Prague Königlich Deutsches Landestheater

Königliches Deutsches Landestheater, Standetheater, Alt Market Theatre, Standetheater, Estate theatre, Royal German Theatre, Deutsches Landestheater, Stavovske divadlo, Tyl theatre
District: Stare Mesto.
Address: Obstmarkt No. 540, Eiserne gasse. Now: Zelezna 540/11, Prague
City of Prague map Gustav Mahler

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) worked here in Year 1885 and Year 1886.

Built 1781-1783.

1,900 seats.

The Prague Koniglich Deutsches Landestheater is considered Prague’s most beautiful neo-classical building. Its history is closely associated with major European and Czech composers, virtuosi, and with the Czech national revival. Count František Nostitz had it built at his own expense and with the permission of Emperor Josef II in 1781-1783, and it was the first separate theatre building in the city. The theatre was symbolically built on a site where students from nearby Charles University used to earn a bit of extra money putting on short plays. Architect Antonín Haffenecker built the theatre with a rectangular layout and adorned with Corinthian columns with an underpass for horse-drawn carriages on the groundfloor.

It took not quite two years to construct and the theatre was officially opened in 1783 with a first performance of the tragedy Emilia Galotti by Lessing. Originally the theatre was dubbed Count Nostitz’s Theatre.

After the fire which destroyed the Ringtheater in Vienna in the 1880s killing almost all the people who were attending a performance, a law was passed in Austro-Hungary about safety in theatres. The Estates Theatre had to be rebuilt because of this. Architect Wolf built added emergency exits, widened the staircase and added balconies so that the building could be evacuated in five minutes.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) put on concerts here several times and experienced the first public success of the opera Marriage of Figaro here, the premiere of which had flopped in Vienna. It is said that he wrote the last part the night before the premiere of Don Giovanni and conducted the orchestra from the piano. Not long after that came the premiere of the opera La Clemenza di Tito, composed to mark the coronation of Leopold II as Czech king.

29-10-1787: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) conducted the premiere of his opera Don Giovanni (29-10-1787) here.
06-09-1791: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) conducted La Clemenza di Tito (06-09-1791 to mark the coronation of Leopold II here.
01-09-1816: Louis Spohr: Faust (first version)

At the time it was called the Nostitz Theatre or Graflich-Nostitzsches Theater. Richard Wagner (1813-1883) operas had been performed since 1854. By this time it was called the Estates Theatre or Standetheater.

In Year 1885 it was in a poor technical state and inadequate to modern demands. The Prague German Theatre was also struggling against the competition of the Czech National Theatre, which had opened in November 1883 and was luring away the German public as well with its excellent opera company.

Prague Koniglich Deutsches Landestheater.

Prague Koniglich Deutsches Landestheater. Backside.

Prague Koniglich Deutsches Landestheater.

Year 1898. Prague Koniglich Deutsches Landestheater.

Prague Koniglich Deutsches Landestheater. Map.

This exceptional project for Prague of the time corresponded to the prevailing spirit at the end of 18th century when national theatres were being built at European courts, in towns and cultural centres in keeping with the visions of enlightenment promoted by facilitating general access to theatres, considered to be moral institutions demonstrating the cultural standard of a nation.

The inscription above the portal reads “Patriae et Musis” or “To the Native Land and the Muses”. This motto serves as a proof of the founder’s original intention and has lost none of its validity to this day. When this theatre was linked to the National Theatre, the latter’s motto “The Nation Unto Itself” became a natural complement to the former.

In the course of its history the Theatre of the Estates attracted some significant artists of European stature: Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826) was a conductor here, Angelica Catalani sang here, Nicolo Paganini gave concerts, there were conductors Anton Rubinstein (1829-1894), Karl Goldmark (1830-1915) and Gustav Mahler (1860-1911).

While in Prague, Gustav Mahler mounted several major productions, including the Prague premieres of the first two parts of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen. He left as construction began on the city’s Neues deutsches Theater, now the Prague State Opera (Neues Deutsches Theater (State Opera).

Mahler later returned for a guest appearance after the opening of the new opera house, on 18-08-1888, a gala night marking the birthday of the Emperor Francis Joseph I and premiere of Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826) – Die drei Pintos. See Compositions unfinished, completed by Mahler (1 composer).

The last rebuilding work was carried out in 1920 when the theatre became a National Theatre venue.

Prague Koniglich Deutsches Landestheater.

Prague Koniglich Deutsches Landestheater. Backside.

Prague Koniglich Deutsches Landestheater. Backside. Artist entry.

Prague Koniglich Deutsches Landestheater. Lobby.

Prague Koniglich Deutsches Landestheater. Buffet.

Prague Koniglich Deutsches Landestheater. Mozart room.

Prague Koniglich Deutsches Landestheater.

Prague Koniglich Deutsches Landestheater. Orchestra pit.

Prague Koniglich Deutsches Landestheater.

17-05-2018 Prague (Neues Deutsches Theater (State Opera): Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) – La Cenerentola (Popelka, Cinderella). Katerina Hebelkova (Cinderella), Iurie Ciobanu, Jiri Hajek, Jiri Sulzenko, Marie Fajtova, Dorothea Spilger, Pavel Svingr. National Theater Chorus, National Theater Orchestra, conductor: David Svec.

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The Estates Theatre or Stavovské divadlo is a historic theatre in Prague, Czech Republic. The Estates Theatre was annexed to the National Theatre in 1948 and currently draws on three artistic ensembles, opera, ballet, and drama, which perform at the Estates Theatre, the National Theatre, and the Kolowrat Theatre (cs) (separate building, Kolowrat Palace).

The Estates Theatre was built during the late 18th century in response to Enlightenment thought regarding general access to the theatre, and theatres themselves demonstrating the cultural standards of a nation. The Estates Theatre was designed by Anton Haffenecker and built in a little less than two years for the aristocrat František Antonín Count Nostitz Rieneck.

Prague’s first standing public theatre, the Sporck Theatre, operated from 1724 to 1735. The owner of this theatre, Count Franz Anton von Sporck, permitted the free use of it to subsidize the commercial venture of the Venetian impresario Antonio Denzio.

The next commercial theatre, the “Kotzentheater” or Divadlo v Kotcích, operated sporadically from 1739–1783 under a series of Italian impresarios. The final closure of the “Kotzentheater” coincided with the opening of Count Nostitz’s “Nostitzsches Nationaltheater.” The theatre opened in 1783 with a performance of the tragedy Emilia Galotti by the German playwright Gotthold Ephraim Lessing.

The building itself was constructed in a Neoclassical style and remains one of the few European theatres to be preserved in its almost original state to the present day. Its motto, Patriae et Musis “To the Native Land and the Muses”), which is inscribed above the portal, should also be noted as reflecting the original intentions of its creator.

The Estates Theatre has undergone several changes in its history. It first acquired the name Royal Theatre of the Estates in 1798 when it was purchased by the Bohemian Estates. With the opening of the Provisional Theatre in 1862, the Czech ensemble left and the Theatre of the Estates was dedicated to a solely German ensemble and was renamed to Deutsches Landestheater (Provincial German Theatre).

During the period between 1920 and 1948 the theatre regained the name Theatre of the Estates and became affiliated with the National Theatre. In 1948 the theatre was renamed the Tyl Theatre (after dramatist J.K. Tyl) and would be known as such until 1990 when, at the end of an eight-year reconstruction project, it became known again as the Estates Theatre.

While the theatre was initially built with the intention of producing German dramas and Italian operas, works in other languages were also staged. Czech productions were first staged in 1785 in order to reach a broader Czech audience but by 1812 they became a regular feature of Sunday and holiday matinées.

The somewhat political nature of these performances later led to idea of founding a National Theatre after 1848 with the defeat of the revolution and the departure of J.K. Tyl. Many of the founding Czech dramatists were involved in the Estates Theatre, such as the brothers Thám (Karel and Václav), J.K. Tyl, Ján Kollár, and so on.

The first Czech modern opera, František Škroup’s The Tinker, was staged here in 1826 and in 1834 the premiere of the song “Where is my Home?” (Kde domov m?j) was performed by bass Karel Strakatý (words by Tyl, music by Škroup), which would later become the Czech national anthem.

The Estates Theatre was not limited to native participants; many famous European artists were also active. Individuals such as Carl Maria von Weber, Anton Rubinstein, Karl Goldmark, and Gustav Mahler conducted at the Estates Theatre.

Other famous names include the actors A.W. Iffland, F. Raimund, J.N. Nestroy, along with opera singer Angelica Catalani and violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini.

One of the Estates Theatre’s many claims to glory is its strong link with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who conducted the world premiere of his opera Don Giovanni here in October 1787. Also, in 1791, Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito was staged in public here for the first time in celebration of the coronation of Emperor Leopold II. It is the only theatre left standing where Mozart performed.

Anton Jaich, the set designer, worked here from 1846 to 1861.

The Estates Theatre currently offers performances of dramas, ballets and operas with the focus of the opera company on the work of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. A more contemporary claim to fame originates from the Oscar-winning film Amadeus, directed by Czech director Miloš Forman. The scenes of Mozart in Prague were shot at the Estates Theatre for authenticity.

See: Prague Koniglich Deutsches Landestheater Orchestra.
See: Angelo Neumann (1838-1910) (Intendant).

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