The first public theatre in Bohemia, built in the 17th century by František Antonín Count Nostitz. He was a bad boy – always drunk and aggressive. He was once imprisoned for killing his rival in love. He fell ill and almost died in prison. His parents went barefooted from Prague to Vienna to ask Queen Maria Theresa for remission, and she released him. He mended his ways and became a great advocate of the cultural life in Prague. For that reason, he built the first theatre opened to all inhabitants of Prague.
Soon after that, it became the cultural centre of Prague – they played modern pieces by famous composers there. Even Mozart was invited there several times.
In fact, Mozart, being Austrian, introduced his famous opera Figaro in Vienna, but people did not like it. So he decided to present it to people in Prague, who grew fond of him. His famous quotation is: “My Praguers understand me!”. He was so touched by their warm welcome that his Don Giovanni was composed directly for this theatre. At present, it is the only existing theatre in the world where Mozart performed; the other ones were destroyed during World War II.