Herman Bang's words opened Aarhus Theatre and were repeated 125 years later

When Aarhus Theatre marks its anniversary, it doesn't happen without looking back. And few could put the opening day in 1900 into words like Herman Bang. On Sunday, his text from Aarhus Stiftstidende on September 15, 1900, was read out on the Main Stage, exactly 125 years after the doors first opened.

What did Herman Bang write about Aarhus Theatre in 1900?

Bang didn't just see a new building on Bispetorv. He saw an entire city that had invested effort, money and pride in building a theater that could become a symbol of unity.

“The house that was built has already – it seems to me – made a difference. It has been a symbol. And symbols are among the good things: first of all, home, then one's city, and then one's homeland.”

Why was opening day so important for the city?

Bang described how the people of Aarhus followed the construction step by step, from the first ideas to the last stone. Each citizen's small contribution became a shared pride.

“In the end, almost every man in Aarhus lived with it all. And every man felt his small share of pride in this work and this labor, which belonged to everyone.”

What importance did Bang attach to Aarhus Theatre?

For Bang, the new theater was not just about entertainment. It was a place where the city's spirit and art could grow.

“This city and these actors will slowly or quickly create the traditions of the house. They will shape the style of play, form the house's own form and give it its own drive.”

He saw Aarhus Theatre as a stage that could help shape Danish performing arts, a place where young forces could gain wings and where traditions could emerge.

How do his words read today – 125 years later?

When Nanna Bøttcher gave voice to Bang's text on Sunday, it was as if time folded together. The audience sat in the same hall, looked up at the same ceilings and chandeliers and heard the same words that the townspeople read in the newspaper on September 15, 1900.

“Today the house opens. I too must be allowed to hang my wish tree over its door and congratulate the city that built it. Aarhus is honored, and Aarhus has strength.”

Bang ended his article with a reminder that still holds true: That what one has achieved obliges one to achieve further.

It's not just the drama in the spotlight that impresses, as the historic building on Bispetorv is a masterpiece in itself; see our full review of Aarhus Theatre and learn more about the house's unique background.

Source: Reading at Aarhus Theatre's 125th anniversary on September 14, Nanna Bøttcher, (article by Herman Bang, Aarhus Stiftstidende, September 15, 1900).