Rudolfinum

The Rudolfinum is a building in Prague, Czech Republic. It is designed in the neo-renaissance style and is situated on Jan Palach Square on the bank of the river Vltava. Since its opening in 1885 it is associated with music and art. Currently Czech Philharmonic Orchestra 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 and is noted for its excellent acoustics.

The Rudolfinum has been the home of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra since 1946 and is one of the main venues of the Prague Spring International Music Festival held each year in May and June. The building was designed by architect Josef Zítek and his student Josef Schulz, and was opened 8 February 1885. It is named in honour of Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria, who presided over the opening. Between 1919 and 1941 the building was used as seat of Czechoslovak parliament.

The Rudolfinum's Dvořák Hall is one of the oldest concert halls in Europe and is noted for its excellent acoustics. On 4 January 1896 Antonín Dvořák himself conducted the Czech Philharmonic in the hall in its first ever concert.

The building also contains the Galerie Rudolfinum, an art gallery that focuses mainly on contemporary art. Major exhibitions have included: František Drtikol – Photographer, Painter, Mystic, (1998), Cindy Sherman: Retrospective, (1998), Jürgen Klauke: 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).

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