Subotica – In the late afternoon on Monday, April 22, the builders left the building of the National Theater. It is officially the end of the work on the National Theater, at least at this stage, the moment many people from Subotica have been anxiously waiting for.
This is, after all, an important moment, because there are few generations who have the opportunity to witness the construction and such a thorough reconstruction of the theater, as was carried out here.
Work on the reconstruction, adaptation and restoration of the National Theatre, as the oldest theater building in our country, began 17 years ago. The works proceeded with different intensity, from the initial momentum, to the stoppage and conservation of the building, the reopening of the construction site as soon as the money was secured, and sometimes even the money in the account was not enough for the works to proceed, but there were disputes over public procurement.
In the meantime, the original project signed by the “Justat” studio has undergone changes. At the beginning of construction, it was estimated that the adaptation and extension of the theater would cost around 30 million euros. According to the data currently available, 950 million dinars were invested until 2016, and from 2016 to this last stage a total of 2.5 billion dinars, and the costs are borne by the republics and provinces in the ratio of 45 percent each, while the city provides 10 percent. It should be added to the final account that the last phase of the works cost about 1.65 billion dinars
Part of the building whose foundations were laid in 1854 has now been completed. Today, it is a building of 14.6 thousand square meters of space, with two rehearsal rooms, about 40 rooms for employees, administration, technology, marketing, with 15 wardrobes. At this stage of completion, the theater has a chamber stage with about 100 seats and an experimental hall with an auditorium that is being modified, and provides from 100 to 300 seats. What is commonly called the concert hall, which is actually the former central theater hall, has not been completed. It forms a separate segment, and, the authorities assure, the theater will be able to function and obtain a use permit for the part where the works have now been completed.
“I set the deadline for the completion of the construction of the National Theater, now everything is definitely over, followed by the obtaining of the use permit and the opening.” We are expecting the President of Serbia to return from America and he will be personally invited to open the theater as someone who is most deserving because it was completed thanks to him. He determined that the project of the Subotica National Theater should be a project of national importance. It is difficult to talk about deadlines and time for the concert hall, first comes the opening, and then the completion of the works in the concert hall, which will not affect the work of the theater because it is a separate unit”, said Stevan Bakić, mayor of Subotica.
Dr. Balint Pastor, president of SVM and president of the city assembly, also spoke about the completion of the works on the National Theater building, who said that based on experience from previous projects, the longest wait is for fire protection permits and that after obtaining all permits and obtaining a use permit, the theater will be open. “The only thing left now are the administrative procedures, which I believe will be completed soon, so the construction is complete.” I am glad that we were persistent and I want to remind you of the time around 2010 when the Union of Vojvodina Hungarians was the only republican parliamentary party that requested that the government of the republic provide funds for the completion of the works on the National Theater”, said Dr. Pastor in an interview for Panon RTV.
