State Opera is a leading opera house in Prague which is located inside a neo-renaissance building that is decorated beautifully and inticrately. One of the leading „European“ Opera house, this is a magical building which deserves a visit for sure. While you are in Prague, you should not miss out on this beauty at all.
History
State Opera opened in 1888 in a very festive environment and was a scene to remember for the citizens at that time. The opening performance was done by Richard Wagner’s The Mastersingers of Nuremberg. The major purpose of this theatre was opera and a lot of famous people sang here. The most memorable moment was in 1910 when Richard Strauss’ Electra had his world premier here.
The front of the building is beautifully decorated by the wonderful and famous sculptor Otto Mentzel. There are 13 sculptures in the front space of State Opera which were made by Theoder Friedl. When you enter the auditorium, there are various paintings by Eduard Veith which are extremely artistic and eye captivating.
After 1945, the theatre was named „The Theatre of 5th May“ and became famous as the Czech folks theatre. Since 1946, only Opera has been taking place in this building, under the title of the „Great Opera of the 5th May.“
In 1992, on 1st April, the theatre got a statue of an institution known as Prague State Opera and since then, this building is known as the State Opera, all over.
Location and how to get there?
To get to the State Opera, you can opt for a 40 minute walk from the Prague ticket office via the Musica Shop on the Old Town Square.
For public transport, the Metra A and C of the Muzeum Stop will take you to State Opera. The building is currently under its reconstruction 2018-2019 session. All the theatres planned at State Opera take place at the National Theatre stages.