Fire of the Variety Theatre

Fire of the Variety Theatre. On 13th February 1836 a new stage – the Variety Theatre – was opened at the back of the eastern wing of the Grand Theatre. It was designed for smaller drama and opera productions. This is the place where the present-day National Theatre is housed. The Variety Theatre was on fire twice – for the first time, on 11th June 1883, during the partitions and for the second, after the independence was regained, on 2nd November 1919. After its rebuilding in 1925, the name Variety was replaced with the name that was previously prohibited: the National Theatre.