Rudolfinum in Prague – A Temple of Music, Art and Czech History

Standing proudly on the banks of the Vltava River, just a few steps from Prague’s Jewish Quarter, the Rudolfinum is one of the most elegant buildings in the historic center of Prague. With its monumental Neo-Renaissance façade, grand staircase and impressive location overlooking the river, it may look like simply another beautiful concert hall – but its story is closely connected with Czech culture, politics and the creation of modern Czechoslovakia.

Today, the Rudolfinum is best known as the home of the Czech Philharmonic and one of Prague’s most prestigious cultural institutions. We also stop here during our Old Town & Jewish Quarter Free Walking Tour, as its location makes it a perfect place to understand how different chapters of Prague’s history overlap in a surprisingly small area.

Why Is It Called the Rudolfinum?

The Rudolfinum was built between 1876 and 1884 according to designs by Czech architects Josef Zítek and Josef Schulz.

If those names sound familiar, there is a good reason. Zítek was also responsible for the original design of Prague’s National Theatre, while Schulz later worked on its reconstruction and designed the National Museum overlooking Wenceslas Square.

The new cultural building was financed by the Czech Savings Bank as part of its 50th-anniversary celebrations. From the beginning, it was intended as a home for both music and visual arts.

But why “Rudolfinum”?

The name was chosen in honor of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, the only son of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth – the famous Sisi. Interestingly, Emperor Rudolf II, one of the rulers most closely associated with Prague, was also reportedly in mind when the name was chosen.

The connection with the Habsburg crown later became somewhat awkward. After the collapse of Austria-Hungary and the creation of independent Czechoslovakia in 1918, the political world surrounding the Rudolfinum changed completely.

The name, however, survived – and today hardly anyone thinks of the unfortunate Habsburg crown prince when heading to a concert here.

From Concert Hall to Parliament

The Rudolfinum officially opened on 7 February 1885.

Its most famous space is the magnificent Dvořák Hall, named after Czech composer Antonín Dvořák. On 4 January 1896, something particularly important happened here: the newly established Czech Philharmonic gave its first concert – conducted by Dvořák himself.

But after the creation of independent Czechoslovakia in 1918, the building suddenly received a very different role.

The new country needed somewhere for its parliament to meet.

And the Rudolfinum was chosen.

In 1919, the building became the seat of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czechoslovak National Assembly. Concert and exhibition spaces had to be adapted to accommodate politicians, parliamentary debates and the practical needs of the young republic.

The Rudolfinum even played a role in choosing the country’s president. Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk was elected president here in 1920, 1927 and 1934.

It must have been quite a transformation – from symphonies to speeches, and from musicians to members of parliament.

Following World War II, the Rudolfinum’s concert function returned. Other parts of the building continued to serve different purposes for decades, however, and the building only underwent a major restoration between 1989 and 1992, helping return it to its original role as a center for both music and art.

Home of the Czech Philharmonic

Today, the Rudolfinum is inseparably associated with the Czech Philharmonic, one of the Czech Republic’s most important cultural institutions.

The centerpiece of the building is Dvořák Hall, famous for both its elegant interior and its acoustics.

The hall has a particularly strong connection with the Czech musical tradition and composers such as Antonín Dvořák, Bedřich Smetana and Leoš Janáček, although the concerts performed here naturally extend far beyond Czech music.

For classical music lovers visiting Prague, attending a concert in the Rudolfinum can be one of the most memorable ways to experience the building.

There Is More Than Music Inside

The Rudolfinum was conceived from the beginning as a home for both music and visual art, and that tradition continues today.

Part of the building houses Galerie Rudolfinum, one of Prague’s important spaces for contemporary art.

Rather than maintaining a traditional permanent collection, Galerie Rudolfinum operates as a non-collecting exhibition space and hosts temporary exhibitions, often featuring Czech and international contemporary artists.

This makes the Rudolfinum an interesting combination: a 19th-century Neo-Renaissance building filled with classical music on one side and contemporary art on the other.

Look Up at the Roof

When you stand in front of the Rudolfinum, don’t immediately walk inside.

Look up.

Along the balustrade you’ll find 16 statues of famous composers.

One of them represents Felix Mendelssohn – and his statue is connected with one of the most fascinating stories surrounding the building.

During the Nazi occupation, Mendelssohn’s Jewish ancestry made him unacceptable to the regime, and his statue was removed from the Rudolfinum in September 1942.

But you may have heard a much more colorful version of the story.

In Czech writer Jiří Weil’s famous novel Mendelssohn Is on the Roof, Nazi officials order workers to remove Mendelssohn’s statue. There is one problem: the workers don’t know which composer is Mendelssohn.

Using an antisemitic stereotype, they decide that the statue with the largest nose must be the Jewish composer.

They are about to make a rather unfortunate mistake.

The statue they identify is supposedly Richard Wagner – Hitler’s beloved composer.

It is a brilliant piece of dark irony.

There is just one problem with the story: there was never a statue of Richard Wagner on the Rudolfinum.

Mendelssohn’s statue really was removed during the Nazi occupation. The Wagner episode belongs to literature.

And that is something we encounter surprisingly often in Prague – history and legend become so intertwined that separating one from the other can be half the fun.

A Building Between the Old Town and the Jewish Quarter

The location of the Rudolfinum is one of the reasons we like including it on our Old Town & Jewish Quarter Free Walking Tour.

Walk in one direction and within minutes you are surrounded by the synagogues and cemetery of Josefov, Prague’s historic Jewish Quarter.

Walk in another and you reach Old Town Square, with the Astronomical Clock, Gothic churches and medieval streets.

Look across the Vltava and Prague Castle rises above the opposite bank.

The Rudolfinum stands almost at the meeting point of these different Pragues – medieval, Jewish, Habsburg, Czech and modern.

The square in front of the building is Jan Palach Square, named after the Czech student who set himself on fire in January 1969 in protest following the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia and the growing resignation in Czech society.

So even before entering the Rudolfinum, you are standing in a place connected with several very different periods of Czech history.

Can You Visit the Rudolfinum?

Yes – and you don’t necessarily need a concert ticket to step inside.

Visitors can enter the Rudolfinum and explore its entrance hall and foyer during public opening hours. The public entrance is on the side of the building facing Alšovo nábřeží – look for the doorway between the two stone sphinxes. You can also stop for a coffee or something to eat at Café Rudolfinum, located inside the building, or visit Galerie Rudolfinum.

The magnificent Dvořák Hall itself is not normally open for casual sightseeing. The best way to experience it is to attend a concert, although it can also be visited as part of one of the Rudolfinum’s guided tours when these are available.

So even if classical music isn’t part of your Prague itinerary, don’t just admire the Rudolfinum from outside. Step through the doors and have a look inside – it’s one of those Prague landmarks that many visitors photograph without realizing that parts of the building can be explored for free.

Visit the Rudolfinum With Us

We visit the Rudolfinum during our Old Town & Jewish Quarter Free Walking Tour, where it forms part of a much bigger story.

Rather than seeing Prague as a collection of isolated monuments, we use places like the Rudolfinum to connect the city’s different historical layers – from the Habsburg Empire and Czech national revival to independent Czechoslovakia, Nazi occupation, communism and the Prague we know today.

And that’s one of the things we love most about guiding in Prague: sometimes a building that looks like a beautiful concert hall turns out to have hosted composers, artists, politicians and some of the most dramatic chapters of Czech history.

The Rudolfinum is exactly that kind of place.