The State Opera

The State Opera of Prague

The Prague audio-guided tour has you discover the State Opera, which welcomes you behind an elegant neoclassical façade. It is one of the most important and renowned opera stages in Europe.

Born of a cultural rivalry

Until the beginning of the 1900s, musical culture was the object of a real competition between the Czech people and the German community of Prague, each aspiring to cultural supremacy. While the Czech artists performed at the Estates Theatre, the German community had its own great stage built, which would become the present State Opera. This building testifies to the richness and the tensions of Prague cultural life at the turn of the twentieth century.

What there is to see

Behind its neoclassical façade, the State Opera reveals a sumptuous hall, adorned with gilding, velvet and frescoes, in the great tradition of nineteenth-century opera houses. It offers throughout the year a rich programme of operas and ballets. To discover its interior, the best is to attend a performance in this temple of music.

Practical information

The State Opera of Prague is near Wenceslas Square, in the centre of the city. The hall welcomes the public according to its programme; access to performances follows its own conditions and times. The façade can be contemplated freely from the street.

What is the style of the State Opera?

A neoclassical façade housing a sumptuous hall in the nineteenth-century opera tradition, one of the most important stages in Europe.

How was the State Opera born?

From the cultural rivalry between the Czech and German communities of Prague, the German community having had its own great opera stage built.