Janacek Theatre
Brno's 1965 opera house, home to the opera and ballet companies of the National Theatre Brno.
Brno waited more than half a century for a purpose-built opera house. Seven architectural competitions were held between 1910 and 1957, drawing entries from figures such as Bohuslav Fuchs and Josef Gocar, before a scheme by Otakar Oplatek, Vilem Zavrel, Ivan Ruller and Boleslav Pisarik was built between 1960 and 1965. The result is a restrained modernist block with a glazed foyer wall, set in a park and facing towards the house where Leos Janacek once lived.
The theatre opened on 2 October 1965 with Janacek's opera The Cunning Little Vixen, and its auditorium seats around 1,380 people. It is the largest of the three stages run by the National Theatre Brno, alongside the Mahen Theatre and the Reduta, and is home to the company's opera and ballet ensembles. A major reconstruction of the foyers and technical facilities was completed in 2018. Every two years it is a main venue of the Janacek Brno festival.
Highlights
- Opened in 1965 with Janacek's The Cunning Little Vixen
- Auditorium seating about 1,380, the largest stage of the National Theatre Brno
- Glazed modernist foyer overlooking a park on Rooseveltova
- Principal venue of the biennial Janacek Brno opera festival
