Adam Mickiewicz Theatre in Częstochowa

The Adam Mickiewicz Theatre in Częstochowa occupies a building at ul. Kilińskiego 15, built in 1928-1931 as the Municipal Chamber Theatre. It is the only public theatre in the city with a permanent acting company, and the building is entered in the heritage register.

Construction of the building

Construction began after a joint-stock company was founded in October 1928, and the design was made by the Warsaw architects Józef Krupa and Teodor Łapiński. The brick building was erected at the corner of Kilińskiego and Jasnogórska streets.

The company ran out of money, so in 1937 the city bought the unfinished building. The upper part was completed with a loan from the Municipal Savings Bank, and the whole was handed over in 1938. During the German occupation the building was badly damaged; it returned to use in 1945. Modernisation and extension took place in 1979-1984, and the building was entered in the heritage register in 1989.

History of the theatre

The theatre in Częstochowa began operating in 1927 as the Municipal Variety Theatre in the former Reduta hall on Strażacka Street, today Katedralna Street. The first performance, Fredro's “Śluby panieńskie” (Maidens' Vows), was staged on 15 March 1927.

In 1930 the stage was closed for safety reasons, and in July 1931 the company reopened it as the Municipal Chamber Theatre, already in the new building. In 1949 the theatre was nationalised, and on 13 November 1956 it was named after Adam Mickiewicz.

Stages and interiors

The theatre has a large stage, a chamber stage and the Histrion stage, and the foyer bears the name of the actor Marek Perepeczko. In the main foyer hangs a copy of the portrait of Mickiewicz painted by Walenty Wańkowicz in 1828, unveiled on 10 November 2000. The copy was made by Jerzy Szajewski. Next to the theatre also stands the Actor's House (Dom Aktora), built in 1958 on the initiative of Edmund Kron.

Nearby

The theatre lies less than a kilometre from Jasna Góra Monastery. Right next to it are the Halina Poświatowska Museum and the Church of St James, and not far away the Częstochowa Philharmonic.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Kilińskiego 15, Częstochowa.
• The repertoire and tickets are on teatr-mickiewicza.pl.
• The building can be viewed from the outside without a ticket; the interiors and the foyer are visited on the occasion of a performance.