ABOUT THE ARCHITECTURAL PEARL OF THE LENDAVA THEATER AND CONCERT HALL
THE PAST
The idea of building a theater hall in Lendava was born in the early 90s of the last century. As part of the agreement between the Republic of Slovenia and Hungary, the first plans were drawn up in 1991 by the world-famous Hungarian architect Imre Makovecz. The plans at the time envisaged a significantly larger building than today, which would extend from the Jewish school (it was demolished during construction) to the multi-apartment building in Mlinska Street. In 1992, a building permit was issued, and a year later a project was drawn up, but despite this, construction did not begin.
After the local elections in 1994, the new management of the municipality again showed the desire to build a theater, but they found that the original plans provided for too large a building complex. Because of this, they tasked Imre Makovecz with changing them. In 1995, revised plans were drawn up and construction began. The implementation was not smooth, as the contractor declared bankruptcy, and the costs also increased. So in 2000, construction stopped.
After three years, the municipality still decided to finish the building. After additional financial resources, it was realized in 2004. The official opening of the theater and concert hall took place on September 18.
In May of the same year, the Municipality of Lendava established the Institute for Culture and Promotion of Lendava. The co-founders of the institution were the Hungarian self-government of the municipality of Lendava and the Pomeranian Hungarian self-governing national community. The institute’s mission was to coordinate and implement program content in the theater and concert hall.
In April 2016, the Municipality of Lendava, in agreement with the Council of the Hungarian Self-Governing National Community of the Municipality of Lendava, adopted a decree on the establishment of a public institution, the Library – Cultural Center of Lendava, to which the Institute for Culture and Promotion was attached.
Imre Makovecz was the representative of t. i. organic architecture, in the spirit of which he also created the theater and concert hall in Lendava.
THE PRESENT
We often hear that the building, located in the heart of Lendava’s city center on Györgya Zale Square, is unusual. It houses a theater and concert hall, which, like a mystical ark, takes us to the most diverse worlds of art.
The theater and concert hall is considered a gathering place for event visitors, as well as a pleasant place for socializing. Its well-kept surroundings, the sprawling square with the fountain and the city park in the immediate vicinity, as well as the wonderful view of the Lendava vineyards and the castle, emphasize the pleasantness of the ambience dedicated to culture and art. It represents the pulse of cultural and artistic events, the interweaving of different genres of art and is thus a space for intercultural dialogue. On the ground floor and in the hall there is a ticket office, a dressing room for visitors and a cozy cafe. The lobby and two corridors are decorated with occasional exhibitions. High-quality theater performances, music programs and children’s shows take place in the hall, mostly in Slovene and Hungarian languages, and the hall also serves as a venue for central ceremonies on Slovene and Hungarian holidays, meetings of amateur cultural and artistic groups, programs of educational institutions and companies and organizations.
Lendava Theater and concert hall or so called The cultural center measures 33 m x 45 m, extends over 1,400 m2, and has 2,400 m2 of usable space inside. The hall has 444 seats, 150 of which also have built-in writing shelves. In the hall there is a stage, 11 m wide and 9 m deep, with an orchestra pit. The inner stage is separated by a lift door from the smaller annual stage, which is often the scene of music programs and content for children during the summer months. The hall is suitable for theater and dance performances, concerts, operas, cinema screenings, seminars, congress activities.