Mahen Theatre, Opera house and theatre in Malinovsky square, Brno, Czech Republic
Mahen Theatre stands on Malinovského náměstí in Brno, a cream-and-white stone building by the Vienna studio Fellner & Helmer, built 1881–82 under Josef Arnold. Its central portico of four tall columns carries a pediment inscribed "MAHENOVO DIVADLO" and a sculpted group with a mounted figure on the roofline; rusticated lower storeys hold an arched doorway and an arcade.
The Reduta theatre burned down in 1870, prompting Brno to commission a new German city theatre from Vienna's Fellner & Helmer studio; the foundation stone was laid on 18 July 1881. After fires in Nice, Prague and Vienna, the plans were altered with extra exits and stairways, and gas lighting was replaced by Edison-designed electric light. It opened on 14 November 1882 with Beethoven's Consecration of the House.
The theatre has been the home stage of the National Theatre Brno drama company since 1965, a company active professionally since 1884. Its name honours the writer and playwright Jiří Mahen, its first dramaturg after 1918. A chandelier above the auditorium was originally made for the last Iranian shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
The theatre stands on Malinovského náměstí, a short walk from Brno's main railway station and the city centre. The main entrance is reached by a wide flight of steps, and the foyer holds a small exhibition of the original Edison wiring. A reconstruction of the building is planned after 2029.
Above the auditorium hangs a chandelier originally made for Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran. Parts of Edison's original wiring are displayed in a small exhibition in the foyer.
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