National Opera

The Prague State Opera resides in the building which on January 5th, 1888 was opened as a Prague German stage with the performance of Wagner´s opera, The Mastersingers of Nürnberg. In the 19th century, Prague Germans performed in the Estate´s Theatre in alternation with a Czech company. Desire for their own Theatre led to negotiations in 1883 for the construction of a new Theatre building for the German Theatre Association. Over the next three years, a blueprint was drawn up and handed over to the Vienna atelier of Fellner and Hellmer. Also sharing in the design was the architect of the Vienna Municipal Theatre, Karl Hasenauer, while Prague architect Alfons Wertmüller took part in the construction. Financing came from private collections. With its spacious auditorium and neo- Rococo decoration, this Theatre building is among the most beautiful in Europe. The first director of the new German Theatre was Angelo Neumann, who acquired well known performers and soon brought the new Theatre to a high artistic level of international significance. Major figures which worked here included directors Carl Muck, Franz Schalk and Leo Blech, or singers such as alto V. Nigrini and tenor A. Wallnhöfer.

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Contact Information

National Opera
Legerova 75
11000 Praha 1

Tel. +420296117111

http://www.opera.cz