The Antonín Dvořák Theatre, originally the Municipal Theatre, was built in a neo-Baroque pastiche style by the Vienna architect Alexander Graf in 1906-1907. A key partner in the project was the Vítkovice Ironworks, which supplied the steel structures including the roof over the stage and the auditorium. The theatre was unique in the Czech lands in its pioneering use of reinforced concrete beams and girders. The artistic design of the interiors – the auditorium, foyer and vestibule – was the work of the Viennese sculpture studio Johann Bock and Son.
After its opening, the Municipal Theatre – which was later to undergo several reconstructions – was initially leased to German-language travelling theatrical companies. From 1919, however, it became part of the newly formed National Theatre of Moravia-Silesia, which opened with the premiere of Smetana’s opera The Bartered Bride on 12 August of that year. In 1990 the theatre was renamed after the great Czech composer Antonín Dvořák, and is a popular venue for opera, drama and ballet.