Since its inauguration in 1912, when it opened with the play by Marquina "The sun has set on Flanders", the Victoria Eugenia theatre has been one of the mainstays of cultural life in the city, a showcase for the best works.
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Since its inauguration in 1912, when it opened with the play by Marquina "The sun has set on Flanders", the Victoria Eugenia theatre has been one of the mainstays of cultural life in the city, a showcase for the best works.
This magnificent building has been the headquarters of the Donostia Musical fortnight since 1940 and of the International Film Festival from 1953 to 1999. The girl with the violet eyes, Liz Taylor, the passionate Bette Davis... it's hard to count the number of stars of screen and stage, music and culture who have graced this building with their presence. You are in the place where Alfred Hitchcock's film "Vertigo" had its world premiere.
Immune to the passing of the years, after more than one hundred years, the Victoria Eugenia is today more beautiful than ever, thanks to a six-year total renovation which was completed in 2007. This brought the interior space up to date and provided the auditorium with state of the art staging and equipment. It hosts many of the films projected during the International Film Festival of San Sebastian, as well as other theatrical events.
The cleaning and repair of the facades of the building allow us to appreciate its various neo-plateresque elements better. On the outside, there are groups of sculpted figures, carved out of stone brought from Pitillas, in Navarre. These groups represent Tragedy, Music, Dance and Comedy. Have you noticed a further detail of the facade? There are carved medallions containing the busts of, among others, the classical composer Arriaga, known as the Spanish Mozart, and the renowned Navarran tenor Julian Gayarre.
It's also worth noting the small bust of Pio Baroja, the famous Basque novelist from the literary movement known as the generation of 98. It's on the left-hand side of the facade and is directly opposite the birthplace of this esteemed author.
