Estates Theatre
Prague's 1783 theatre is still running live performances in a room barely changed since opening night.
Coming soon on iOS — be first to walk Prague offline.
Designed by Anton Haffenecker for Count Nostitz, this Neoclassical building is one of the few European theatres preserved close to its original state. It opened with Lessing's Emilia Galotti, was renamed four times as it passed through aristocratic, Bohemian Estates, German, and national hands, and today runs opera, ballet, and drama as part of the National Theatre.
What to look for
- The Latin inscription "Patriae et Musis" — To the Native Land and the Muses — carved above the entrance portal
- The Neoclassical facade, essentially unchanged from Haffenecker's original 1783 design
- Three ensembles — opera, ballet, and drama — that rotate between this theatre, the National Theatre, and the Kolowrat Theatre
Book through the National Theatre website; confirm which ensemble is performing on your night — opera, ballet, and drama all rotate through.
Estates Theatre is one of 36 sights worth the detour in Prague, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Prague pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Prague
- Prague CastleThe Guinness-record largest ancient castle on Earth — and the Czech president still works inside it.
- Charles BridgeCzech legend holds that Charles IV chose his construction start time — 5:31am on 9 July 1357 — because the digits form a palindrome he believed would imbue the bridge with additional strength.
- St. Vitus CathedralOne theory holds that the founding duke may have chosen St. Vitus partly because his name echoes a Slavic sun god — making conversion easier for a populace already devoted to the solar deity Svantevit. Christian and pagan communities shared this hilltop until at least the 11th century.
- Dancing HouseTwo interlocked towers shaped like mid-dance partners, built on a Vltava riverfront plot that sat bombed-out and derelict for decades.
- Prague Astronomical ClockEvery hour, a skeleton marks the time — on a clock mechanism that has been running since 1410.
- National Museum in PragueThe building that closes off Wenceslas Square has anchored Czech protests, rallies, and public life since 1891.