The theatre was founded in 1881 after collecting the necessary funds needed for building a huge theatre. The theatre was intended to be a symbol of the Czech nation's independence and is language. A collection was taken up among the public, and the theatre was opened largely thanks to public donations. That very same year the theatre was destroyed by a tragic fire. But the spirit of the people was so supportive that quickly another collection was taken up and in just two years of expensive reconstruction, the theatre was reopened with a premiere performance of "Libuse" by B. Smetana. This composer is known for writing moving pieces which speak to the Czech national character.

The theatre is built in Neo-Renaissance style by architects J. Schulz, M. Ales, and A. Wagner among others, and decorated with incredible paintings and sculptures. It offers three different genres of art: opera, ballet and plays.

The repertoire consists of 60 performances in total, mainly classical operas. The most popular are: Dvorak's "Jaccobin" and "Rusalka"; Verdi's "Rigolleto", "Aida" and "La Traviata"; and Smetana's compositions.

The ballets include: "Mowghli" by Svoboda, "Romeo and Julia" by Prokofjev, "Carmen" and "Cinderella."