1909: The theatre is completed

The completion of Pardubice’s theatre was a dream come true for the city’s cultural community. Pardubice’s wealthy citizens expressed their patriotism by performing Czech plays on improvised stages in their own homes. The lack of a proper theatrical venue attracted more and more criticism from culture-lovers, who lobbied for a multifunctional venue that could host theatrical performances and other events. In 1881, they formed the Association for the Establishment of a Theatre, which collected donations from the public to fund the project. A site was purchased on the banks of what used to be a branch of the Chrudimka River. In 1885 the association (with the support of the city) organized an architectural competition to find the best design for the theatre.

The winning design was submitted by the Prague architect Jindřich Fialka. The theatre association approved it, but construction work did not go ahead due to a lack of funds. There was also growing criticism of the concept of a multifunctional venue. After lengthy disputes, it was eventually decided to build a venue solely for theatrical use. A new competition was announced, and in June 1893 another design by Fialka was selected as the winner. However, again the lack of funds prevented construction from beginning.
A new impetus came when Antonín Formánek was elected as Pardubice’s mayor (1903). Formánek was a keen theatregoer, and under his leadership the city promised to take over the assets of the theatrical association, on the condition that the theatre would then be built. Management of the project was entrusted to Antonín Balšánek. He produced a new design for a theatre that was to be located to the north of the original site (which the theatrical association had sold several years previously).
In May 1906 the city council approved Balšánek’s design. The estimated budget was 309 800 crowns, and the theatre was built by the contractor Josef Döller from the nearby town of Chrast. It was completed in 1909.

Even while the theatre was still under construction, it was a subject of much debate among the public. It was widely praised for the way it fitted in with its surroundings. However, its critics disapproved of its overall appearance as well as its superficial decorativism in the style of the Secession – a movement that was falling out of fashion. Nevertheless, the theatre – described as “the new artistic centre of East Bohemia” – served its purpose. However, its capacity soon proved insufficient, and in 1925 the city approached Hermann Helmer, a Viennese architect who specialized in theatre buildings, and asked him to design an enlarged auditorium. Six years later the building was seriously damaged by a fire, which destroyed František Urban’s original curtain.