Stary (Old) Theatre

The father of modern, permanent theatre in Kraków was Jacek Kluszewski (1761-1841). This versatile businessman – owner of a factory producing carriages and grand-pianos – purchased two mediaeval houses on Szczepański Square and redeveloped them into a theatre which was officially opened on 1st January 1799. Today, Kraków boasts the oldest theatre building in Poland still in operation.

In the beginning the productions were only in German. However the use of Polish was allowed on stage from 1805 onwards by virtue of a special dispensation granted by Francis I of Austria. After the death of Kluszewski, fate was not as kind to the theatre as before. The building was rebuilt more than once and became home to various institutions. When the building of the new, municipal theatre in Św. Ducha Square was completed, the stary teatr – "old theatre", as it would now be called, was used for quite untheatrical functions: it served as military barracks and later as a gym for secondary school students. Finally, the municipality decided to save the building.

In 1903-1906, the architects Tadeusz Stryjeński and Franciszek Mączyński completely redesigned the theatre building. The upper parts of the walls received an impressive frieze in Art Nouveau style. The interior decoration – from minor details, via the murals down to the door and window frames – was everywhere maintained in the same matching style. The refurbished building housed the Musical Society with its concert hall and the “Stary Teatr” restaurant. Theatre did not return here until the spring of 1945.

Famous actors of distinction were and are associated with the Old Theatre. They include Helena Modrzejewska whose name the theatre bears today, Ludwik Solski, Anna Polony, Jan Nowicki, Anna Dymna, and Jerzy Trela. It has staged plays by the best directors: Konrad Swinarski, Jerzy Grotowski, Andrzej Wajda, and Krystian Lupa. Little wonder that it remains one of the prime theatres in Poland.