My Praguers Understand Me

That is exactly how Mozart expressed his warm relationship with the Czech capital and its people, who – unlike the Viennese – welcomed his opera The Marriage of Figaro with enthusiasm. In return, he gifted the Prague audience a brand-new opera. Don Giovanni, often dubbed the “opera of all operas” had its world premiere at the Nostic Theatre (today’s Estates Theatre) on 29 October 1787. Mozart personally conducted the performance. The Estates Theatre has remained virtually unchanged since Mozart’s time, and you can visit it today. It’s just a leisurely 15-minute walk from the main railway station. 

The second place associated with Mozart’s stay in Prague requires a longer walk – the Bertramka estate in Smíchov, where the composer lived with the Dušek family. For many years, it housed a memorial to W. A. Mozart; today, the estate is open to the public only during cultural events.

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Following Dvořák Beneath the Castle

To visit the birthplaces of our composers, you’ll need to venture outside the capital. In Dvořák’s case, the journey is short. Just get off at Kralupy nad Vltavou. A short stroll along the river will take you to Nelahozeves. There you will find a modest house on the village square where the later world-famous composer was born. His father was an innkeeper there, but he was also passionate about music. Little Antonín inherited his talent and played in his father’s band from an early age, performing at the Nelahozeves castle and other manor estates in the area.

You can combine the visit to Dvořák’s birthplace, now open to the public, with a tour of the magnificent Renaissance castle, both of which are owned by the Lobkowicz family. Just as they were at the time of Dvořák’s birth…

Who Taught the Fox to Sing

If you take the Leo Express line to Ostrava, you may catch a glimpse – just past Studénka – of the largest castle ruin in Moravia – Hukvaldy. In its shadow, in 1854, another Czech musical genius was born: Leoš Janáček. His best-known opera is probably The Cunning Little Vixen, inspired by a story by Rudolf Těsnohlídek. Janáček also wrote the libretto for this opera – something unusual for composers. Since then, the Hukvaldy area has been inseparably linked with this animal character, who even made it into the village’s coat of arms. 

In the forest at the foot of the castle hill, you’ll find its statue, a favourite stop for children and adults alike. Legend has it that whoever touches its nose or tail will have good luck. Hopefully, more luck than the statue itself: the current one, installed in 1959, is already the third, as the previous two were stolen. Hukvaldy is also home to the Leoš Janáček Memorial – not in his birthplace, but in the house the composer bought himself and bequeathed to the village. Each year, several performances of the Leoš Janáček International Music Festival take place here. Some of the festival concerts take place directly at Hukvaldy Castle or in the natural amphitheatre below the hill.