Estates Theatre

Where Mozart conducted the premiere of Don Giovanni in 1787

Area Staré Město
Type Theatre
Time needed 45m

The Estates Theatre on Ovocný trh, a minute from Staroměstské náměstí, opened in 1783 and is the oldest theatre building in Prague still in use. Mozart conducted the premiere of Don Giovanni here on 29 October 1787, and the premiere of La clemenza di Tito followed in 1791. The Czech national anthem was first sung from this stage, in a play staged in 1834. It is a working house in the National Theatre group, so the way to see it properly is to buy a ticket for a performance.

Open in the planner →

Getting there

Metro lines A (green) and B (yellow) meet at Můstek, three minutes' walk away through the lanes north of Na Příkopě; line B at Náměstí Republiky is a similar distance from the other side. From Staroměstské náměstí it is a five-minute walk south-east past the Carolinum. Trams do not run along Ovocný trh itself; the nearest stops are on Národní or Na Příkopě. There is no climb — the building sits on the flat, and the main entrance is up a short flight of steps under the portico with a lift route to the stalls available on request.

What you see

From outside, it is a plain pale green and white neoclassical block with a columned portico, deliberately restrained compared with the National Theatre on the river. Inside, the auditorium is the point: a small horseshoe of four tiers in blue and gold, with a shallow pit and a ceiling painted in restrained classical decoration, close enough to the stage that a singer's consonants carry without amplification. The restoration of the 1980s took the house back towards its nineteenth-century appearance, so the interior reads as period rather than modern. The foyers and the stairwells carry busts, framed playbills and material on the Mozart premieres. Outside the theatre stands the hooded bronze figure of a cloak with nothing inside it, a Don Giovanni commemoration that is the thing most passers-by photograph. Note the plaque recording the 1834 first performance of what became the anthem.

What to pair it with

Staroměstské náměstí with the astronomical clock is next door, and the Church of St James the Greater is a short walk north-east. The Powder Gate and the Municipal House are five minutes east.

When to go

Evening, for a performance — that is the only reliable way in, and the repertoire usually includes Mozart. Guided tours of the National Theatre buildings are offered at times but are not a daily fixture, so check before you go rather than turning up. The square outside is quiet in the morning and busy from midday. If you want the exterior photographed without a crowd round the Don Giovanni statue, come early.

What is hard about it

You cannot normally walk in and look round: without a ticket or a scheduled tour you see the portico and the statue and nothing else, which is a real disappointment to people who have come for the Mozart connection. The auditorium is small and the upper tiers have restricted sightlines, with some seats where a good part of the stage is blocked by the box fronts; cheap seats are cheap for a reason. Legroom is tight throughout, and surtitles are not always provided in English, so check the language before booking.

Common questions

How long do you need at the Estates Theatre?

Ten minutes for the exterior and the statue. An evening if you are going to a performance, which is the only way to see the auditorium.

Did Mozart really conduct here?

Yes. He conducted the first performance of Don Giovanni in this building in October 1787, and the theatre has staged it regularly since.

Can I go inside without seeing a show?

Only on a guided tour, and those run irregularly rather than daily. Booking is normally needed and availability is worth checking before you go.