site.btaBulgaria's Oldest Theatre House Opened in Vidin on Eve of 1891

The first purpose-built theatre building in Bulgaria was formally opened to the entire public on the eve of 1891, said Gabriela Stoycheva, Chief Expert at the local state archive department, speaking to BTA in an interview.

The earliest evidence of theatrical activity in the town dates from 1879, when the newspaper Slavyanin published information about the establishment of a charitable theatre society called Vida. With Bulgaria just liberated from Ottoman Turkish rule in 1876, without state support and amid serious economic hardships, the intelligentsia of Vidin took the bold risk of building a true “Temple of the Muses”, Stoycheva stressed. After more than a decade of donations, charitable performances and active public support, the building was completed in 1890, she said.

According to documents preserved in the Vidin archive, the theatre building in the town was the first in the country designed in the European manner specifically for theatrical purposes. It was the work of a German architect, though his name is unknown. The original interior of the auditorium resembled that of La Scala in Milan in its layout, with boxes and a gallery. The seats above the boxes in the gallery were arranged in an amphitheatre. The first row in the galleries beneath the balcony consisted of 12 boxes – six on the left and six on the right – and in the middle, directly opposite the stage, was the “central” or “royal” box. Each box had six chairs, while the “central” one had 12. The theatre roof had glazed sections. Lighting was provided by gas lamps and heating by two large stoves, Stoycheva explained.

She also pointed out an interesting detail. The opening of the theatre sparked a scandal that cost Dimitar Balev, the most dedicated figure behind the theatre’s construction, his position. A number of local notables – the mayor, members of parliament and other political sympathizers of the ruling party – insisted that the opening should take place with special invitations for a selected group of citizens. Displeased, Balev opposed this "unworthy" proposal and suggested that the opening should be held in the most solemn manner with the participation of the entire public, thereby giving the undertaking a genuinely popular character.

This led to a lively dispute in which renowned politician Naicho Tsanov also took part. In the end, after lengthy debates and a vote, Dimitar Balev’s view prevailed and the theatre was opened on the eve of the new year 1891 with general invitations to all citizens of Vidin. Subsequently, Balev was dismissed from his post, but by a twist of fate he became the theatre’s saviour. The large debts to private individuals left after the building’s construction could not be paid and the theatre was put up for sale for BGN 10,000, Stoycheva said. She added that, as Mayor of Vidin, Balev bought back the theatre on behalf of the municipality, ensuring that the building would remain forever in use for the cultural needs of the public.