RUDOLFINUM

Description

Essentials about the Rudolfinum in brief

Art and music fans will sooner or later be drawn to the Rudolfinum during a visit to Prague. The neo-Renaissance concert and gallery building on the right bank of the Vltava River in Prague’s old town is one of the most important artistic institutions in the Czech Republic. The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra has its headquarters here.

The history of the Rudolfinum

The beautiful building made of light sandstone is an outstanding example of neo-Renaissance architecture at the end of the 19th century. The Rudolfinum was built on behalf of the Bohemian savings banks by the two architects Josef Zítek and Josef Schulz between 1876 and 1884. Dresden connoisseurs will be reminded of the Dresden Semper Opera by the facade. The patron of the building was Crown Prince Rudolf. The concert and gallery building was named after him and his art-loving ancestor Emperor Rudolf II. As a house of artists, the Rudolfinum was intended from the outset to be a multipurpose cultural building for the cultivation of music and the fine arts.

After the end of the First World War, in 1920 the Rudolfinum was transformed into the House of Deputies for the newly founded Czechoslovakia. The Nazis reversed this decision when they occupied Czechoslovakia in 1939. After the Second World War, the Czech Parliament resided in the building again for a short time. Since 1946, however, the building has once again served as a concert and exhibition venue.

The concert halls of the Rudolfinum

The Rudolfinum houses three concert halls. In its largest, the Dvořák Hall, Antonín Dvořák conducted the first concert of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, today Prague’s most important classical orchestra, in 1896. Important concerts of the Prague Spring music festival are also held here. In addition, there is also Suk Hall and Kubelík Hall.

The Gallery in the Rudolfinum

In addition to the concert halls, the Rudolfinum houses an important state art gallery, the so-called “Galerie Rudolfinum”. Its focus is mainly on exhibitions of contemporary fine art and to a lesser extent on so-called classical modern art.