The National Theatre began construction as the Royal Theatre of Greece in 1891, thanks to a donation of 1.000 British pounds by the Greek é migré Efstratios Rallis to King George I, so that he could dispose of it wherever he saw fit. The German architect of the building, Ernst Ziller, inspired by the Renaissance style, designed the facade based on the Library of Hadrian. Its central part is extremely rich in decorative elements, with a Corinthian colonnade, while the two side parts form a typical neoclassical composition.→