The Prague State Opera (Státní opera Praha), also known simply
as the State Opera, stands at Wilsonova 101/4 in Prague’s New
Town. It is a free-standing, historicist masterpiece that opened
on 5 January 1888 as the Neues Deutsches Theater (New German
Theatre). Built by Prague’s German-speaking community as a rival
to the newly opened Czech National Theatre, the building remains
one of Europe’s most elegant opera houses.
Its architecture
blends a sober Neo-Renaissance exterior (with some classical
elements) and an opulent Neo-Rococo interior. The Viennese firm
Fellner & Helmer (Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer) created
the plans, with input from Karl Hasenauer (architect of Vienna’s
Burgtheater). Prague architect Alfons Wertmüller supervised
construction, completing the project in just 20 months
(groundbreaking March 1886). Sculptor Theodor Friedl executed
the rich sculptural program.
Predecessor Theatre and Construction (1858–1888)
The site’s
theatrical tradition predates the current building. In 1858 the Estates
Theatre management leased land “in front of the Horses’ Gate” and
architect Josef Niklas erected the modest New Town Theatre (Nové městské
divadlo). It primarily hosted Czech-language plays and, on 16 May 1868,
gave the first performance of Bedřich Smetana’s Dalibor conducted by the
composer himself. The theatre operated until 1885, when it was
demolished to make way for a far grander structure.
In the early
1880s, Prague’s German-speaking community—then a significant minority in
the Austro-Hungarian Empire—sought its own modern venue in response to
the opening of the Czech National Theatre (1883). The Deutscher
Theaterverein was founded on 4 February 1883 to raise funds. Plans came
from the renowned Viennese theatre architects Ferdinand Fellner and
Hermann Helmer (who had designed dozens of opera houses across Central
Europe), with additional input from Karl Hasenauer. Prague architect
Alfons Wertmüller supervised construction, completing the
Neo-Renaissance building in just 20 months. The result was a spacious
auditorium with elaborate Neo-Rococo décor, elaborate ceiling paintings
by Eduard Veith, and the largest stage and seating capacity (over 1,000
seats) of any Prague theatre—a distinction it retains today. Exterior
features include busts of Goethe, Mozart, and Schiller by Otto Mentzel,
plus 13 mythological sculptures by Theodor Friedl.
New German
Theatre / Neues Deutsches Theater (1888–1938)
The theatre opened
triumphantly on 5 January 1888 with Richard Wagner’s Die Meistersinger
von Nürnberg. Its first director, Angelo Neumann (a former Vienna State
Opera baritone and personal friend of Wagner), shaped its golden era
until his death in 1910. Neumann elevated standards to rival major
European houses, inviting stars such as Enrico Caruso and organising the
annual May Festival (a precursor to the Prague Spring). Gustav Mahler
conducted here in 1888 (Weber’s Die drei Pintos) and later led concerts.
Subsequent leaders included Alexander Zemlinsky (opera director
1911–1927), who broadened the repertoire beyond Wagner and Strauss to
include Czech operas, and conductor Georg Széll (1929–1937). The house
also hosted drama and became a cultural bastion of democracy in the
1930s, sheltering artists fleeing Nazi Germany. By September 1938,
however, political tension before the Munich Agreement and financial
woes forced the German Theatre Society to close it.
Nazi
Occupation – Deutsches Opernhaus (1939–1945)
After the German
occupation of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, the theatre was renamed the
Deutsches Opernhaus and used mainly for Nazi Party rallies and
propaganda performances by visiting Reich ensembles. A permanent
operetta company operated from 1942/43, followed briefly by an opera
ensemble from Duisburg. All theatres in the Protectorate were closed by
decree for the 1944/45 season.
Theatre of the Fifth of May /
Grand Opera of the Fifth of May (1945–1949)
Liberation in May 1945
brought radical change. Czech artists led by composer Alois Hába,
director Václav Kašlík, and others seized the building and founded the
Theatre of the Fifth of May (Divadlo 5. května) to honour the Prague
Uprising. The first performance (4 September 1945) was Smetana’s The
Brandenburgers in Bohemia. The company pursued an avant-garde
programme—bold stagings of Offenbach, Hába’s quarter-tone opera Mother,
and Prokofiev—positioning itself as a progressive alternative to the
conservative National Theatre. Success was short-lived: after only three
seasons the government merged it with the National Theatre in 1948–49 to
eliminate competition.
Smetana Theatre (1949–1992)
Renamed the
Smetana Theatre in November 1949, the venue became the National
Theatre’s second stage, specialising in grand operas and ballet thanks
to its large stage. A major refurbishment occurred 1967–1973. Under
communism it hosted frequent international guests (Bolshoi Ballet 1973,
Vienna State Opera’s Ariadne auf Naxos with Edita Gruberová in 1979) and
Prague Spring festival events. The repertoire balanced Czech classics
with world literature, though political constraints applied.
Independent Prague State Opera (1992–2011)
After the Velvet
Revolution, the theatre regained independence on 1 April 1992 and was
renamed the Prague State Opera. First director Karel Drgáč introduced
original-language performances and surtitles (a Czech first), launched
Verdi festivals, and championed 20th-century works (Zemlinsky, Krása,
von Einem). Subsequent directors included mezzo-soprano Eva Randová
(1995) and Daniel Dvořák (1998–2002), who oversaw numerous world
premieres and the “New Opera for Prague” competition. Jaroslav Vocelka
continued progressive programming (e.g., Joplin’s Treemonisha,
Bernstein’s Candide) and social events such as opera balls. In 2003 the
ballet merged with the Prague Chamber Ballet. Despite artistic successes
and international tours, chronic underfunding plagued the house.
Reintegration, Major Renovation, and Present Day (2012–present)
On 1
January 2012 the theatre was officially renamed the State Opera and
reintegrated into the National Theatre for economic efficiency. After
the final performance of Puccini’s Turandot on 2 July 2016, it closed
for a comprehensive €50+ million (approx. CZK 1.3 billion)
reconstruction lasting 42 months. The venue reopened exactly 132 years
after its original opening—on 5 January 2020—with a gala concert. Today
it serves as one of the National Theatre’s two opera companies
(alongside the historic National Theatre building and Estates Theatre),
focusing on grand late-19th- and early-20th-century operas while
maintaining its status as Prague’s largest opera house by stage size and
capacity.
Exterior Architecture
The two-storey (plus blind half-storey)
façade uses brickwork with stone dressings. The ground floor features
sculpted bossage (rusticated stone blocks), while the upper levels
display smooth jointed ashlar masonry. A projecting central bay forms
the main entrance under a portico of six composite columns supporting an
open terrace and a dramatic triangular tympanum (gable).
The tympanum
is the façade’s crowning glory: a complex figural composition by Theodor
Friedl centered on the myth of Orpheus. A poet lifts Orpheus’s lyre from
the dead musician’s hands and ascends to Pegasus for eternal glory;
Winged Fame blows a horn from the apex. Corner pylons show Greek
chariots drawn by panthers (Dionysus driven by Thalia on the left).
Below the tympanum, six putti dance around tragic and comic masks.
Originally, three recesses above the foyer windows held busts of
Schiller, Goethe, and Mozart (by Otto Mentzel); these were removed after
World War II amid anti-German sentiment and replaced by elliptical
windows.
Side and rear façades follow a rhythmic nine-window scheme
(auditorium section) and seven-window scheme (stage section), with
pilasters, Ionic capitals, relief festoons, sculpted masks on window
lintels, embossed jambs, and niches with decorative vases. A low-slope
saddle roof covers most of the building; a ventilation turret rises
above the auditorium. The original fly-tower was replaced in the
1967–1973 reconstruction with a much taller prismatic tower, and the
stage block gained an extra floor.
Interior Architecture and
Decoration
The interior explodes into lavish Neo-Rococo splendor—rich
gilding, stucco, red velvet, and sculptural exuberance—contrasting the
restrained exterior. Visitors enter through a vestibule leading to an
oval-plan foyer and radially arranged staircases. The auditorium is
horseshoe-shaped for excellent sightlines and acoustics, with three
tiers of boxes and galleries. It seats approximately 1,041 people (456
in the parterre, 108 in the balcony, 470 in the galleries, plus limited
standing room).
Key decorative highlights include:
Ceiling:
Frescoes by Eduard Veith depicting bucolic scenes in elaborate rocaille
(scrollwork) frames.
Balconies and boxes: 84 loges total. Parapets on
the first and second tiers feature arched belts supported by dynamic
sculptural figures; open loges are separated by caryatids or volutes.
Three proscenium loges are especially grand.
Proscenium and stage
portal: Integrated spectacular loges framed by gilded ornament.
Original curtain (by Veith, lost post-WWII): Personifications of Virtues
and Vices inspiring drama. The current curtain (installed 2002 by
Antonín Střížek) draws loosely on Mozart’s The Magic Flute.
The
space feels intimate yet grand, with perfect proportions for both
visibility and operatic scale. The 2016–2020 renovation (42 months of
work) meticulously restored the auditorium, foyers, and Neo-Rococo décor
to their original glory after decades of wear.
Stage, Technical
Features, and Capacity
The stage was designed for large-scale opera
and ballet productions and remains Prague’s largest. The 1967–1973
reconstruction (by architects Karel Prager and Jiří Albrecht) modernized
the fly tower and backstage facilities while preserving the historic
shell. Today the venue supports full symphonic orchestras, elaborate
scenery, and international touring companies.