Prague’s National Theatre burned down two weeks after opening in 1881, and Czech society raised funds to rebuild it within two years. The gold-crowned Neo-Renaissance building on the Vltava embankment opened again in 1883 and carries the inscription “Národ sobě” (The nation to itself) above the stage, a declaration of Czech cultural independence under Habsburg rule. A performance here, whether opera or drama, carries that founding story. Book tickets at narodni-divadlo.cz; tram to Narodni divadlo.
theater in Prague
National Theatre
Also known as Národní divadlo
The National Theatre burned down two weeks after opening in 1881, and Czech society responded by rebuilding it within two years through a second wave of public donations. That story is still told as a founding myth of Czech national identity.
- Type
- theater
- Destination
- Prague
- Cost
- Paid entry
- Founded
- 1883
- Era
- Neo-Renaissance
- Address
- Narodni 2, 110 00 Prague
- Coordinates
- 50.0878, 14.4176
- Official website
- Visit website