Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall (Croatian: Koncertna dvorana Vatroslava Lisinskog) is a large concert hall and convention center in Zagreb, Croatia. It is named after Vatroslav Lisinski, a 19th-century Croatian composer.[2] The building has a big hall with 1,841 seats and a small hall with 305 seats.[2] A large lobby doubles as an exhibition area.[2]
History
The Big Hall during a charity concert in 2008
The decision to build a new multifunctional hall in Zagreb was made in 1957.[3] A team of architects led by Marijan Haberle won the design contest.[3] The construction began in 1961,[3] but flooding and financial difficulties pushed the completion date into the next decade.[4] The hall was finally opened on 29 December 1973.[4]
The concert hall has organized a number of concerts by musicians of all genres; it serves as the stage for classical music, opera, ballet and theater performances, as well as many international congresses and conventions.[2] The hall saw 10 million visitors in the first thirty years of operation.[5] In 2007, a total of 450 different shows were put together, recording over 760,000 visitors.[2]
Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall was the venue of the 1990 Eurovision Song Contest,[6] after its first major renovation in 1989.[7] In 1992, the hall's copper roof cover was completely replaced.[7] Further reconstruction and redecoration work was done in 1999 and 2009.[1][8]
