The stage of the Don Giovanni premiere
The actual place where Mozart conducted the first performance in 1787 — it is rare for the site of an artistic event this large to survive intact.
The Estates Theatre is a green-and-white classical building in the Old Town, opened in 1783, and one of the oldest opera houses in Europe still working in its original building without substantial alteration. Its name comes from the "estates" of the Kingdom of Bohemia, which funded its construction. Its worldwide fame rests on a single night: on 29 October 1787 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart himself conducted the premiere of Don Giovanni on this stage. He had written the opera specifically for Prague, after the city gave him a reception he had not found in Vienna, and made his well-known remark that the people of Prague understood him. He returned to present La clemenza di Tito here in 1791. The theatre has cinematic fame too: Miloš Forman shot the opera scenes of Amadeus here in 1984 — in the very place where the events actually happened. It belongs today to the National Theatre and stages opera, drama and ballet, with Don Giovanni still in regular repertoire. The best way to visit is a ticket for an evening performance — far cheaper than the opera houses of Vienna or Milan.
The actual place where Mozart conducted the first performance in 1787 — it is rare for the site of an artistic event this large to survive intact.
Four tiers of gilded boxes around a relatively small hall — exceptionally close to the stage.
Miloš Forman shot the opera scenes of his Oscar-winning film here in 1984, in the original setting.
Through the Czech National Theatre site, which runs the venue. Prices are tiered and upper-balcony seats are very cheap with decent sightlines. Smart casual dress is entirely sufficient.
Guided tours are sometimes offered but not on a regular schedule. The reliable way to see the interior is a ticket for any performance — even the cheapest seat gives you the whole auditorium.
Because Prague received The Marriage of Figaro with enormous enthusiasm while Vienna's response was cool, so the theatre commissioned a new work and he wrote Don Giovanni. His bond with the city was close, and it is said Prague mourned him after his death more than Vienna did.
The National Theatre is larger and newer, from 1881, on the Vltava bank, and a symbol of the Czech national revival. The Estates Theatre is older, smaller and historically more precious. Both are under the same management and share productions.
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An empty black cloak outside the entrance standing for the ghost in Don Giovanni — a contemporary sculpture passers-by miss.
Železná 540/11, Old Town, Prague 1