Rudolfinum
On 4 January 1896, Antonín Dvořák walked onto this stage and conducted the Czech Philharmonic's very first concert.
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This neo-Renaissance building on Jan Palach Square has run two lives since 1885 — one as home of the Czech Philharmonic, one as a contemporary art gallery. Between 1919 and 1939 it also served as the Czechoslovak parliament. Dvořák Hall is one of the oldest concert halls in Europe and anchors the Prague Spring International Music Festival every May and June.
What to look for
- Dvořák Hall, where the Czech Philharmonic gave its debut concert in 1896 — the acoustics are the reason the Prague Spring festival keeps coming back
- The neo-Renaissance facade overlooking the Vltava, designed by Josef Zítek and his student Josef Schulz and opened 8 February 1885
- Galerie Rudolfinum at the back of the building — 1,500 sq m of rotating contemporary shows, no permanent collection, run on the Kunsthalle principle
The Prague Spring festival fills Dvořák Hall each May and June — book concert tickets well in advance; the Galerie Rudolfinum entry is separate.
Rudolfinum 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.