"2.3 Period of reconstruction
Countless individuals, rich and poor alike, cities (e.g. Plzen, Mlada Boleslav,
Domazlice, Tabor, Nachod and Votice) as well as organisations (e.g. banks
and insurance companies) and newspapers (e.g. Narodni Listy) tried to sup-
port and speed up the process of revitalisation of the National Theatre [13].
Overall, the reconstruction cost almost 2 million zl. and took two years;
on a brighter note, this opportunity for modernisation was used to the fullest:
Not only that better materials and technologies (such as electrical lighting)
were utilised, but also the building was enlarged and improved to meet even
more rigorous safety standards [14].
Additionally, special attention was paid to the decorations: New paintings
were authorized, for example the painting of Blanik [13] which - according
to national legends - symbolises bright future for the nation, as knights of
Blanik will rise at the time when the Czech nation is in the greatest danger;
they will come and restore order [6].
The National Theatre was reopened on November 18, 1883. Again, the
opera Libuse was performed [10].
4
3 Czech culture and collective memory
This section looks at various highlights related to the history of the National
Theatre, discusses them in greater depth and links them either to Czech
culture or the Czech national/cultural narrative.
3.1 Dedication and pride
3.1.1 Individual contributions
From the very rst moment the call for a Czech National Theatre was pub-
lished the rich and the poor alike went to great lengths to be able to donate
parts of their wealth to the national project: For example, in 1852 Mr. Cer-
mak donated 150 paintings, ordering the proceeds from their sale to be used
for the National Theatre fund [4].
There exist long lists of citizens who donated either cash or valuables;
these ranged from family jewels, old manuscripts of plays, and carved doors
to volunteer work on decorations [4]. Donations were a matter of national
pride, as can be proven by the mere fact that despite the costs skyrocketing
from the originally planned 150 000 zl. [4] to 1,8 million zl. by 1881, a bulk
of those costs was covered by thousands of small donations [14] instead of a
state subsidy or lottery revenues (see below). Indeed, many sources estimate
that the undertaking would have been impossible without the thousands of
little donors (for example, [13]).
1867 saw another peculiar, yet eective, type of fundraising activities:
Namely, local women initiated a large-scale rummage sale (\bazar") of mostly
jewels and household items. This event raised almost 6 000 zl. in a couple of
days, also thanks to the great public interest and a high entrance fee of 20
zl. per person [13]."

Tilburg University