Jiří Myron Theatre

The Jiří Myron Theatre is one of the leading theatre venues in Ostrava and the home stage of the operetta, drama and ballet ensembles of the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre. Standing in the city centre, the building today seats roughly 620 to 660 spectators, making it one of the larger theatre auditoriums in the Czech Republic.

Where did the building come from?

The structure was built between 1892 and 1894 to a design by architect Josef Srba, with a festive opening held in mid-June 1894. Despite its present-day role, the building was not conceived as a theatre at all. It opened as the National House (Národní dům), a venue meant to give the Czech community in the then multi-ethnic Ostrava a representative place for balls, lectures and civic gatherings.

How did the National House become a theatre?

In 1906 the National House Society took over the building and founded the city's first permanent Czech theatre stage there. In 1919 the house became the second seat of the National Theatre Moravian-Silesian, but from 1920 Czech drama was performed mainly at the City Theatre — today's Antonín Dvořák Theatre — while the National House itself returned largely to social functions; from 1925 it even housed the Kosmos cinema.

What changed during the occupation and later reconstructions?

Under German occupation, the theatre company was forced to leave the City Theatre building and return to the National House, which was substantially rebuilt in 1939–1940 to a design by Evžen Friedl and Jan Jírovec. In 1954 the building was renamed after Jiří Myron, the name it still carries today, and further construction work followed in the second half of the 1960s. The building had already been declared a cultural monument in 1958.

How was the theatre rebuilt after the fire?

On the night of 6–7 December 1976, a major fire tore through the building, causing damage so severe that performances had to stop for several years. Reconstruction and expansion, carried out between 1977 and 1986 to a design by Ostrava architects Ivo Klimeš (architectural concept) and Radim Ulmann (interiors), got fully under way in August 1980. The theatre reopened with a festive ceremony on 28 April 1986.

What is the theatre like today?

Since its reopening, the Jiří Myron Theatre has ranked among the largest theatre stages in the Czech Republic. It is the home stage for the operetta, drama and ballet companies of the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre, one of the most significant cultural institutions in the Moravian-Silesian region. Depending on the source, the auditorium holds between roughly 620 and 665 seats.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Jiří Myron Theatre the same institution as the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre? No — it is one of that theatre's several stages, alongside venues such as the Antonín Dvořák Theatre. The National Moravian-Silesian Theatre operates across multiple buildings in Ostrava.

Where does the theatre's name come from? The building was renamed in 1954 in honour of Jiří Myron, a figure associated with Ostrava's theatrical life.

Why did the building look different before 1986? A fire in December 1976 severely damaged the interior, forcing a lengthy reconstruction that was completed in 1986.

What kind of performances are staged here? As the home venue of the operetta, drama and ballet ensembles, the programme spans musicals and operettas as well as straight drama and ballet productions.