Teatro Fenice: a Newfuture from the Ashes

Abstract

U bogatoj kazališnoj i kinematografskoj povijesti Rijeke arhitektonski jednom od najzanimljivijih građevina možemo smatrati Teatro Fenice, koja predstavlja prvu primjenu armiranog betona u okviru tipologije kazališnih zdanja u Hrvatskoj iz razdoblja secesije. U prvom dijelu rada objasnit će se pojava secesije, njezino podrijetlo, razvoj i opće značajke kako u Europi tako i u Hrvatskoj. Potom se fokus stavlja, naravno, na Rijeku, koja se tada nalazila u sklopu Austro-Ugarske Monarhije i u čije se graditeljstvo upliću različiti utjecaji iz srednjoeuropskog kulturnog kruga. U ovom kontekstu na riječku je arhitekturu snažan utisak ostavila poznata bečka škola arhitekture s predvodnikom Ottom Wagnerom. Nakon uvida u povijesni i graditeljski kontekst Rijeke s početka XX. stoljeća dolazimo do glavne teme, a to je zgrada Teatra Fenice, koja je doživjela svoje uspone i padove. Kako u svojoj izgradnji, izvedbi, tako i u dobivanju građevinske dozvole, rekonstrukcijama, adaptacijama i realizaciji. Počevši 1880. godine kao drveno kazalište Teatro Ricotti, preko svečanog otvorenja Teatra Fenice i prvih filmskih projekcija 1914. godine do serije jakih potresa dvije godine poslije, izrade Elaborata obnove i promjena imena do 1991. godine. Potom se u radu težište stavlja na njegove temelje, točnije konstrukciju od armiranog betona, čime Teatro Fenice postaje jedina kazališna zgrada u Hrvatskoj koja se može pohvaliti tim arhitektonskim poduhvatom. Osim našeg prvog hrvatskog primjera, u radu će biti riječi i o drugim europskim zdanjima toga vremena koji imaju istu takvu konstrukciju, kao što su kazalište Champs-Élysées u Parizu te kazalište u Veszpremu i kazalište u Sopronu. Nakon kronološkog slijeda izgradnje dolazimo do gorućeg problema: pokušaja njegove revitalizacije i obnove. Naime, Teatro Fenice prestao je biti otvoren za javnost u proljeće 2010. godine zbog oštećenja stropa i prokišnjavanja krova. S obzirom na to da je riječ o zgradi koja se nalazi u privatnom vlasništvu, ispada da je osuđena na propast zbog skromnih sredstava državnog proračuna. Jedina nada i šansa za poboljšanjem situacije može se pronaći unutar Europske unije, budući da je Rijeka ovo proljeće proglašena Europskom prijestolnicom kulture za 2020. godinu (EPK 2020). O kakvim je planovima riječ, otkrio nam je u razgovoru Odjel gradske uprave za kulturu pri EPK.In the rich history of theatre and cinematography of Rijeka, we may consider Teatro Fenice – representing the first application of reinforced concrete in the framework of theatre buildings in Croatia from the secession period – to be architecturally one of the most interesting buildings. The first part of this master thesis contains the explanation for the emergence of secession, its origin, development in Europe as well as in Croatia. Afterwards the focus is directed, naturally, to Rijeka which was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire dominion. Various architectural influences from the Middle-European cultural circle are intertwined in the architecture of Rijeka. In this context the famous Viennese school of architecture lead by Otto Wagner has left a strong impression. Following the insight into the historical and architectural context of Rijeka at the beginning of the 20th century we arrive at the main theme – the Teatro Fenice building, which has had its ups and downs regarding construction, but also regarding the acquisition of a building permit, reconstructions, adaptations and realization. Beginning in the year 1880 as the wooden theatre Teatro Ricotti, having a glamourous opening as Teatro Fenice in 1914 – beginning with movie projections the same year, going through a series of powerful earthquakes two years later, making the Elaborata for reconstruction and changing the name in 1991. The focal point of this paper then shifts to the foundations of the theatre, more precisely, the construction made from reinforced concrete, granting Teatro Fenice the status of the only theatre building in Croatia with that architectural enterprise. Besides our first Croatian example, the paper mentions other European building of the time with the same construction, like the Champs-Élysées theatre in Paris, the theatres in Veszprem and Sopron. After the chronological sequence of events describ describing the construction of Teatro Fenice, we come to the pressing issue: the attempt of its revitalization and reconstruction. Incidentally, Teatro Fenice has ceased to be open for the public in the spring of 2010 due to the severely damaged ceiling and a leakage in the roof. Seeing as this is a privately owned building, it seems that it’s doomed to ruination due to the humble funds allocated from the government budget. The only hope and chance for its salvation may be found within the European Union, seeing as Rijeka was in the spring of this year declared the European Culture Capital for the year 2020 (EPK 2020). The department of culture in charge of the EPK projects revealed the plans for Teatro Fenice