National Theatre
(Národni Divadlo)

Built entirely through voluntary contributions by the Czech people, the neo-Renaissance National Theatre stands as a symbol of nineteenth-century Czech nationalism and was used as a cultural rallying point by the rising Czech independence movement against the Habsburgs. Opening with Smetana's opera Libuse in 1881, the theatre presents opera, ballet and drama mainly written by Czech composers and writers, but also includes other classical works.