Address

Rudolfinum
Alsovo nabrezi 12
11000 Prague

About 'Rudolfinum'

Between the wars, Rudolfinum was used as a parliament, but now it is used for its' original purpose - for concerts and art exhibitions. The big hall is called the Dvorak Hall, contained within and named after the great Czech composer, and is an unparalleled venue for concert-viewing and hosts many of the Prague Spring events. The small hall is called the Suk Hall and is mainly used for soloist vocal and instrumentals. The grandeur of the interior, the building as a whole and the high standard of the concerts themselves, make an evening here worthwhile.

The neo-renaissance Rudolfinum building is located on a site called Rejdi%u0161t%u011B. In 1873, this site was bought by the Czech Insurance Company (%u010Ceská spo%u0159itelna), with the goal to build there a House of Artists (D%u016Fm um%u011Blc%u016F) as part of the celebrations of the fiftieth anniversary of its founding. Crown prince Rudolf of the Habsburgs became the patron of the project and the building was named after him. Well known Prague architects Ignác Ullmann, Antonín Barvitius, J. Zítek, J. Schulz a F. Bení%u0161ek, as well as Viennese architects A. Wieleman, O. Thienemann, G. Niemann, V. Lunche a Köchlin were invited to enter their bids towards the project competition. The winners - J. Schulz and J. Zítek - presented the first plans in the year 1875.

The facade is an analogy of the fire destroyed Semper Opera in Dresden (1838-41). The building was finished in the year 1881, the sculptures in the attic gable come from 1884 and during the same year the concert hall and the surrounding spaces were furnished. The inauguration concert was held on February 7, 1885 and in this year also began exhibitions in the adjacent building. The whole building of Rudolfinum underwent significant changes during the general reconstruction in the years 1990-92, according to the project by Karel Prager. During this reconstruction, the spaces used for concert activities were newly renovated.

How to get to 'Rudolfinum'

Take the metro to the "Staromestska" stop and walk towards the river. You will see the Rudolfinum-building across the street.

Some further Events at this venue

Friday, September 17th 2010. 17:00: Greatest Hits of Classical Music
Saturday, September 18th 2010. 17:00: Mozart & Vivaldi
Friday, October 15th 2010. 17:00: Greatest Hits of Classical Music
Saturday, October 16th 2010. 17:00: Mozart & Vivaldi
Friday, December 31st 2010. 15:00: New Year's Afternoon: Classical Concert
Saturday, January 1st 2011. 16:00: Prague Philharmonic Orchestra: New Year's Day Concert
Saturday, January 1st 2011. 20:00: New Year's Day Concert