Prague National Theatre.

Prague National Theatre

Photo: National Theatre
Author: Tracy Lee Bradbury
Keyword: national theatre

Built by the people of Prague – well at least the well-to-do people of Prague, this theatre was funded by money raised from the Czech community, as a monument and national treasure to symbolise national identity and independence.

Opened for the first time on June 11th, 1881 it held 11 performances before closing temporarily to make some ‘finishing touches’. During this time a fire broke out, which completely destroyed the original copper dome, auditorium and stage – a national catastrophe. Another whip around took place and within 47 days the theatre had raised enough money to rebuild. The original architect, Josef Zitek, was cast aside after the fire and a then student architect, named Josef Schultz, took over the reins. Finally the theatre was re-opened in November 1883 and for almost 100 years no changes were made until 1977, when it was closed for major refurbishments for a period of 6 years.

On 18th November, 1983 the theatre was re-opened and handed back over to the people of Prague who can now enjoy opera, ballet and dramatic productions such as Tchaikovsky, Mozart and Shakespeare. For programme details and tickets visit the English version website.

 

Link: National Theatre...

 

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