At a time when Belgrade began to regenerate itself after centuries of Ottoman rule, a desire to create national symbols that would restore faith and identity to the tortured Serbian people began to be expressed. The mechanisms by which the state sought to demonstrate its power were often based in the arts. Building a national theatre was one of the most successful - but at the same time one of the most difficult - ways by which to restore the national and patriotic spirit. On the other hand, it was also a means by which to adopt a path of Europeanization, one that the Principality of Serbia took up with much zeal. The aim of this work is to draw attention to the construction of a National Theatre in Belgrade in the 19th century, an undertaking that faced insurmountable challenges. From the study of newspaper sources, among others, new sources of information were obtained in relation to the establishment of the National Theatre. However, these sources also allowed us to reach the conclusion that the construction of the National Theatre in Belgrade in the 19th century led not only to the creation of the first national symbol, but also to a pioneering structure in terms of the dawning of Academicism within Serbian architecture.