Slovak National Theater, Bratislava

The Slovak National Theater is the second oldest Slovak professional theater. It has three ensembles, which include drama, opera and ballet. The design of the new building was begun in the early 1980s, and construction started in 1986. Due to a lack of funds, the building was under construction (with long interruptions) for twenty-one years, which increased the planned costs from 874 million to almost five billion Slovak crowns. This figure is exaggerated by the relatively high inflation of the 1990s. The building was finally opened on April 14, 2007, and it houses all three ensembles of the Slovak National Theater, which continue to use the old building situated in the Old Town, as well. The building is designed to hold 1,700 spectators at a time in its three sections.