State Opera - Prague, Czech Republic
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ToRo61
N 50° 04.839 E 014° 25.964
33U E 459414 N 5547752
State Opera - Prague
Waymark Code: WMV3CD
Location: Hlavní město Praha, Czechia
Date Posted: 02/16/2017
Views: 31
A leading European opera house located in a magical neo-Renaissance building with a richly decorated interior. The theatre opened as a German theatre in Prague in 1881 with Wagner's opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. With its spacious auditorium and neo-Rococo decoration, it's one of the most beautiful theatre buildings in Europe. The State Opera is part of the National Theatre, and is the scene of opera and ballet performances.
The building’s front is decorated with busts by sculptor Otto Mentzel (Goethe, Mozart, Schiller), and there are 13 sculptures in the frontispiece by Theodor Friedl - scenes from Antique mythology (Pegasus, Icarus, Cupid, Athena, Leda and others). In the theatre’s interior, there are busts of the artists - fascism victims: Josef Capek, Julius Fucík, Joe Jencík, Václav Jiríkovský, Rudolf Karel, Anna Letenská, Vít Nejedlý, Josef Skrivan, Oldrich Stibor, Bedrich Václavek, Vladislav Vancura, František Zelenka. In the middle, there is a sculpture of Bedrich Smetana by Karel Lidický. There is also a memorial plaque with verses of Stanislav Kostka Neumann, dedicated to the memory of theatre actors who died during the fascist occupation. In the auditorium, there are paintings by Eduard Veith. When fascism got to power in Germany, the theatre played a progressive role in staging German artists pursued by the Nazis. During the occupation, the theatre operated under the name Deutsches Theatre. After 1945, the theatre became a Czech folks theatre named Theatre of the 5th May. On the 1st October 1945, Smetana’s opera Branibori v Cechách (The Brandenburgers in Bohemia) was staged here. Since 1946, only an opera ensemble has been operating in the theatre, under the name of Great Opera of the 5th May. In 1948, the Great Opera ensemble joined the group of the National Theatre and the building became its third scene, renamed to Smetana’s Theatre on the 3rd November 1949. Since the 1st April 1992, the theatre got a statute of an independent artistic institution named Prague State Opera. During the years 1967 - 1973, an extensive reconstruction of the theatre took place according to a project of architect Jirí Albrecht. Since 1988, the facade has been modified, roofing has been replaced and the sculptural decorations on the front have been restored.
Year photo was taken: 1940
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