very good. The acoustics of the theatre are good and the price compared to say London are very cheap, during the summer season there is a full list printed of all the various shows.
Written 2 March 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tomballardnd
Seattle, WA59 contributions
Sept 2018
Beautiful building from the outside and a great place to people watch. Try to get inside if there's an event.
Written 7 November 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cmcdonald86
Atlanta, GA122 contributions
Jan 2016
We went to a ballet while visiting Split. This was so beautiful! The show was of great quality and the theater is very beautiful and ornate. It's easy to get tickets but you must buy them in person at the theater. The staff most likely won't speak English so try to get someone at your hotel to point out a good seat for you before you go so you can communicate where you want to purchase your seat. Tickets are not expensive and we were surprised how casual the attire was. So if you did not pack with a theater visit in mind, you will be perfectly fine! It's a great cultural spot to hit while in Split and it's not touristy which is refreshing if you've been in certain areas of the city.
Written 10 January 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kathryn406
Santa Rosa, CA28 contributions
May 2015 • Solo
Saw Carmen here. I rarely see opera since it is so expensive in the US. While this wasn't the best production of Carmen ever, it was well done, and it was a wonderful opportunity to see this opera, which I wanted to see for years. Payed the equivalent of about 20 American dollars. I'm giving it five stars because while it's no comparison to an opera house like the MET in New York, it is an excellent opportunity to see opera.
Written 22 May 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tom F
New York City, NY444 contributions
Dec 2013 • Friends
This diverse Theater is everything we expected and more. We have seen 2 different production here and they were both well done and interesting. Learning different cultures and being part of them as we were at this theater speaks volumes. Many non English speaking shows but for what it's worth we didn't even need the English portion...that's how good it was. We saw a ballet and it was a Russian performance and WOW>...it was amazing. Beautiful facility and wonderful people makes this a must go if you want some culture while traveling in Croatia.....BRAVO !!!!!
Written 4 November 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wrighton53
Saltash, UK408 contributions
Sept 2014 • Family
From the opera to the plays and shows, as long as you understand Croatia or italian you will be fine, if not just go for the music......
Written 3 September 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
StephanieNYNY
New York City, NY82 contributions
Jan 2012 • Family
I'm very delayed in writing this review, but last year while visiting Split we happened to find this beautiful historic theatre and were lucky enough to buy the last 2 seats to the ballet for that night! While the music was recorded, not live, it was still a magnificent night of ballet. I was amazed at the talent and it was a delight to experience the ballet in this beautifully restored historic building. Ticket prices were reasonable -- not much more than what we pay for a movie here in the US. This was the best evening of my entire trip to Croatia!
Written 23 December 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ZZMimi
Los Angeles, CA1,445 contributions
After all the hard ship this country experienced, culture is still important to Croatians. If you have an opportunity to see a performance at this theatre..do it! We were there for a holiday classical program along with local children singing Christmas Carols in English and Croatian. When the conductor asked the audience to join in, we were the only Americans in the audience able to sing "White Christmas" with the children.
Written 14 January 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Are there tours of the Opera house? Are they handicapped accessible? Is there a way to get a schedule of events for 2020 in English?
Written 3 January 2020
I am trying to find the schedule for the Croatian National Theater online, and am having no luck. We will be in Split on April 5, 2019, but the schedule I see only goes through Feb.
Written 15 February 2019
Was the show at the national theater? If not then where? We will be in Split at he end of September and would like to see a performance if the season is still open. Any other venue suggestions for opera and theater? Thanks
Written 2 September 2016
my wife and i are traveling with grand circle tours and will be in split on jan 3rd 2015. is there a performance planned that day. thank you. merry christmas
Written 24 December 2014
my wife and i are traveling with grand circle tours and will be in split on jan 3rd 2015. is there a performance planned that day. thank you. merry christmas
Written 24 December 2014
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