Divadlo Ungelt, Theatre in Old Town, Prague, Czech Republic
Divadlo Ungelt is a theatre in Prague's Old Town, set inside a converted medieval merchant courtyard just steps from the Old Town Square. The main hall is small, seating only a few dozen people, which puts the audience very close to the stage.
The Ungelt courtyard served for centuries as a customs yard where foreign merchants were required to store and trade their goods during the medieval period. After decades of neglect and a restoration effort in the later 20th century, it was turned into a theatre in the 1990s.
Divadlo Ungelt focuses on accessible entertainment, staging comedies and dramas that draw broad Prague audiences rather than niche theatre-goers. Sitting inside the old merchant courtyard, visitors get a sense of how the city keeps its theatre tradition alive in everyday, informal settings.
The theatre sits inside the Ungelt courtyard, just behind the Tyn Church in Old Town, and is easy to reach on foot from the city center. In summer the company moves to a stage in the Hradcany district, so it is worth checking which location is open before making the trip.
The name Ungelt comes from an old German word meaning tax or toll, a direct reference to the yard's original function as a place where duties were collected from merchants. Theatergoers today sit in a space that was once one of the most commercially active corners of medieval Prague.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.