The Rudolfinum is a building in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, Czech Republic. It is designed in the

neo-Renaissance Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival architecture, Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival ar ...

style and is situated on Jan Palach Square on the bank of the river

Vltava The Vltava ( , ; ) is the longest river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Elbe River. It runs southeast along the Bohemian Forest and then north across Bohemia, through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice, and Prague. It is com ...

. Since its opening in 1885, it has been associated with music and art. Currently, the

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra The Czech Philharmonic () is a symphony orchestra based in Prague. Its principal performing venue is the Rudolfinum concert hall. History The name "Czech Philharmonic Orchestra" appeared for the first time in 1894, as the title of the orche ...

and Galerie Rudolfinum are based in the building. Its largest music auditorium, Dvořák Hall, is one of the main venues of the

Prague Spring International Music Festival The Prague Spring International Music Festival (, commonly , Prague Spring) is a classical music festival held every year in Prague, Czech Republic, with symphony orchestras and chamber music ensembles from around the world. The first festival ...

and is noted for its excellent acoustics.

Uses

The Rudolfinum has been the home of the

since 1946 and is one of the main venues of the

held each year in May and June. The building was designed by architect Josef Zítek and his student Josef Schulz, and was opened on 8 February 1885. It is named in honour of

Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria (Rudolf Franz Karl Josef; 21 August 1858 – 30 January 1889) was the only son and third child of Franz Joseph I of Austria, Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth of Austria. He was heir apparent to the imp ...

, who presided over the opening. Between 1919 and 1939, the building was used as the seat of the Czechoslovak parliament. The Rudolfinum's Dvořák Hall is one of the oldest concert halls in Europe. On 4 January 1896,

Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8September 18411May 1904) was a Czech composer. He frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia, following the Romantic-era nationalist example of his predec ...

himself conducted the Czech Philharmonic in the hall in its first ever concert. During the

First Czechoslovak Republic The First Czechoslovak Republic, often colloquially referred to as the First Republic, was the first Czechoslovakia, Czechoslovak state that existed from 1918 to 1938, a union of ethnic Czechs and Slovaks. The country was commonly called Czechosl ...

, the building served as the seat of the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...

. The venue was the location of the recording of

Nicola Benedetti Nicola Joy Nadia Benedetti (born 20 July 1987) is a Scottish classical solo violinist and festival director. Her ability was recognised when she was a child, including the award of BBC Young Musician of the Year when she was 16. She works wi ...

's 2010 album ''Tchaikovsky & Bruch: Violin Concertos''.

Galerie Rudolfinum

The building also contains the Galerie Rudolfinum, an

art gallery An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The long ...

that focuses mainly on

contemporary art Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a ...

. It opened on 1 January 1994 and is a non-profit institution directed and financed by the Czech Ministry of Culture. It is located at the back of the Rudolfinum. Galerie Rudolfinum has no collection of its own, and runs on the

Kunsthalle A kunsthalle () is a facility that mounts temporary art exhibitions, similar to an art gallery. It is distinct from an art museum by not having a permanent collection. In the German-speaking regions of Europe, ''Kunsthallen'' are often operated ...

principle, hosting a series of temporary exhibitions. It has around 1,500 square metres of exhibition space. Major exhibitions have included: Cathy de Monchaux (1997); František Drtikol – ''Photographer, Painter, Mystic'' (1998);

Cindy Sherman Cynthia Morris Sherman (born January 19, 1954) is an American artist whose work consists primarily of photographic self-portraits, depicting herself in many different contexts and as various imagined characters. Her breakthrough work is often co ...

: ''Retrospective'' (1998);

Jürgen Klauke Jürgen Klauke (born 6 September 1943) is a German artist. Beginning in the 1960s, he used his own body as a subject of his photographs. He also experimented with minimalism and surrealism. The ZKM in Karlsruhe exhibits his work.

: ''Side Effect'' (1998); ''Czech Photography 1840–1950'', (2004); Annelies Štrba (2005); Neo Rauch: ''Neue Rollen'' (2007); ''Uncertain States of America'' (2007–2008); Gottfried Helnwein: ''Angels Sleeping'' (2008);

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...

: ''Motion Pictures'' (2009); Shirana Shahbazi: ''Then Again'' (2012); Jake and Dinos Chapman: ''The Blind Leading the Blind'' (2013);

Ana Mendieta Ana Mendieta (November 18, 1948 – September 8, 1985) was a Cuban-American performance artist, sculptor, painter, and video artist who is best known for her "earth-body" artwork. She is considered one of the most influential Cuban-American ar ...

: ''Traces'' (2014);

Mat Collishaw Matthew "Mat" Collishaw Royal Photographic Society#Distinctions and qualifications, Hon. FRPS (born 6 January 1966) is a contemporary British artist based in London. Work Collishaw's work uses photography and video. With an early foundati ...

: ''Standing Water'' (2018); Arthur Jafa: ''A Series of Utterly Improbable, Yet Extraordinary Renditions'' (2019); David Claerbout: ''Olympia'' (2020).

Gallery

Rudolfinum concert hall.jpg, Dvořák Hall Praha Rudolfinum isometric.jpg, Rudolfinum as seen from

Letná Letná is a hill overlooking Prague historic centre and Vltava River just besides Prague Castle. It neighbours Stromovka, the largest park in Prague. The hill belongs to Holešovice and Bubeneč quarters of Prague 7. The main part of Letn� ...

Prague Autumn Penderecki.JPG,

Krzysztof Penderecki Krzysztof Eugeniusz Penderecki (; 23 November 1933 – 29 March 2020) was a Polish composer and conductor. His best-known works include '' Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima'', Symphony No. 3, his '' St Luke Passion'', '' Polish Requiem'', '' ...

and the Sinfonia Varsovia, rehearsal. Prague Autumn International Music Festival 2008. Rudolfinum v noci.jpg, Rudolfinum by night

References

External links

*
Galerie Rudolfinum
official website
Publications
{{Authority control Music venues in Prague Concert halls in the Czech Republic Event venues established in 1885 Renaissance Revival architecture in the Czech Republic National cultural monuments of the Czech Republic Art museums and galleries in Prague Art museums and galleries established in 1994 1994 establishments in the Czech Republic 1885 establishments in Austria-Hungary 20th-century architecture in the Czech Republic Czech Philharmonic